Large Family Packing Tips

Sharing My 3 BEST Large Family Packing Tips

This article is about large family packing tips.

Packing does not have to be a stressful experience – even when you are the primary packer for the entire family. We’ve all been there- the night before a trip up till midnight, second guessing yourself, trying your best to close your overfilled bag. But what if you can make things a little easier?

Today I’m sharing my 3 best large family packing tips so that you can have less stress and more family fun!

Want to read more travel tips? Check out How to Survive a Road Trip With a Family of 5

Large Family Packing Tip #1 – Get The Right Gear

Finding the right travel gear can make all the difference in both your packing and travel experience. I have gone though tons of gear through the years, but I’m ready to share with you the items I use over and over again. These are things that you will fall in love with and use on every trip!

*None of these are sponsored, I just want to help you out with my suggestions! If you want any info on the specific items I use or where I got them, shoot me an email or DM me @magicforfive on Instagram and I will be happy to help!

Must Have Packing Gear

Collapsible Duffel Bag

A lot of people means a lot of souvenirs.

These will take so much pressure off you when you are packing. No more estimating if there is enough room for items the trip back. No more saying no to the giant stuffed animal. I use a super lightweight bag that folds down to practically nothing.

If you don’t need it- great! But you also always have it there just in case. Just remember to bring an extra luggage tag as well.

Packing Cubes

If you are packing for multiple people and aren’t using packing cubes, then go order a set immediatly! I suggest getting a set of mixed sizes first to see what is needed for each member of the family then you can always get more of the sizes that work best.

The very first think I do when getting ready for a trip is lay out a cube for each member of the family. This makes organizing everyone’s items and fitting them in the suitcase so easy! It really does save space and makes putting out clothing during you trip so easy.

I also use small cubes to prevent small loose items in the suitcase. Think hairbows, sunglasses, small toys, umbrellas, etc.

Luggage Scale

Take all the guess work out of baggage weight with a personal luggage scale. These can be purchased for as little as $8 and come in both digital or traditional dial scale.

Luggage scales helps so much with the stress of not knowing if you have overpacked your bag. I will weigh each bag as I fill them then zip and sit it aside when it has reached the weight limit. Then start filling the next piece of luggage. So easy!

They are also super lightweight so pack them for the trip back.

Large Family Packing Tip #2 – Get Organized

So if you are not a planner or list maker, you probably aren’t going to want to hear this- but a super detailed packing list is going to be your best friend when you are packing for several people.

Not only will it make sure you have everything you need, more importantly, it will prevent you from packing too much.

To save time I recommend having one master family packing list. When you are starting from scratch to create a list for a large family, it can take quite a while.

Before each trip you can quickly update the list and get right to packing. I divide my list by sections and cross off what isn’t necessary for the specific trip (like beach items, cold weather gear, etc.).

Then you can adjust amounts of items like clothing to reflect the length of your trip. After adding any additional items that aren’t listed, you are done!

In less than 5-10 minutes you have completed all of the planning and will be ready to start filling your luggage! So easy!

Another tip is to stick to the list. After packing, it is easy to go back and try to fill every extra inch of space left in your suitcase. This usually isn’t a good idea. Not only will you be lugging around all that extra weight (I’m thinking of the extra 3 pairs of shoes I threw in “just in case”), but you will spend extra unnecessary time packing.

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather spend the night before my trip relaxing with my family and already in vacation mode. Not staying up late panic packing.

Large Family Packing Tip #3 – Budget For The Unexpected

If you are a Type A super planner like myself, being unprepared can cause a lot of anxiety.

One of the most important things I have learned is that you can’t be expected to have every item on every trip.

One way to ease your packing worries is to make sure you have a little extra room in your budget so that if there is an item that gets left behind or suddenly is needed, you can easily grab it while away. Once I finally accepted this, it has reduced my packing list and created a shorter packing experience.

For instance I don’t need to bring several backup reusable water bottles just in case one is lost. I know that in the unlikely case that does happen, I can just buy a new one and keep going!

Another example is baby gear. I used to load my suitcase up with way too many diapers, wipes, sippy cups, etc. Once I stared to pair down, I realized that I rarely needed to stop and grab more- and when I did it was a quick grab and no big deal to our vacation.

Want to read more travel tips? Check out Top Disney Hotels for a Family of 5.

Bonus Tip!

So in addition to these large family packing tips, there is one other small thing I want to share.

Two to three days before we leave for a trip I wash absolutely all of our clothing. Afterwards I let everyone know not to wear anything that they will want to take with them on the trip.

No last minute washing can take a lot of stress off packing day. Plus not coming home to additional laundry always feels good!

Now Your Turn!

Do you have any additional large family packing tips you would like to share? Let me know below or share with me on Instagram @magicforfive