10+ Helpful Summer Vacation Packing Tips

Helpful Summer Vacation Packing Tips

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These tips aren’t really in any specific order, although I did try to post them in an order from planning to how you would actually pack.

Make a list.

I am the princess of packing lists (my mom is the queen). Lists just make your life so much easier and — as long as you follow the list — it prevents you from forgetting anything. I have packing lists for everything from vacations to our weekly farmers market.

When you’re planning your summer vacation, make a list of everything you might need for the trip, including electronics and their chargers, items for your toiletry bag, plus outfits by day.

Since different trips require different items (hotel stays don’t need tents like camping trips do), label each summer packing list: Hotel Trip, Overnight at Grandma’s, Camping, Road Trip, whatever the case may be. Save them all as separate documents in Google Drive. When you need to pack, just print out the appropriate list and check items off as you go.

If you realize you left something off the list, no worries. Just edit the doc and add it. Simple.

Pack your summer essentials where you can reach them.

When we used to drive to Atlantic City for an overnight trip, we would drive down in our bathing suits so we could park and immediately run to the beach while waiting for check in time. We would make sure to pack a bag on top with sunscreen and a towel so we could grab that off the top of our luggage and leave everything else in the car.

If you have a similar plan, do the same thing.

Pack essentials you’ll need right away on the top of your bag for easy access. That way, you can run right out instead of digging through your entire luggage to find what you need.

Pack sunscreen and lotions carefully.

When you’re packing for summer trips, you want to make sure you’re packing suntan lotion and aloe. What you don’t want, though, is to get to your destination and find out that your sunscreen leaked all over your clothes.

I always say tape the tops of your bottles using clear, sticky tape and then put them in ziptop bags for an extra layer of protection.

If for some reason the tape on these bottles open, the liquid will be contained in the plastic bag rather than getting all over your luggage.

Pack breathable clothes that mix and match.

When my mom packs, she brings one pair of black shoes and then only packs black and white clothes so that every outfit matches those shoes.

You don’t have to stick to one pair of shoes and two colors, but this method is really helpful when you’re packing.

If you do want to expand that a little, make sure you’re packing items that you can mix and match to create different outfits. That way, you’re packing more outfits, but fewer items.

Bring a light layer for cool evenings.

It’s hot in the summer, which means you might only think about packing shorts and t-shirts. But, don’t forget that it gets cooler when the sun goes down. Plus, almost everywhere indoors has air conditioning.

So, don’t forget to pack a light jacket or a cardigan so you don’t have to worry about being cold.

Roll your clothes.

There’s a good chance you’re not packing an iron. And I’m sure not everything you’re packing is wrinkle resistant. Rolling your clothes before you put them in your suitcase can help reduce wrinkles. And then you won’t even need an iron.

Plus, your clothes will take up less room in your suitcase when you roll them too. Taking up less room means you’ll be able to pack a lot more into your bag, which is helpful if you’re an over-packer.

Pack your shoes in bags.

Shoes get dirty. No matter how clean they are before you go on a trip, they’re not coming back that way. It might rain and you have to walk through mud. Your kids might just want to jump in puddles. Who knows.

And don’t even get me started on how disgusting cheap flip flops get over the summer. You don’t want any of that grossness getting onto your clothing.

So, always pack your shoes in plastic bags because then you can take them home in said bags. You can use large ziptop plastic bags or you can just throw them in plastic bags from the grocery store. Either variety will do the trick.

Use a lingerie bag for your undergarments.

Pack your undergarments in a clean lingerie bag. Unpack them into a drawer when you get to wherever you’re staying, then put the items back in the lingerie bag as you wear them.

Then, just toss the bag in the washing machine when you get home from your trip. Your undergarments and your lingerie bag will get clean at the same time.

And, if you do have to do laundry on your trip, these are great to have. You don’t have to worry about losing socks in the hotel’s laundromat. The bags stay zipped in the wash and everything stays inside.

Pack a wet bathing suit bag for swimsuits

Summer vacations mean swimming. And swimming means wet bathing suits. You don’t want those wet suits getting the rest of your clothes wet, which can cause them to mildew.

So, pack a wet bathing suit bag for your swimsuit. You can put your wet bathing suit right in it and take it home (or just back to the hotel) that way. It’ll keep everything else dry.

Bring a separate beach/pool bag.

When you’re packing, add an extra tote bag in your luggage that you can use as a beach or pool bag. That way, you have something to put your sunscreen and towels in when you’re heading to the hotel’s pool.

It’s also great because if you have a bag with a zipper, you can zip it after the beach and put it in your main luggage that way. Then, if you have any beach sand coming home with you, it stays in the beach bag and doesn’t get all over everything else.

Leave room for souvenirs

I’m packing for Japan as I write this and I have designated a huge portion of my suitcase to being empty. Why? Because I know I’m going to go shopping in Japan and need a way to carry those souvenirs home.

If you don’t plan any space for them, you’ll try stuffing too much into your luggage and the last day of your trip will end up being such a headache.