1. Write it down: I know many of us resist writing lists. But if you leave it to your mind to remember then it will be forgotten. Even as important it could save you from packing things that you don’t need. For instance, I packed a twelve-pound free weight into my car when I went camping on Memorial Day. I thought that I would do some arm exercises around the fire. Huh? As if I would have the motivation to do that. I could never make myself write down “twelve pound free weight” on a camping list for the weekend. Thus it would stop me from bringing it next time.
2. Make a list for everyone: This is where my sister went wrong. Yes, she had her sandals packed. But if she had handed her husband his list to go over one more time perhaps he would have caught the glaring omission of the sandals not being packed. This is also really important for those of you with small children who have different needs according to their ages. You don’t want your two year old to be caught on the beach without their disposable bathing suits.
3. Pack efficiently: Packing your suitcase so tight that you end up dragging home souvenirs in those cheap plastic bags because there is no more room to fit them is not fun. Leave yourself room to do some shopping. Also place limits on your clothes. Pants and shirts that go with more than one outfit are the most desirable. Pack a heavy garbage bag that you can fold your dirty clothes into. It may seem a bit strange to be folding your dirty clothes but it will be nice to have them separated.
4. Clean Up: Okay, the last thing we want to do when we go on vacation is clean our house first. But if you spend a half hour making the beds, and washing the morning dishes you will come home to a clean house. When you come home you can start the laundry, unpack and dream about next years vacation.
