For a long weekend, I like to riff on the New York Times’s 5-4-3-2-1 Clothing Countdown. For each person, we’ll pack:
- 4 pairs of socks and underwear
- 4 tops
- 3 bottoms*
- 2 pairs of shoes
- 1 pair of pajamas
- 1 wildcard item, like a packable sun hat or small purse
I’ll set aside one complete outfit for each kid to stuff into a gallon-size resealable bag, which I keep in the diaper bag as an emergency change of clothes. Because you never know when turbulence will cause a drink to spill or a blowout will happen mid-flight, and nobody wants to be rummaging through a carry-on while dripping in…who knows what?
From there, each person’s set of clothes gets dutifully rolled—to save space—and tucked into a compression bag (a medium-sized one for each kid, a large one for each adult). Vacuum bags tend to work even better, but they get so stiff that it can be hard to pack around them. Plus, I like the organization of handing each person their bag to pull clothes from each day.
*I’ll often swap a top/bottom for a jersey or polyester-blend dress (which is less likely to wrinkle when rolled/compressed).
2. The Basic Hygiene Stuff
In a standard makeup bag, I fit travel-size toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, detangler (a must for my daughter), baby shampoo, toothbrushes, a mini hairbrush and hair ties, moisturizer and some basic, minimal makeup. (I’m talking undereye concealer, mascara, a bronzer stick, an SPF stick and tinted lip balm.)
I’ll stick gummy vitamins for everyone in individual Ziploc bags, rolling them tightly to remove excess air, and tuck them in too.
Then, everything gets packed like Tetris into the carry-on. We’ll wear our bulkiest clothes and sneakers on the plane to save space, and I like to tuck a book and an adjustable neck reading light—or my curling iron (if I plan on getting a little fancy)—in the space between the luggage bars inside the carry-on, just to maximize that awkward space.
