When packing for your holiday, do you always end up packing too much??

hahaha, i have to giggle with this topic coz i pack more than what i need or what my husband and i need. we dont have a kid but like you i pack more than what we can use for that trip coz i think about the weather, accidents (clothes having stain from food, wet, etc.) my husband and my family are surprised on how i can manage to put the whole stuff in a small bag, i swear if the luggage is not measured by weight i can put stuff there that you cant imagine and wont be able to lift it up, i remember growing up to this very small house (as in very) we dont have much and i manage to keep it clean and neat and you wouldnt think that we have that much inside such small house, so when my mom and i move to a new home, we cant believe how much we have coz we fill up the whole big truck, yay! oh i remember this steward telling me that he didnt realize i am carrying an iron on my hand carry, haha coz it was a tiny bag. btw, the thing that causes it to be much i guess is because i like to bring our own towel, toiletries, lots of shoes and clothes it doesnt mean if we are staying in the hotel or to a family's home, i still want to bring my own coz i dont feel at ease using something that i am not used to, just my OCD kicking in i guess, oh well! so far i have no problem on not having what i want while i am (we are) away for a trip so that's the best and sweet effect of that over packing takecare!

I don't like go on holidays with heavy suitcase. When I go on holidays, I spend time and money to find comfortable not find troublesome. My suitcase include clothes, necessary things like glasses, money, passport (if I go abroad), somethings like that.

I am usually a kitchen sink packer also. I always packed for everyone in the family too. I also have 4 children but now 3 are old enough to fend for themselves so they pack what they feel they need. I have also let go of packing for my husband. This vacation we just took, we went to Florida. I would usually bring a couple of sweatshirts and jeans, but thought about it and decided I really wouldn't need them. So I brought only the jeans and sweatshirt I wore on the airplane. Guess what? There was a cold front in Florida and I could have really used the extra warm clothes. Also with the guidelines from the airlines, now I couldnt' overpack or I would have gone over the suitcase limit.

I ALWAYS pack too much and wear 1/4 of what I bring....But one never knows what one shall need....

well i dnt usually travel during the holidays...but i kno if and wen i do i kno ill back to much..lol...good question

iam a kitchen sink packer. You just never know what you will need and it's always better to have everything just in case! We went on holidays a little while ago and came back with a whole jam packed extra suitcase. I dont pack lightly. Especially with the kids, i bring everything, even when i am trying to pack lightly, it still doesnt quite work out that way ;)

I'm a very careful packer...and like you said travelling with kids is tough. I plan well in advance for all kinds of weather....you never know when it's warm or cold. But I pack smart...because I do not like too much luggage when I'm travelling. I pack stuff that I can work around...and usually layer when it's cold...than take a bulky jacket for each of the kids. I'm somewhere in the middle of a minimal packer and a 'too much' packer. lol..I learnt the art from my dad. Since I grew up outside India, we are used to travelling every year and we have to pay extra if our luggage is in excess of the stipulated amount.....so, we learnt to pack everything we needed but keep it at a minimum. Later on, when we got to be little well off, it was easier, because we just went out and bought anything that we forgot to get....instead of carrying everything we needed.

Hello gemini , I am a minimum packer. If i am going alone i will pack the minimum stuff required , but my mom is a kitchen sink packer. She will pack loads of stuff and in the end we always return home with an extra bag. ~Pinks~

When I was backpacking around Europe I met an Australian traveler that was a minimal packer. She took few clothes and kept washing them every time she reached a new destination. She didn't have clothing for the next season so she bought some in Stockholm and so that was expensive. She wasn't fussy about buying just any toothpaste or shampoo and she ate any food that was available. I tend to be a bit nearer than the pack anything but the kitchen sink type of packer. I restrict the number of clothes that I take. Like I may take 2 bras, 7 pairs of knickers, 5 pairs of socks, 1 nightdress, 3 short sleeved blouses, 2 pairs of shorts, 1 pair of trousers, 1 shirt, 1 cardigan, 1 rain coat, 1 swimming costume and one pair of beach shoes. That way I can wear layers to keep warm if necessary. I take 1 shampoo with conditioner, 1 deodrant, 1 toothapaste, 1 toothbrush, 1 tiny mirror, as many contact lenses that I require and a comb. I take my snorkeling mask with there will be a coral reef at one of my destinations. I also have washing powder and a travel washing line. I always take my camera. I often take some snacks like rice cakes, nuts and dried fruit.

I am in between that. I try to stick to the minimum of one outfit per day that I am gone but, I do add a few extras in case I change my mind about what I want to wear I sweat one outfit up and need something fresh...if we are going somewhere hot where I might sweat. But, I do tend to over pack by a few items. Usually jewelry, sometimes shorts and a top and frequently shoes! LOL! But, each time, I get a little better at packing. I just try to hold back a little bit.

I'd have to say I'm a pack everything but the kitchen sink kind of packer. I always bring enough clothes with me, so that I can choose something to wear each day, and not have to have a certain outfit to wear. I like an assortment. It drives my boyfriend nuts, because he always ends up carrying the suitcases, and mines always a lot more heavy than his.

Yes..well at least twenty one pairs of pants go in the case ..3 for each day..an thats times two including hubbies..then theres the socks...well we need at least twenty pairs of socks..just in case we cant get them dry.. Then the fair weather gear ..the wet weather gear...the cold weather gear...and what if its boilng hot?? The umbrellas,sun cream..lotions,potions,medication. Dog paraphernalia,maps,binoculars...a packed lunch for the journey..and a flask . The cases are full...so we move onto carrier bags...they have the `just in case` things in them....because you never know what the coming week will bring!!! But the funny thing is....we spend all week..wearing one pair of jeans..and changing our tee shirts ...so all the clothes return home clean and crumpled....the carriers of `just in case` things remain unopened... I forgot to mention the food...the food that we took..it all gets taken back home again..... I think this could be summed up as just ridiculous!!!but I o it every time!

im a kitchen sink packer. i pack for every posible ocasian i might do like dancing i need to look good while out on the dance floor then their is regulare day clothing for the fam and pjs and some extra clothing incase i get sweaty and feel like changing then their are the shoes and the accesorys that go with the clothing like earings ect. so yeah i alwaiz end up packing at least 2 cases lol as to my hubby if it was up to him we would go with what he have on ower backs and get what we need over their lol tipical men

Yes, I tend to overpack too...even if its just for a weekend getaway, I'll have everything but the kitchen sink packed..lol. I just want to make sure I have everything I'll need with me, I don't want to get there and find out I forgot something at home. Even when we go camping, I'll take the whole house, I think thats what makes me too tired to get ready to go camping because I think I need to take everything, and it gets exhausting packing it all.

Packing too much is never a problem for me when going somewhere, but when coming home, usually after a few months, packing too much is a problem, because I always bring moe home than I left with.

I so over pack its not even funny. A 4 day vaca and I will have packed myself 10 outfits. But then for my hubby hes lucky if I pack him 4 outfits and he dont care at all. If I let him pack hed grab his deoderant and toothbrush and say done.

I'm mad I can't take the kitchen sink! the worst part is, we have a time-share condo so we have a washer and dryer but some of us - my daughter and I, mainly - still pack every piece of clothing we own. Hey, we do different things and you never know what the weather will be like so I have to make sure I don't get there and not have the outfit I absolutely NEED on a given day! Annie

yep, you nailed it on the head including all my excuses! I spoke with my mother last night and she said - and remember you do not have to pack so much, I do have a washing machine, you know... I tell you if I do not get my bottom to the laundry matt soon I will not be packing too much this time around I think 90% of our clothing is in the hampers.

I'd say myself a minimal packer. I bring only what is necessary. How i minimize my stuff is by rolling the shirts and shorts or pants before placing it into the luggage. By doing this, you can have more space for other stuffs. In your case, 4 kids! i dont know how you deal with their luggage haha. But i guess you'd have to plan ahead how many shirts will you wear in a day multiply by day you will be away. If the destination has laundry service, you can re-use your shirts after sending them to the laundry. So you bring lesser shirts. Unless your destination doesn't have laundry services or you don't have time for it, then you'll have to pack a little extra. But try what i do all the time. Fold the shirts/shorts/pants first. and roll them and place them 1 by one into the luggage. If i don't do this, i'll end up bringing extra, unused shirts and might get charged for excess baggage haha.. so I Hope this folding method will help you in the future.

i plan what I have to bring-undies, few shirt, slipper, bathing suit, some medications, sun block.Lots of money