293: 5 Tips for Packing For a Family Trip

We recently went on a trip with our family, so nine of us drove 10 hours to Arkansas and went mountain biking for the weekend, and then we went and saw the solar eclipse. I wasn’t all that interested in the eclipse; I was more excited about mountain biking, but I have to say, the eclipse was a pretty incredible experience. Just like anything, you have to experience it in person; pictures just don’t do it justice. There were so many pieces, like the shapes of the leaves turning into moon shapes, the waves on the ground, the sunset effect at 1:50 pm, and how the birds and animals start to go to sleep like it’s nighttime. It was just so cool. And the ring around the moon was just really cool.

Anyway, I wanted to share some ideas for packing for a trip because this was one of the least stressful and exhausting trips to pack for. I attribute a lot of it to the RRT work I’ve done and clearing anxiety and trauma, so I just have more space in my mind and brain to do the things I need to do to pack.

But I want to share some practical ideas and tips that I have used to make packing for a trip easier.

1. Try to have a place where you stay that has a washer and dryer. This isn’t always possible, but it makes packing a whole lot easier. You don’t need to pack clothes for every single day and bring extra in case they get dirty or wet. You just pack and then there’s a washer and dryer, and you can do laundry there. With that, I just had all my kids pack their bags and tell them what they needed and most of them packed their bags. I packed the younger kids' bags but otherwise, I didn’t worry about their things at all. I just told them what to pack, and I didn’t double-check. I guess if they don’t pack something, they will learn for next time!

2. If we forget something, it’s not that big of a deal. Most things we might forget are not that big of a deal to just buy another one. If we forget a phone charger or a toothbrush, we’ll just buy a new one. So I don’t put a ton of stress on myself to make sure I get everything. Of course, I do my best to remember everything, but if not, no big deal. And most of the time, you will remember the big items that you would like to have. So if you adopt that mindset that if something doesn’t get packed, it’s no big deal, not only does your stress level go down, but also your unconscious mind is not causing extra stress and anxiety because if you’re thinking thoughts like, It’s important to remember everything; I need to do this, then unconscious mind reads that as if you don’t do that, you are going to die. So just looking at this is what I intend to do and what will be good to have done, but no big deal if not; it completely lowers your stress level.

3. I decided to do nothing about packing or preparing until the day we were leaving. In the past, I could have spent the whole week packing and getting ready. So then it feels that much more exhausting and draining because it's been in my mind and brain for the entire week. I had to make sure I got everything done. This time, we’re leaving on Thursday after Justin gets off work, and I decided to do nothing for the trip until Thursday morning. It was so stress-free. My brain wasn’t focused on it the days before; I just did my life and the things I wanted to do before the trip in our lives. And then, Thursday was packing day. I made a little list of things I wanted to do and get done, and again, I left out the pressure that it all needed to get done. It didn’t matter if I finished the list or not. I just did what gets done, and when it was time to go, it was time to go. I also made some food things, but we aren’t against stopping and getting food somewhere if needed. I guess in any way, shape, or form that I can relieve pressure from doing things a certain way, I do that. Because it doesn’t need to be done a certain way, if I get snacks and buns made, great; if not, we can pick some things up from the store.

4. If you have kids, give them jobs and have them help. My kids packed the car, put everything in there, cleaned it, and were responsible for packing their bags and bringing any toys or books that they wanted to bring with them. They charged the phones so they could listen to stories. Then they help me make buns and pull-up knots. It helps when I have so many helpers now who I can delegate the jobs to, and it helps get things done. So it feels so much easier to get out the door when I have so many helpers!

5. One part that has always stressed me is that I want to come home to a clean house from our trip. It’s amazing if everything is clean and there aren't piles of dishes and laundry to do on top of trip laundry. But I also again notice a theme here: this is what my intention was to leave a clean house, but I didn’t need to leave a clean house. I didn’t have to. It was beneficial, but not important. So I did what I could and cleaned things, but I think we left some dishes in the sink that were not clean, and everything wasn’t perfect when we left. Who cares? I dealt with it when we came home. What I've heard, which I’ve never done yet and maybe will do in the future, is to hire someone to come clean your house while you are gone, so that your house is clean when you come back. There is nothing like coming home to a clean house. But the thing to remember here is that it’s nice but not an absolute need. So do it if it works and do what feels good, but stop the idea that it has to be done because that single thought is causing so much unnecessary stress that maybe it is not even fun to go on vacation in the first place.

So here are my 5 tips for packing for a trip. Let me know if they were useful for you! Send me a message on Instagram. I’m megan_hillukka in there, and I’d love to hear from you!

I’m also hosting a free live training this Monday where you will discover the secrets to living a trigger-free and anxiety-free life. I’m going to be sharing how I’ve gone from living with anxiety and triggers daily to an anxiety-free life, and if anxiety ever tries to pop up, I know how to shut it off immediately.

Go to www.meganhillukkacoaching.com/joinus to save your spot!

As always, my friend, take care, and I will see you next week!