How to Pack For a Family Vacation

Summer is fast approaching, and that means many of you are starting to think of your vacations. We've put together this guide on how to pack for family holidays, so if you need a little help getting organized for a fun summer break, take a look at our list of 10 top tips below.

1. Roll Your Clothes

You know who has to carry clothes and then wear them in pristine condition? The good people at the US military! Rolling your shirts, pants and socks instead of folding them is one of the main secrets to enjoying less creased clothing. Take a look at the WikiHow guide for more details.

2. Pack Smart!

When it comes to packing for a family holiday, you have to be ruthless in your selections. Less is often more when it comes to clothing. For the kids, make sure to take one set of clothes per day, plus a spare for accidents. Any more than that is adding unnecessary extras.

3. Pack Snappy!

Save space on beach essentials by using our compact, microfiber beach towels! Check out our blog post on why Snappy Towels make for excellent travel towels for your next vacation, resort holiday or cruise.

4. Prepare for Baby

Take more baby essentials than you initially think you need. In the event of a delay, you want to be prepared, unless you're absolutely sure you can pick up essentials in Departures. Take a look at Mumsnet's PDF checklist for a comprehensive list of must-pack baby items.

5. Divide Clothes between Luggage

Try to spread clothes for each person across a few different bags. That way, if the worst happens and a bag goes missing in transit, nobody needs wear the same set of underwear for the first few days of the holiday!

6. Make Copies of Your Itinerary for Each Bag

Misplaced luggage will be returned much more easily if every bag has details of your flights, home address and hotel address. Plus one lost bag doesn't mean a lost itinerary too!

7. Give the Kids Their Own Bag

Hand your kids some responsibility in the shape of an appropriate backpack or wheeled carry-on bag. Fill it with their favorite toys and books for the journey ahead.

8. Take Medication in Hand Luggage

Pretty self-explanatory - the last thing you want is someone not getting their medication because it's in the Bermuda Triangle instead of Cancun!

9. Pack in Advance and Test the Weight

Don't leave it until the last minute. Make a checklist well in advance and then make sure you're done with a couple of day's grace. For extra ease, take your packed bags round the block a day or two before you leave, to check that nobody is overburdened.

10. Make Your Life Easier

Finally, take a look at this short list for some extra inspiration on packing hacks:

• Sunscreen - buy and pack at home - it's likely to be better quality and not overpriced
• Kids' inflatables - they're usually cheaper to buy and pack at home than on the beachfront.
• Zipper storage bags - these multi-purpose bagging solutions have a million uses, from storing wet or sandy clothes to transporting dirty nappies.
• Nappies - a sneaky trick is to pack cash, jewelry and valuables inside a nappy if you have one available: potential thieves are less likely to try and steal soiled garments. Just make sure nobody -helpfully- throws it out on arrival!

Images by ironypoisoning and Infomastern, and used under Creative Commons license