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Our family decided to take one last vacation road trip to Disneyland before work and school started up again.
Packing for me and my 2 kids is usually pretty stressful and it pushes my focus to the limit. Making checklists seems logical, but I tend to get highly distracted and it’s inevitable that items get missed.
Basically, I am NOT a successful throw-everything-in-the-suitcase-and-go kind of person. 3 things really helped me out this time around.
My oldest child is Self-Sufficient With Packing Now
I obviously packed everything for my daughter from the time she was a baby and throughout her toddler years. I encouraged her to take it on by herself, around age 6, however, I ended up micromanaging the process which caused annoyance for her and counterproductive for me. I stayed out of her hair this time. She pulled a book from her Manga collection that was super helpful which brings me to my next point.
Compact Folding Technique
When items are folded uniformly it frees up a lot of space. I was intrigued by the Marie Kondo Konmari trend from a few years back. It was delightful to see that there’s also a super cute manga version of her book. My daughter and I both used it as a guide.
Packing Cubes
I was skeptical and a bit impatient with this concept at first. Now I won’t pack any other way. These fabric bags are mind-blowing especially in conjunction with neatly folded items. They’re usually made in the same dimensions as a suitcase and out of thin material that will not add bulk. Packing cubes keep everything organized and serve as a great visual “file” of what you’re bringing along.
Packing for a trip could be a challenging task, and I haven’t even mentioned other miscellaneous items, kid toys or snacks yet. That will have to be in another post. Packing cubes and a strong folding method are a great start for managing clothing. The links below will bring you to the book mentioned above and an option for packing cubes:
The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up: A Magical Story (The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up)
Bagail 8 Set Packing Cubes
Enjoy your travels!
-Jenn
Until Jenn 
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