E-Z Vacation Packing

Family vacations…… (sigh)……I love them and I hate them. It’s great to get away and make memories, but the work required to get 6 people and all their stuff out the door without forgetting favorite blankies and the ever important undergarments would make a drill sergeant go all weak at the knees.

So one day I stopped and thought, “Why the heck am I doing all the work?” I wracked my brain trying to figure out what I was willing to delegate to the kiddos. Which actually means, what am I willing to let them do all by themselves and let the chips fall where they may if the job isn’t done right? Or to break it down even more…..what will I let slip from my control-freak fingers and not stress over?

The answer was packing!

I made a packing list for each of us in the form of a word document. Then found pictures for each item on the list from google images and pasted them into the document so even the non-readers would be able to read it. Then I handed each kid their list and sent them to work.






They loved the idea! I think the pictures made it all the more fun and who knew they would think it was a big game to pack their own things? The non-readers got a little reading lesson in the deal as well as number practice. (ie…. 4 underwear, 3 shirts, etc.)

I let the big kids find it and pack it all away, never to be checked by me. I figured we’d rack it up to Lesson-Learned if they forgot something. For the little kiddos, I had them lay it all out on their beds for me to check, and then let them stuff it all into their own little bags with all its zippered nooks and crannies.

It took all my willpower not to worry about wrinkles, forgotten items, and matching clothing, But it shaved hours off my vacation workload and I was just plain happy with that kind of trade-off.

Now, I even let them do the list for Chris and I and then we stuff our bags ourselves. The time saved gets put into a team effort of tidying the house before we leave, because there’s nothing worse than coming home from vacation to an already thrashed house.

So there it is, another brilliant idea that you’ve probably already been doing for years.

Go check out more great tips at Works For Me Wednesday.