How Ziploc Bags Simplified Traveling with Kids

When my children were very little, traveling was difficult.  I overheard from a family member one little tip to make our traveling days easier – Ziploc bags!

Heh? How can a plastic bag facilitate travel? Simply organize your children’s clothes in gallon size Ziploc bags for every day of the week.

I would lay out the outfits to be packed for each day, add a pair of underwear (or pull-up diaper) and socks to each outfit, and anything else necessary for the day (hair clips, etc).

Then I would package the outfit, undies, and socks in the bag, squeeze the air out, and write their name on the bag. Unless there was a particular outfit they were to wear on a particular day, I didn’t specify the day of the week on the bags.

Packing this way allowed my kids to simply pull out a bag. No more searching through the suitcase, tossing clothes all over to find what they needed. This also simplified the “what should I wear for the day?” dilemma. Extra packed items like jackets, extra pants or a dress, and pajamas were packed separately.

The kids were then able to reuse their empty plastic bags as dirty laundry bags, keepsake bags (for seashells, small purchased items), or reused for a future trip.

It seemed like such a simple idea, but it was tremendously helpful to both my kids and me. It gave them more independence and it gave me a little more freedom.

Do you have a packing tip? Please share it!

Happy Travels,

Julie