How to Save Space & Keep your Luggage Organized

I love to plan our vacations!  I enjoy figuring out which destination we’ll book and then researching all about it.  The idea of vacation gets me so excited that I am ready to start packing months before our trip!  I try really hard to control my excitement and pack around a week or two before. However, it really depends on when we’re going.  If I can pack ahead, I do. We often escape our Ohio winters by traveling south so I can easily pack clothes that we’re not actively wearing.

Money Savers

I also pick up outfits or swimsuits at the end of the summer that are on clearance and just set them aside for our trip. You can find some seriously good deals!  I’ve hit the jackpot at both Kohls and JCPenney with clearance + coupons.  I like to do the same thing at the end of winter—it’s normally when I’ll grab my kids’ jackets, jeans and long-sleeved shirts.

Family Photos

One of the things I enjoy most about vacation is capturing our memories on camera!  I love taking pictures of the kids enjoying activities and even posing with some really cool backgrounds. When we’re on vacation, it’s not always easy to get a good picture of the five of us.  When we do get one, I want it to be a good one!

We don’t normally travel with others so there isn’t anyone who can easily help us capture our memories.  We have a timeshare at an All-Inclusive resort in Mexico (Sandos), there were photographers everywhere taking pictures.  It’s similar on cruises and Universal Orlando has an option for a photo pass as well.  I always purchase at least one photo of our family as a keepsake, but we didn’t always match when they took our photos.

Packing Hack

I started to get strategic when I packed!  First, I pull out clothes my kids will potentially wear.  Then I match up their outfits by day.  I get my clothes ready too and I match my outfits up with theirs so that we all coordinate. My husband packs his own stuff and is pretty neutral so he always matches us. I just let him know what color to go with before he gets dressed for the day.  Now, whenever we have an opportunity to get a family picture, we all coordinate! 

My family definitely laughs at me for this, but I love having nice vacation photos.  There is nothing better than getting a really good family picture where everyone is smiling, has coordinating outfits and we have a super-cool background!

Space Saver

Since I pack by day, it also keeps me from over-packing.  I usually still pack extra clothes just in case I decide I don’t like my outfit or one of the kids make a mess, but I definitely pack less!  I try to keep colors similar too so that I don’t have to bring a ton of different shoes to match.  My goal is to pack as light as I can so that we don’t have to lug so much around.  It’s a little easier now that our kids are older since they can help with bags, but it’s tough when they are babies!

Right now I am packing for a trip to my sister’s house.  She lives in Mississippi so the weather is a little warmer than Ohio, but it’s still spring so I am trying to balance our outfits around the weather.  Here is an idea of what our outfits look like.

Organize with Packing Cubes

Once I get our outfits set aside, I use packing cubes to keep our clothes organized and save space in our suitcases.  These are the packing cubes I have—we’ve used them several times and they’ve worked well for us.  They help to keep us organized and since they compress the clothes a bit, we can fit more in our suitcases! 

When I’m packing up our clothes to come home, I separate them by how we wash them.  That way when we get home, we can just dump the cubes in the washer without having to really unpack and sort laundry.

Other Packing Hacks?

So what are your thoughts on this way to pack? Would you roll your eyes or use this tip for your own family? What other Packing Hacks do you have?

Flying with kids? Check out our post on 9 essentials to pack!