Lugging around suitcases for a family vacation can be quite the task, even with the help of the luggage trolleys. Add carseats and two toddlers to the mix and you have quite the handful! Being able to pack for the whole family into one suitcase will help keep your hands free and your luggage fees low.

Check out the video below for smart tips and tricks to help you pack for a family vacation using just one suitcase and follow the article for more.

ULTIMATE GUIDE TO PACKING FOR A FAMILY VACATION

PLAN OUT YOUR PACKING

Downsizing on luggage makes the planning process even more important. Planning out what you pack instead of aimlessly tossing items into a suitcase (we’ve been there too) allows you to bring everything you need without hauling around things you don’t.

To effectively pack, you can follow the Tripped Packing System. This system will follow 3 major steps:

Following these steps while packing for each member of your family will get you all ready for a vacation full of memories, not suitcases.

1. STEP 1 - PULL YOUR CLOTHES

The first step of the process is Pull. This is simply pull everything that you will need for 3 crucial days of your trip. These three days include: your favorite day of the trip, your most important day of the trip, and your travel day.  Let’s go through each day.

Let’s pack for a family hiking trip to Colorado!

a. Favorite Day in Colorado

The mountains are calling! You’re packing up the family to head for a long weekend in the peaks. This hike is what you’re most looking forward to this trip.    

This day may look something like:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Driving out to the mountains and stopping for coffee on the way (a must)

• A hike around Breckenridge

• Lunch and shopping in Dillon

• Driving back to Denver and stopping at scenic outlooks

• Picnic dinner and icecream in Denver

Sounds like a perfect day for the whole fam!

Start to pull items from your closet that would work for this day.

REMEMBER: Pack accordingly for your activities! Comfort is KEY.

Let’s break down your favorite day:

• Morning - What are you waking up in? Do you need loungewear for breakfast in the lobby or will you be dressed and ready to go beforehand?

• Coffee Break - Here you might be wearing what you’re planning to wear for your hike. Does everyone want to be in their hiking boots for the drive or will you have another pair of shoes to change in and out of.

• Hiking - Hiking boots? Check. Hats and sunglasses? Check. If any of your kiddos need some help on the hike, carriers would also be added in this step.

  Our favorite hiking accessory is the Tripped Travel Gear Daypack. It’s also the perfect personal item for on the plane to save space in your checked bag!

• Lunchtime - Depending on how sweaty you got on your hike, you may want a change of clothes before heading into town. If not, do you want a change of shoes?

• Driving Back - Nothing added hear except for what you bought while out shopping!

• Picnic in the Park - An easy sundress with sandals and play clothes for the kids.

• Bed Time - Do you want to wear the same pajamas you woke up in? If not, add another pair here.

b. M.I.D Most Important Day

The Most Important Day of your trip is the reason you are traveling to Colorado. For this example, you have a family wedding to attend.

To get everyone packed for the wedding, you’ll need to pull:

• Wedding day outfit - What will you be in from the beginning to the end of the day? Nobody is waking up in their wedding clothes.

  Important Note: Is anybody in the wedding? Groomsman or Flower Girl? Add in those important outfits and accessories here.

• Accessories - What do you need for your full wedding attire.  

• Shoes - A pair of sneakers for after a night of heals? Yes please.

• For the Kids - Pajamas for the drive home?

Toiletries for your Day

When packing toiletries for the family, try to think of products that all of you can share. For example, one tube of toothpaste or bottle of shampoo for everyone.

When thinking about your days also think about the toiletries that you’ll need. Sunscreen and bug spray as well as your favorite lipstick shade for the wedding. If you’re not feeling like packing it? Not to worry! Almost everything you will need you can buy once you’re at your destination.

c. Travel Day

The travel day of your trip can be quite overwhelming, but you’ve got this! The best part? Once you get to the airport, the suitcase you’ve so carefully packed will soon be out of your hands… unless you think you can make it into a carry-on! For tips on going carry-on only, check out our previous blogs.

Tip: To keep from overpacking, pull items for your travel day from clothing you have already set to pack. 

The tank top that you had set out to wear on your Favorite Day hike and a new pair of leggings makes a perfect travel day outfit! The kids can toss on their hiking clothes too. They’re all just going to get dirty later anway!

2. PUSH THROUGH THE PANIC

You have all you need for a great family vacation to Colorado! Packing for a family does require a bit of extra thinking though. Here is where we answer the most important question:

“What if?”

a. The What If’s

Traveling with kids is unpredictable. What if potty training isn’t going as planned? What if someone trips and scrapes their knees? There is a way to prepare for the unexpected without overpacking

It’s okay to toss in items for the family that you think they might need. iPad for the long flight? (Maybe that’s not a want but a need!) Or additional outfits might be nice to have on hand, too.

3. TIME TO ACTUALLY PACK

Depending on how many of you are in your family, the pile of clothes in front of you may be looking like the Rocky Mountains right about now. Don’t worry. It’s all going to fit and you’re going to be on your way!

Family Packing Made Easy: Utilizing Compression Cubes

Packing in compression cubes will not only save you space in your luggage, but will also keep you and your family organized during your travels.

Packing For The Family

When packing for the whole family in one suitcase, organization is key. Your brain might be jumbled, but your luggage won’t be! Here are a couple of family packing recommendations:

Using Different Colored Compression Cubes 

One way to keep everyone’s items separate and organized is to assign a different color or pattern of compression cubes to each family member.

• Using Colors: Keep your daughter’s things in all Dusty Rose while your son packs in Dusty Teal cubes. You? You get to pack in your favorite Nautical Navy cubes.

• Using Patterns: For a quick vacation, you may only need one set of compression cubes for everyone! Pick from the Landscape Set, National Parks Set, or Bucketlist Set and have each family member pick a different cube from the set to pack in. You’ll remember whose is whose and the cute prints can’t be beat!

These cubes can also be used to pack one family member’s clothes in one side of the cube and a second family member on the opposite side! Family of 4 packed into 2 cubes.

The best part about the dual-sided cubes? They now come in mesh so you’re able to see exactly what is in each cube. The ultimate organization hack!

4. BEFORE YOU GO

Packing for a family vacation in one suitcase may require some careful planning, but it is entirely possible by following the Tripped Packing System.

By pulling what you need, pushing through the panic, and utilizing compression cubes, you can and make the most of the available space in your luggage and make the most of your vacation!

Need an extra boost of courage before you embark? HeyShayla, past full-time traveler and current full-time mama, tries out the Tripped Packing System for her own family vacation to Colorado.

Check out Shayla’s episode of Packed. below as she prepares packs for her family vacation.