{"id":31665,"date":"2019-04-30T17:40:58","date_gmt":"2019-04-30T17:40:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.travelocity.com\/inspire\/?p=31665"},"modified":"2020-11-05T23:08:44","modified_gmt":"2020-11-05T23:08:44","slug":"8-packing-tips-for-long-vacations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelocity.com\/inspire\/8-packing-tips-for-long-vacations\/","title":{"rendered":"8 packing tips for long vacations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Note: <\/i><\/b>All travel is subject to frequently changing governmental restrictions\u2014please check government advisories before scheduling trips. <\/i>Some attractions and establishments may be closed or providing modified services. We strongly recommend researching any attractions and establishments prior to your visit. This article was last updated November 2020.
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While long vacations<\/a> can and should be a blast, getting ready for them usually isn\u2019t. If you\u2019ve ever had the pleasure of taking a long trip<\/a>, then you know there are a fair share of stressors that come with the preparation. There\u2019s making sure your pets and plants are going to be cared for, stopping the mail, getting someone to look in on the place every now and again, cleaning the fridge, adjusting electronics\u2026and that\u2019s not including anything to do with the actual trip itself. While this list isn\u2019t going to help you with those other things, what it will help you with is making sure you can leave knowing at least your luggage is setting you up to have the best time possible. So, here you are: 8 packing tips for long vacations!<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 9 essential packing tips for traveling carry-on only<\/a><\/p>\n

1. Bring an extra bag<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Whether your vacation involves visiting lots of different amazing places or you\u2019re simply planning a venture to just one, chances are you\u2019re going to want to bring home a few souvenirs. Making sure to include an extra\u2014preferably, collapsible\u2014bag while you\u2019re packing is absolutely going to save you some stress when the time comes to go home. Especially if you happen to be a late packer, having to run out and grab something for all the treasures you picked up during your excursion is a good way to put a sour note on the end of an otherwise happy trip.<\/p>\n\"Always\n

2. Prepare for lost luggage<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I have to admit, despite packing a comprehensive carry-on being such a standard practice for any kind of travel where you\u2019ll be separated from your larger suitcases, I haven\u2019t always been great about this one. The notion is, if you\u2019re going to be in a situation where you\u2019re going to be away from the bulk of your luggage for any amount of time (think flights<\/a>, particularly where you\u2019re changing planes), then you need to keep \u2018emergency\u2019 supplies with you. This means a change of clothes, a couple pair of underwear, some toiletries, and medications should all be in tow with you. Also in that bag: items you couldn\u2019t handle losing for good. So, basically anything expensive or personal should also be in there.<\/p>\n

While lost luggage isn\u2019t the most common occurrence, it definitely still happens. That said, I\u2019d highly encourage you to check out this article<\/a> I wrote a little while ago, on how to prevent luggage from getting lost and how to make your life a little easier if it does.<\/p>\n

3. Check weather and long-term trends<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Okay, so you\u2019re probably already doing the first part of this one (if you\u2019re not then, yeah, better start) but what about the second? A typical weather forecast is arguably only close to being accurate about five or ten days out and, if you\u2019re going on an extended holiday, you\u2019re going to be gone a bit longer than this. Solution? Check out the long-term trends for that time of year. While the weather might be warm and sunny in the days immediately after you\u2019ve packed, the end of your trip might be dipping into a colder wet season\u2014and that\u2019s assuming you\u2019re staying in only one place.<\/p>\n\"Beautiful\n

4. Capsule wardrobe<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Regardless of what kind of holiday you\u2019re going on or how long you\u2019ll be gone, packing a capsule wardrobe is always going to be a good idea. For those unfamiliar, the concept is to choose a limited number of clothing items that can all be mixed and matched for completely different outfits. If it\u2019s done correctly, a person could get dozens of different looks out of just 5 items. The key to creating a successful capsule wardrobe is to focus on layering and keeping bold patterns to a minimum; however, you\u2019ll also want to keep stain-forgiveness in mind as you\u2019re probably not going to have access to the same laundering facilities as you would at home. Ideally, when you\u2019re done putting everything together, you\u2019ll be all set for any range of situations\u2014from walking around a hot city to dinner in a nice restaurant.<\/p>\n\"Packing\n

5. Bring a way to freshen your clothes<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The specifics here will vary a little depending on the type and length of your trip (redundant at this point, I know), but the main idea is to be able to give your clothes a refresh while you\u2019re still away from home. In the event that the trip I\u2019m going on is only around a week or so, I find that I can totally get by with just a bottle of fabric deodorizing spray. However, when I\u2019m traveling for longer periods of time, I always bring a small bottle of gentle laundry detergent with me. The \u2018gentle\u2019 aspect is important because I do my washing by hand in the sink and don\u2019t want to take in any unnecessary chemicals via my hands or lack of thorough rinsing. If the thought of going about it this way isn\u2019t appealing to you, or if you won\u2019t have access to a sink where you are, a portable washing bag is also definitely worth looking into.<\/p>\n

6. Bar toiletries<\/strong><\/h2>\n

While I haven\u2019t quite jumped on the bar toiletries bandwagon with my wife when it comes to my ablutions at home, I have to say, I find their practicality for long trips pretty awesome. Even in their whole form they don\u2019t take up very much room. Add in the fact that they last forever so you\u2019ll only need to bring a portion of them for a month-long holiday and they\u2019re already much more appealing than their bottled counterparts. The icing on the cake? As they\u2019re solids, they can go right into your carry-on without any worry of surpassing the dreaded 100ml liquid limit. My only word of caution in switching to bar toiletries for travel is to\u2014like with any traveling toiletries\u2014be sure and test them before you leave. The last thing you want is to find out the shampoo you got refuses to work with your hair or the shaving bar gives you razor burn.<\/p>\n\"Changing\n

7. Packing cubes<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Speaking of bandwagons: have you been introduced to packing cubes yet? To be honest, I didn\u2019t really see their point when I was gifted my first set. Especially when I would be packing a full bag, wouldn\u2019t they just take up valuable space? In fact, if nothing else is changing about what I\u2019m packing, why were they even necessary at all? Well, let me tell you, I couldn\u2019t be happier I gave them a chance. Turns out, the exact opposite of my initial concern was true: the cubes actually work to compress what you\u2019re packing so that you can get more into the suitcase. In fact, there are even some out there that are made to compact its contents nearly as well as a vacuum bag. As for other benefits, I\u2019ve found they\u2019re incredibly helpful in terms of living out of a suitcase. Instead of digging around and ending up having to rifle through a mess to find a pair of pants after only a day, all you have to do is locate the cube you\u2019re looking for and that\u2019s that. If you\u2019re someone that likes to unpack when they\u2019re staying somewhere, they\u2019re also amazing for being able to just throw into a drawer\u2014something you can\u2019t beat when you\u2019re staying in multiple places throughout the course of your trip.<\/p>\n

8. Reevaluate your \u201cjust in case\u201d items<\/strong><\/h2>\n

One thing I\u2019m always guilty of when I\u2019m getting ready for a long vacation is packing essentially a mini version of my entire home. From first aid items to random tech, though I start out with the best intentions, I inevitably wind up with a decent amount of stuff I\u2019m just not going to use. If this sounds like you (I\u2019m thinking it\u2019s most people), take a step back and really look at what you\u2019re bringing along, paying special attention to what you know you won\u2019t be using every day. Is it a \u2018just in case\u2019 item? And, in the event that you do need it, would you need it immediately or could you swing by a shop to grab it if you did? For the things you do intend to use every day, like that journal or specialty camera, be truthful with yourself. If it\u2019s the third time you\u2019ve taken it with you on a trip and you didn\u2019t use it at all previously, chances are it doesn\u2019t belong in your suitcase. Apply this same concept to everything you intended to bring along and you can leave with confidence knowing you\u2019re already setting off on the best foot possible.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

8 simple steps to the perfectly packed bag.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":31668,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[1698,1697,280,1699,749,281,1604,292],"class_list":["post-31665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel-tips","tag-extended-vacation","tag-long-vacations","tag-packing","tag-packing-how-to","tag-packing-tips","tag-tips","tag-travel-advice","tag-travel-tips"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n8 packing tips for long vacations | Travelocity<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Escaping for more than the weekend? 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