Here’s a little trick that I have learned throughout my traveling. Buy the travel sized space saver bags. Depending on how long you will be gone, get 3 of these great bags and you won’t regret. Use one for all your under wears and socks. One for your shirts and one for dresses.

Fold your clothes normally and put them in the bag and vacuum seal it. It’ll compress the space by 75% less. Although they will weigh the same, you have more room. My experiences with them are: a full suitcase can become half full. Don’t put jeans, hats, and such in the space savers as they don’t compress as much. Usually it’s the soft and bulky items like sweaters compress the most.

With the increased fees at the major airlines and limited carryons, we really need to pay attention to what and how we pack. The most important rule is that never pack the things you don’t even wear at home. There’s a reason why you don’t wear them at home, because they’re either uncomfortable or impractical. Unless you’re taking a luxury cruise, there’s no need to pack all fancy dresses, gowns, and black tie stuff. Pack what you wear everyday. Count the days you will be traveling and add one formal wear on top of that.

Who

Who exactly are you taking to the beach? If you’re planning on bringing 5 children or more, then you’re in for some heavy duty lugging around. But if you’re just going with a friend or two, then you could just go with the bare minimum.

It’s a given that travelling light can be quite expensive specially if you’re going to be taking children with you. But if you’re group is composed of only two or three adults, then you could simply opt for the things that only you need.

Where

This may be a no brainer but if you live near the beach, then you could forego bringing a lot of things. After all, you only need to walk home to get what you need right? But if you’re going to the next State or the next country, you might consider packing things which you could subsist on for at least three days to a week. Again, the first question on who are you going with applies.

It’s more difficult to bring children across great distances than it is to move yourself. To be honest, as a parent myself, I sometimes don’t even think about what we need to bring. I just get the essentials which are clothes, towels, toiletry and money. Always those four. Anything, other than those are not needed.

Always remember, the closer the beach, the less stuff you need to bring. The farther the beach the more things you have to bring.

What

Family members in particular have that tendency to bring a looooot of things when going to the beach because of the perception of boredom. You’d have to understand that kids sometimes can have very limited imaginations about family excursions. Little Joey over there would probably not like the idea of being away from his computer for two days without Internet, that’s why he is going to bring his Laptop. Sandra doesn’t like to lose contact with her friends so she’ll bring her iPhone, iPod, iPad and iWhatever kit. The baby’s the most demanding. You’ll have to bring disposable diapers, feeding bottles, more than extra amount of clothes, umbrella, the milk can, a lot of clean water, powders and lotions. That’s why it’s highly inadvisable to bring babies to the beach.

How Much

Here’s the most important question of all. How much money are you going to spend? I’m not talking about your budget but rather your willingness to burn that cash. If you can afford to buy new clothes and everything you need near the beach then by all means, carry as little stuff as you could.

If you’re on a tight budget and you’re constrained to work around it, then you can expect to bring more things since retail outlets near beaches, wherever they are have a reputation of selling things at three times the price that they would normally fetch for!

At the end of the day your situation would determine how efficiently you can pack things. The basic rule is, bring only what you need.

Rolling your clothes rather then folding them always makes more room in your suitcase. If there is any room left, I then add the things from my “want” to bring pile. Make sure that you put any liquid items in a zip lock bag so that if it does open up during your trip you won’t have toothpaste or shampoo all over your clothes.

Also, don’t forget to save room in your suitcase for souvenirs that you will want to bring home!

Pack the things you will need last in the bottom of your suitcase, and things you will need first at the top. Make a separate list of things that you will carry separately from your suitcase that you cannot do without. Such things might include your passport and airline tickets, if you are flying, and any prescription medications you will need that would be difficult to obtain out of town.

You may also want to include such electronics as a laptop computer, cellular phone or PDA, if you are travelling for business. Good planning will make for a worry free trip free of unpleasant surprises.

Going out for the day with a little one needs some planning on what to take along so you don’t get stranded somewhere away from home without an essential item or an unhappy camper because you forgot to bring something along. So be sure to pack your diaper bag with the necessities for your little one and make the most of your outing.

Some of the most important items of course are diapers, wipes, burp rags, a change of clothing (you never know what might happen along the way, car sickness, overflow on diapers, anything can happen with your unpredictable little one in tow )

Be sure you take plenty of bottles and formula if you are bottle feeding, I always like to put my powder formula into the little Tupperware midgets containers, they hold just the right amount for individual bottles and take up very little space, or they do make small containers that are divided into sections that you can pre measure your powder formulas for quickly mixing a bottle on the go.

If your little one takes a pacifier/binky be sure to take one or two extra along in case the one you leave home with gets lost along the way, You don’t want to have a broken hearted little one for miles on the road because you lost one.

Take your little one’s favorite blanket and a backup blanket just in case, I usually take extras in case they fall asleep in their car seat you can help keep them shaded from the sunshine and comfortable for the ride.

Always pack more than you think you will need just in case something unexpected happens.

Have little toys they can play with to keep them entertained.

If you have a toddler you will want to pack small snacks they pack great in the little tupperware snack cups or little baggies, take several of their favorite small toys and a spill proof cup you can quench their thirst with along the way.

This will help make your outing with little ones much easier and more enjoyable for you an baby when you travel prepared. Happy Traveling!

About The Author

Susan Pittser is a mother of 7 children, Tupperware Director http://my.tupperware.com/spittser

18 year Florist Owner of a 3rd Generation Family Florist and Professional floral designer. http://chosenflowers.com

Packing luggage is a skill that is too often learned by trial and error. And since most of us do not travel every week, it is a skill that often fades away to zero before our next trip. There are several simple steps you can take to ensure that your next travel packing adventure will be stress free.

1. Make a list in advance. By making a list of everything you want to pack before you start packing, you will know that you packed everything you need in your luggage. To make this work, prepare the list before you pack a single item. Then as you place each item in your luggage, check it off the list. And as a last minute check, review your list to be sure every item is checked and that there are no additional items you wish to add to your luggage.

2. Create a documentation pouch. Place all your important travel papers in a separate easy to reach pouch so you always know where they are. Include items like your tickets, hotel and car reservations, passport, etc.

3. Know your weights and counts. Every airline has limits on how many bags you can check in, how many you can carry on and what they all weight. Be sure all of your bags meet the regulations to make check in a snap. And if you think you need to take extra bags (or return with more than allowed), be sure to find out the cost of each extra bag in advance so there is no last minute sticker shock.

4. Pack with security in mind. With current security, your bags will be X-rayed. If the operator sees something that can’t be identified, your bag will be opened and searched. Items that often cause a failure tend to be dense and oddly shaped items that the X-rays cannot penetrate very well. Pack your bags with this in mind. Place any potentially problem objects in an easy to position in your luggage so the operator can find and verify that they are harmless quickly. This will let you get on your way quickly.

5. Luggage sometimes gets lost. Plan for this by packing all your critical items in your carry on bags. This includes items like medicines, your glasses, traveler’s checks, etc.

6. Pack what you need and no more. Depending on how long you are traveling and the purpose of your travel, you may find that you really don’t need to pack 7 pairs of shoes or 3 business suits. Know what amenities are available at your destination to clean your clothes. This will allow you to pack only what you need and leave extra room for souvenirs and such on your return trip. Remember hotels often have irons and ironing boards, laundry and dry cleaning services available.

7. Your travel toiletries kit. While it is a bit more expensive, consider getting travel sized containers of toothpaste, hand cream, shampoo and conditioner, throw away toothbrushes, etc. This has many positive benefits. First, every container will be brand new and you don’t need to worry about leaks in your luggage. Second, if you need extra room on the return flight, you can just dispose of all those little containers and not feel bad about throwing away an almost unused full-sized bottle of shampoo.

8. Pack and wear for the weather. Be sure you know what the weather at your destination is going to be like. You don’t want to have just summer clothing only to find out that the weather is quite brisk in your destination. Also if you are traveling from a warm to a cold location, dress appropriate for the arrival point of your trip so you are not cold running to your car.

Follow these tips and you will be well on your way to a perfect vacation.

About The Author

Alan Jenks

Instant Hotel and Motel Reservations. At My City Travel Guide (www.mycitytravelguide.com), you can get detailed information on over 50,000 hotels around the world and do instant price checks and make your reservations quickly and securely.