What's Your Packing Tip?

I always pack one of those hanging shoe shelves from ikea. Just Velcro it over the closet rod and you have tons of space for toiletries, sunscreen and other odds & ends.

we pack as light as possible no more than 3 of anything! But we always have to buy an extra case on the way back (we are from the UK) its all part of the holiday.

I have Lori Grainer's (QVC) organiser bag, there are 5 organisers for different things eg. Toiletries. When I get to my destination, I just have to lift them out and hang them up. My husband and I take a small case each for clothes and then take a big bag between us to put bulky things in eg. Shoes, there is always loads of room in the bag on the way to Florida, but it is always full of shopping on the way back.

I love this idea

http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/00193386/

I got the idea on a cuising chat board years ago. I have one that stays in the suitcase, it folds down and fits in the outside pocket. I never have to worry about counter space.

I have a wonderful cosmetic bag from Joy Mangano that holds a lot of toiletries and stuff and rolls up to a nice easy to pack size. I also get a box from the gift shop at the hotel to pack my souveniers in and then I ship it home. It's worth the cost of shipping not to have to figure out how to get all of the items in my suitcase or carryon. And there is the added bonus of getting the package about a week after I get home and I take each item out one at a time and relive the trip all over again. This last time I went I actually shipped my c-pap machine (I have an extra one) to my hotel about a 10 days before we were due to arrive. I sent some items in the box with it so that it would be packed in tight. I used that space to pack my souveniers in when I shipped it back home. We flew Southwest who, at this time, bags fly free so I used that money to ship my c-pap machine. I find it more convenient and less stressful.

I also use a very detailed packing list (Word file, not spreadsheet, but the concept is the same) and zipper bags to organize things. I don't bring a list to use when packing for the trip home, but I'm very OCD about triple checking drawers/closets/cabinets/shelves/under and over furniture/etc. before checking out so I don't leave things behind.

We have always overpacked for everything and we try to stay 2 weeks, so we feel justified overpacking. Also on our last trip we also took some food.

We always fly Southwest so we each have 2 check-in bags free, and we stuff them. On our last trip we bought cheap large duffel bags from Walmart...

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Protege-32-Expandable-Rolling-Duffel-Bag-Black/11069689

They survived but were pretty tore up when we got home and we tossed them out. But they are so large that we really liked them and as cheap as they are($14) we don't mind only using them for one trip. So we bought 4 more for our upcoming trip. I expect to throw them out again when we get back.

This time I am going to order a case of water from Walmart just before we leave and have Walmart ship it to the resort. Try to time it so that it gets there the same time as we do. I figure that may not work out, but even with shipping it will only be $4.50 and with the price of bottled water in the parks, the saving will be big if it works out.

I've been doing carry on so long i forgot how DME works. I know that once you check your bags going, you don't have to deal with them again until you get to the resort. What about going home. Do you check your bags with DME at the resort and then just pick them up when you get to your home airport? Or do you have to get them when you get off the bus and check them at the airport in Orlando?

We checked our bags at the resort before the trip home and didn't have to deal with them again until we reached our home airport.

I usually only pack for about 4 days worth of clothes. (Depending on how long we're staying or if we need cruise clothes.)
2 pairs of jeans, 3 pairs of shorts, 4 or 5 shirts, two pairs of shoes unless we're cruising then add flip flops and dress shoes. I don't mind doing laundry while at the resorts or on the ships. I pack single use tide packs. My carryon is usually empty on the way down. I generally have all my electronics and cords(in the carryon) then I pack souvenirs in it on the way back.
We also buy at least one tshirt each trip. I've shipped boxes to the resorts and to the ships and have had no problems.
As the Colonel said take half as much clothing and twice as much money

It depends on what time your flight leaves. We had an early morning flight out so we would have had to trudge our bags to the resort check-in counter at an ungodly hour to have them take care of them, so we just brought our bags to the DME and they loaded them onto the bus for us.

Going back to Kristen's original question on tips to back at the end of a vacation, if checked luggage cost isn't an issue (we LOVE Southwest), I always pack a rolling duffel bag in my checked luggage. The duffel bag already has its own luggage tag, and cable ties in one of its pocket. That way, if I end up buying too much and my luggage is in danger of exceeding the 50-lb limit, I simply transfer the dirty clothes, etc. to the duffel bag.

However, nothing can prevent last-minute panic other than making sure you start the night before with a little bit of packing done. I usually start packing the night before I leave on the stuff that I know I will not need the next morning. That way, it will already tell me if I need to use the duffel bag or not.

Zz.