Learning in Traveling.

After a two week vacation to Orlando with many stops on the way there and back, I learned so many things that could be helpful to know in future traveling with a spouse and children. I am not sure of this shall turn into a long post on the subject, whether it shall become a series, or whether I shall only write a few of the many things I learned.

I am naturally one of those people who likes schedules, and likes to know how things are going to lay out before they do. For those of you familiar with the Myers Briggs test, this would make that last letter in my personality a J instead of a P. However, many of my family members would all fall under the P category. They love to fly by the seat of their pants, relish the moment, cross that bridge when they get there.

So I am much more flexible than most in the J category, and this sneaks out sometimes. Like when I am posting on a blog, and have no set idea of what I shall post about next, or decide to make a series out of a post that was originally a one-shot. Or when I stick multiple random paragraphs about my personality in the middle of a post about traveling.

So one of the things that I have been gradually learning over family trips, and especially over this most recent one is how to pack. And when I say how to pack, I mean what to pack, what kind of bag to pack it in, how much to pack, what things to get along the way, how to fit the bags/boxes in the vehicle, how to consolidate time and time again, the whole deal.

Something that was very helpful on this trip was the fact there was going to be a washer and dryer everywhere we went. So we packed very few clothes. Also, everyone over the age of 7 had their own bag/backpack which had to fit all the clothes they were bringing, as well as any books or other accessories. This worked well for many reasons.

• It eliminated the problem of children packing a second bag with their various books, toys, pens, and papers. 
• It helped create more flexibility in who slept in what room in the different places, as we didn't have to make sure that people who shared the same bag slept in the same room.
• It actually did create more room, and was overall just very simple. 

 All of the toiletries went in one bag, excepting those that some of the females chose to keep on their person. The upside of this is that you don't really forget toiletries, as you can just throw them all in there right before you leave, and do not have to check individual bags. The downside, however, is that you would have to go find the cosmetic bag when you wanted to get ready for the day. In most of the places we stayed, that wasn't an issue, however, as we just put the cosmetic bag outside of the bathroom.

Bedding was the last thing that went in. This actually worked much better than I expected. Usually I will cram all the bedding in the back of the van, but this time we decided to do it a little different. We had one tall skinny basket that was full of blankets, and then almost everyone had their own pillow. So every time we left somewhere, I would tell the kids "Say your goodbyes, grab your pillow, and get in the van." And then when we are all in, Dad would stick the basket of blankets in the side, and I was able to place my pillow there and it made a nice sleeping spot.

We purchased multiple dry foods and placed them in a large bucket on the back of the van, and that meant we had to buy less when we actually got to Orlando, and on the way back we felt like we had a lot more space as the bucket was by then pretty empty of food.

These are just a few of the many things I learned from on this most recent trip. There are many more. After all, these only covered some of the packing techniques that we tried, and that both worked and failed. But as my time grows short, this post is coming to an end. I hope that I have the ability to add to it in the near future, and make a series of sorts. But no promises shall be made at this time. *wink*

I would love to hear your comments on your own packing techniques and things that have worked well for you, or not worked so well.