Weekend car trip - less than 24 hours, often right before we get in thr car.

Caribbean or Florida trip in the middle of winter - week in advance because kids often outgrew their summer gear and I need to run out and/or order stuff on amazon.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I pack for myself in about 10 minutes, usually a few minutes before i call a cab. For my kids, maybe 20 minutes.

Exactly....I can pack for a week in 20 minutes at most. I think people are fearful of forgetting something, but unless it is something really big, you can get it at your destination.

Only if you do a lot of domestic travel. I can pack for a domestic trip in 10 minutes.

When I fly to a developing country on another continent (which, sigh, I have to do all the time, with my kids)? 3-4 days to make sure every single thing is accounted for -- medications, beauty products, shoes, gifts, etc. You CAN'T get it at your destination when it's certain types of trips.

I very rarely travel without kids, so maybe that impacts my system, but I do the same thing whether it's myself or a family trip. What week or two before (depending on the length of the trip and whether we are going somewhere that might require extra stuff like the beach), I make up a comprehensive list of everything that needs to get packed. Then I designate a laundry basket or bag somewhere to be stuff for the trip, and as my buy things like snacks or a new travel toothpaste or a swimsuit I will stick it in there. Then, the week of, I will start to pack the clothes as I do laundry. Instead of putting them away in drawers and closet I will just put them in a pile waiting to be packed. Then I do the final packing the day before. I can't imagine packing the morning of, simply because I would have trouble sleeping without the sense of completion of knowing that everything that can be packed is packed.

Depending on the trip. I have well-oiled packing lists now so if I have time I start tossing things for each person in Rubbermaid bins ahead of time so I'm not trying to dig out sandals, sunglasses, mittens or other random things that I can't put my finger on easily. It also helps me make sure that I have all the things we need clean and matched. By checking things off I always remember tha last minute things like chargers and such.

We actually keep toiletries separate for trips - my DH and I use to travel a lot for work and then our own personal travel meant we were on the road or in the air a fair bit. So I have a toiletry bag with travel size supplies that I just refill or re-purchase between trips - its all in a bag that can be a carry on. So I usually make sure toiletries are always ready to go, up to date etc. When it comes to clothes typically items that I'm not using I put aside in the guest room - the last minute items like socks, underwear etc go in the night before. I also depends on what type of vacation we are going on - its its business trip that's pretty straight forward - business attire for whatever location we are going to. If is personal travel than I normally do things a little more in advance - to make sure everything fits, is in good shape, we don't need to purchase anything. My family has something they can't do without or you can't necessarily find at your location so I make sure those are set aside.

Anonymous wrote:
I start 2 or 3 days before and put our toiletries in at the last minute, since we don't have a double of those.

DH - an hour before we have to leave for the airport. I leave a small half of the suitcase empty for him.

Funny -- that's the one thing I make a point of having doubles of. My toiletry kit is always packed and ready to go (after a quick check to see if anything needs refilling).

Rest gets tossed in the bag the night before.

I make a list the week before, keep it on my bedside table so I can add things before bed which is when my
Mind is running.

Laundry two days before, pack the day before.

Just me, traveling for work, takes about 15 minutes as long as stuff is clean.

Personal travel is harder because I most likely need a mix of casual and nice clothing, so I start planning that earlier. I might start laying stuff on the guest bed a week or so before hand as it comes out of the laundry clean.

Family travel, I start probably two weeks before pulling things out that I know we'll want to take. Like the beach towels, sunscreen, etc. I'll just make a pile in the guest room as I think of things.

Totally depends on the trip. Our week long family vacation at the beach? Probably 5-6 days before we leave. Weekend trips? 2-3 days before. I'm flying out Thursday for business and need to pack DD for her dad to meet me later on as well so I packed myself (for the most part) yesterday, packing her today with last minute stuff tomorrow.

Anonymous wrote:Mentally I would say a week or more in advance.

I start putting stuff in the bag the night before.

I used to over pack so I would start putting items together in piles a few days before, then pare down a pack the night before. I used to keep a written list.

Now I am an expert packer so I just make a list in my head and pack from there.

Of course I make sure to get the laundry done in advance so everything is ready to go when I pack.

Same here. I have a mental list going, mostly to see if I need to buy anything, or have it dry cleaned or whatever, things that take more time. Actually putting things in bags doesn't happen until the day before, because laundry needs to be done, and toiletries are still being used.

OP here, interesting responses. I'm a procrastinator so that's definitely a big part of it. But also I just don't have enough clothes, etc. (for me, DH, or DS) to start packing that early... I'd have nothing to wear (or use for toiletries) if I packed a week early.

Depends on how busy I am with other things! I used to be an early packer, but can't seem to find time to do that anymore. Work is nuts right now, so I'm just now starting to pack for an international 8 day work trip that starts tonight (flight is at 10pm). When taking a weekend road trip with my preschooler, packing generally happens the night before we leave. Longer trips with my child (a week away), I start gathering things further in advance.

I pack the night before if leaving early or day of if not leaving early. However, I do keep a running list that I probably start two weeks in advance of we are traveling with the kids for more than a few days and not to see family. Kids are 4 and 6 and the list gets shorter every year so I'm sure I will stop eventually.

Mentally I would say a week or more in advance.

I start putting stuff in the bag the night before.

I used to over pack so I would start putting items together in piles a few days before, then pare down a pack the night before. I used to keep a written list.

Now I am an expert packer so I just make a list in my head and pack from there.

Of course I make sure to get the laundry done in advance so everything is ready to go when I pack.

Depends on the trip, its location, duration and who is coming. If its the whole family and we are going overseas then I start putting aside toiletries or speciality items as I think of it. I create a packing list 2 weeks before the trip but don't actually start packing until a week out. I find if I take more time to pack I'm much more efficient and pack only what I need. If I pack the night or day before I tend to toss in more "would be nice" items and I have too much stuff. If its just a weekend trip within driving distance than its the night before but if I'm going with the entire family and its 2 weeks overseas I want to make sure I have things in good shape and will start 2 weeks out.