I have a master packing list saved in a spreadsheet. For each family vacation, I make a copy of the spreadsheet and adjust the items according to the duration and location of our trip. When we return from a trip, I fine tune the list and make notes for next time. The list is pretty straightforward—clothes, toiletries, shoes, etc—but there are a few less conventional items on the list, and I thought I would share them with you today. Let these five unexpected things we bring on vacation inspire your own packing list.
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1 – Binder Clips
We pack a handful of binder clips when we go on vacation, and you would be surprised by how much they come in handy! Primarily, we use them to close-up opened food bags. They are the much cheaper and smaller relative of chip clips, and we use them on opened bags of chips and pretty much anything else… trail mix, carrots, pretzels, you name it. If the store packaging is not self-sealing, we use the binder clips to close it up and tuck it away.
If you have read Why You Should Bring Your Own Food to Disneyland or any of our posts on saving money at various attractions, you will know that we like to save money by buying much of our food from grocery stores. Being able to easily close and store that food helps with savings.
Binder clips also come in handy for clipping a hat to the outside of a bag or creating a makeshift clothesline. They are small but mighty.
2 – Place Mats
Like those binder clips, we also find that placemats are great for dining on the go and other travel needs. No, it is not because we are just that fancy and need a proper place setting. Rather, it is because we like to (1) add a little barrier between public surfaces and our kids’ food and (2) try to contain messes.
If your kids are like ours, snacks do not always stay neatly placed on a tiny airline napkin or even inside a lunch box. We bring these silicone placemats with us when we travel so that we can put them on airplane try tables or hotel desks while our kids are eating.
They also double as a decent play surface for travel games, because the slightly tacky texture and small lip on the edge helps to keep things contained. The lip is not that tall, but it still works better than a slippery tray table. We wash the placemats with dish soap and roll them up when we are not using them.
For other tips on how we keep our kids healthy and happy on the road, see Kids’ Travel Essentials: What to Pack For Your Family Trip
3 – A Reusable Grocery Bag
After a few family vacations, we learned that a reusable grocery bag (or three) comes in handy while traveling.
As we already shared, we like to purchase food from grocery stores while on vacation. At the store, is nice to be able to skip the plastic and pull out our reusable grocery bag instead (especially if we are shopping in a place that charges for bags).
The reusable grocery bags also fill other roles while we are on vacation. They work wonderfully as beach and pool bags or a way to keep things organized in a hotel room.
We grab strong but lightweight bags we already use for grocery shopping at home, and we just toss them in our suitcase. They do not take up much space, but they do come in handy.
3b – Bonus Bag
In addition to a reusable grocery bag, we also bring a laundry bag. We find that having somewhere to keep all of our soiled clothes keeps our vacation accommodations more pleasant for everyone! Plus, when we choose to do laundry on vacation, having a laundry bag makes toting the clothes too and from the machines much easier.
We have and like our laundry bag from this Eagle Creek set, because it is strong but compact.
4 – Sketch Books for Everyone
Whether we are taking a day trip or embarking on a weeks-long epic vacation, we pack a sketch pad for everyone in our family. Giving our kids (and ourselves) convenient places to sketch pictures or jot down observations gives us better vacation souvenirs than money could ever buy. Plus, having a running record of our trips makes the “what I did over summer vacation” report that much easier when our kids return to school.
We like sketchpads like these that lie flat and have hard backs, because we find they work on laps and tables. When we want something smaller, we stuff these in a pocket or purse.
For more tips on art supplies and other ways to keep kids entertained while traveling, see Travel Fun for Kids on the Road and in the Sky, Travel Essentials.
5 – A Sock Full of Cornstarch
This last suggestion for an unexpected thing to bring on vacation only applies to beach trips. However, it works so (unexpectedly) well, that we felt compelled to include it here.
When we visit the beach, we pack a “big weird sock” stuffed full of cornstarch baby power, because it works remarkably well for sand removal. We first read about this at Wirecutter and thought it was just weird enough to try. After one day at the beach, we were convinced. Here is that Wirecutter column, including instructions. If you prefer to buy your sand remover, here is a ready to go version on Amazon.
We simply rub the sock over the patches of wet sand on our skin. The baby powder absorbs moisture and the sock helps brush off the sand. This works surprisingly well. Bringing a container of baby powder to the beach has been a long time beach hack, but the addition of the sock brings it to a whole new level. We like to use the “big weird sock” before climbing into a car or heading into our accommodations. For other tips on packing for the beach, see What to Bring to the Beach: Packing Advice for Visiting the Coast
And lets end our list there with a big weird sock!
Thank you for reading this post on five unexpected things we bring on family vacations.
We hope you have found this useful. For other posts on packing, see (1) Disneyland Travel Essentials: What You Need to Pack, (2) Kids’ Travel Essentials: What to Pack For Your Family Trip and (3) What to Bring to the Beach: Packing Advice for Visiting the Coast. Please consider subscribing to our free newsletter below, and thanks again for reading.
