Long-term packing tips

Only 93 days left. Boy does the time fly.

Not.

Of course, my husband laughs at me when I talk about planning. And he is thoroughly tickled that I've already started to pack. Fortunately, we're driving so the little bits and bobs I'm squirreling away will have transportation space to Florida. Should we find cheap airfare, I'm going to have some problems packing.

But when packing for a trip that's still over 3 months away, there are some things to remember:

1. Don't pack perishables.
Okay, so this should be common sense. Butter, milk, bread, hot dogs, New York Strip - these things should be purchased at your destination for freshness. But almost *everything* has an expiration date on it these days. We recently went through our pantry and you wouldn't believe how much expired food we had. So pay attention to dates, even on boxed or canned food that you would think would have a long enough shelf life. Trust me - peanut butter granola bars that are even a couple of weeks out of date can be truly nasty.

2. Don't pack stuff you need.
This list includes things like underwear, tooth brushes, swim suits, your child's favorite teddy. Of course, if you pack like me and just accumulate things in an out-of-the-way box, retrieving such items isn't difficult. At least, not soon after you pack them. However, 2 months from now when you find that that extra toothbrush you thought you had has gone missing and your current one has been dropped in the toilet by your dog, you'll go nuts trying to figure out where you put it, and end up spending top dollar at the 24-hour mini mart just so your teeth can be sparkling white for your huge client presentation which you have to leave for at 5 am to get your flight to Timbuktu...

Okay, I ramble, but you get the point. Leave the stuff you're going to use over the next 80-some odd days alone.

That's the stuff you pack 14 days before you leave.

3. Don't let your kids pack anything
See 1 and 2 above. Kids will not consider either of them. So you'll probably end up with stale crackers, and a child crying for his favorite toy 3 weeks before you leave. A toy you won't find until 2 weeks before you leave, when you start the bulk of the packing and rearranging of currently packed items.

A toy you didn't even know had *been* packed.

Another reason not to let your kids pack is that they don't know what to pack and what not to. Children under the age of about 7 won't consider the necessity of things like underwear, socks, extra shoes, camera batteries, etc. However, they'll likely think that their gigantic stuffed Pooh-bear is a must-pack, since Pooh has to see himself at the Crystal Palace! Or they'll remember they need to pack extra shorts, but forget to pack any shirts. Remember the tootpaste, but not the toothbrush.

You get the idea.

4. Don't let your husband pack anything but his own stuff.
See number 3. Actually, my husband's a pretty good packer - he's likely to get more room out of a suitcase than I am. But I still make sure that I pack all of my clothes, all of my children's clothes, toys, accessories, food, electronics, etc. Even I tend to forget something, but if I left it up to him, I'd be afraid we'd forget something critical. Like the camera. Or the kids.

Not that he would.

But it's worth my piece of mind to make sure I pack the bulk of the stuff before he even considers it time to pack. Hence packing more than 3 months out. Then, when it's time to get down to the real packing, it's a matter of "We don't really need this" before we go rather than "Darnit, I forgot that!" when we get there.

5. Pace yourself.
Have a plan of what you want to pack when. Packing helps make the trip seem that much closer. If you pack a little bit each week, you'll feel a bit closer to your trip in the "Hey! I'm packing my cruise clothes for my cruise in only 7 months!" fashion. It makes the vacation seem sooner than the "Darn it, there are those cruise clothes still hanging in my closet. And they'll be there for another 6 whole months!" view of things, even if the timing is still exactly the same.

6. If you have animals, make sure they don't get closed into whatever you're packing in.
You don't want to find Kitty in that rubermaid container 3 months from now. 'Nuff said.

7. Know where you've put the stuff you've packed.
It's best to have one central location, but if you're tucking away little nifty surprises for the kids, that's difficult to do. So make sure you know where everything is. Try to keep as much of it together as possible. You're more likely to forget stuff if you have things in your sock drawer than if you have a dedicated shelf to put everything on. And if you must put the kid's surprises somewhere they might see them, wrap them in their sibling's underwear. They won't look any further. (Note: this may not work for your husband)

8. Have fun, and don't let anyone tell you you're crazy!
This vacation is yours as well as everyone else's. If your method of anticipation is early packing, obsessive planning, and scouring bulletin boards for the most recent news to try to make sure your plans are the best possible plans, that's great! Just enjoy it! If you're all stressed about it and not enjoying it, take a break and don't do it! It defeats the purpose of extending the trip by pre-living it.

Vacations are about relaxing, enjoying life, and seeing things you don't see every day. This is true even if it's a stay-at-home break, though most people probably don't realize it. So don't get stressed about making your vacation perfect. If you're not an obsessive planner, you'll still have a great time. If you don't pack until the day before you leave, you'll be fine - anything you forget can be picked up at the nearest Wal*Mart.

But if you're like me and extend each vacation as much as possible by living it over a few times before you even leave, just keep in mind that everything can go wrong even with the best plans, and have fun anyway. I usually plan out our days, then when we get there, rearrange in the morning to best fit what's going on *then*. What we think we want 5 months from now may not be what's the best thing to do when you get to that day. I've done this enough times to not have too many expectations, regardless of how much I pack and plan.

So if you're going to pack early, do it becase you're enjoying it, not because you'd be stressed not to. You're far more likely to forget essentials (kid's bedtime toy/story, neccesary medication, etc) if you're stressed about remembering everything. Nothing is irreplaceable, and even if it is - it's still at home if you forgot it! So don't worry, and enjoy hiding little things away for later.