Packing Tips From a Notorious Over-packer

I will not pretend to be perfect at packing. I will almost never travel with just a carry-on. Packing, for me, takes time and patience. It is usually the one thing of a vacation that generally gets the least amount of attention and can cause the most stress!

It’s always tempting to pack all your favourite things. I personally struggle with not packing every Disney t-shirt or mickey ears that I own!

You can definitely google “Disney vacation must haves” (or some variation thereof), and get 100 different answers. What you should pack or need on your vacation is up to you. “YOU” is the key word here. With the amount of “influencers” (I use the word grudgingly as I truly hate it) that will tell you what “you” need is ridiculous. How can a 20-something girl who spends all day looking for the perfect shot know what I need when I visit the most magical place on earth? She doesn’t. Don’t forget that the items they are talking about, they make money on. Only I know what I need.

I also can’t stress this enough…CHECK THE WEATHER BEFORE YOU LEAVE!! Honestly, I see people asking on FB all time “what is the weather like in February”? Or “I’m going to be there next week, what’s the weather like?”. Seriously, weather apps are the best source of this information and you should ALWAYS check the weather before packing. Do not assume its going to be hot, or not raining. You always want to be comfortable on your trip and planning for the weather is really the only way to do that!

Plan your trip…then start packing

Trips to Walt Disney World are…involved. Packing for a trip to Walt Disney World is just as involved, especially when you start thinking of matching shirts, mickey ears, Disney accessories and more.

Knowing your general plan for the parks will definitely help with your packing. I usually have a pretty good plan (itinerary) for my trips and I use that to organize my packing by day. This helps me to not go crazy with the amount of stuff to pack.

I also almost always plan a laundry day, usually with my “rest/pool” day. This means I can re-wear outfits, or things like shorts or socks, etc which means packing less.

Most people know they are going on a trip months in advance. Don’t want until the week before to buy new shoes or clothes. A lot of people going shopping and buy new items for a trip only to discover that the shoes give them blisters, the shorts chafe, the shirt is too tight and more. The last thing you want to do on vacation is deal with that.

Getting started

It has taken me about 20 trips to figure out the best packing strategy for me. I recommend packing twice. Meaning, take a first pass and then a break and re-visit what you pulled to pack. You will almost always find stuff you can take out and don’t need for your trip.

1. I generally start with my toiletries. Since I generally have a set for travel, this doesn’t take me very long. I then only have to add my medications and last minute stuff. I rarely wear makeup in my daily life, and certainly never in the Florida heat. Being really honest about what you will use, helps keep your packing light!
2. Next I do my Disney accessories. This is usually pretty fun for me as I get to pick out what ears and accessories I want in the parks. This is also where it is super easy to go overboard. BE REALISTIC!!! You are not going to wear all 30 pairs of ears on your one week trip.
3. Take your vacation plan or itinerary and use that to plan your clothes for each day. Again, you (probably) aren’t going to be making outfit changes, so one outfit a day is fine. Most clothing items, like sweaters, can be worn at least twice.
4. You definitely don’t need 5 pairs of shoes. I generally pack a pair of sandals or a comfy pair of shoes, and generally wear my running shoes.
5. Check your packing a day or two before your trip. You will always find something you can take out and there is always something to add! You don’t want to be doing that as you are heading out the door to the airport!
6. Pack a Foldie or additional, collapsible bag, for any additional shopping. Now that I live on a island, I’ll be doing a lot more shopping on my trips. This allows me to pack lighter on my trip but have the option of a carry-on coming home.

Pack only the essentials

Does that really work? For some people, a toothbrush and change of underwear might work. For others, they need 3 different outfits per day. “Essentials” is really a relative term, and one that only applies to an individual.

Try thinking about it this way, what do you *NEED* for your trip? Meaning, if you arrived and realize you only packed “XYZ”, would that get you through your trip?

For me, my essentials, are things like toiletries, T-shirts, shorts and shoes, along with my undergarments. One outfit per day is more that enough. I am way less concerned about “looking good” or whatever is trendy, I want to be comfortable!

Packing accessories

As I have gotten older, the less desirable it as to just throw everything in a suitcase. Organization is key! Packing cubes and pouches have become a necessity that I can’t live without.

I’ve learned that it doesn’t really matter what packing cubes you use, although I certainly have ones that I use regularly. I typically use compression packing cubes from Amazon. They come in sets that give you lots of packing options. I find that packing most things into cubes or pouches makes keeping all your stuff organized super easy and helps you organize your suitcase. It also gives you options for preparing for your trip home.

There are TONS of excellent packing and travel accessories on Amazon! Honestly, just do an quick search and you can find things like packing cubes, hangers, chargers and more. Be realistic as to what you need to make your trip easier for you and your family.

Disney Park Accessories

You can definitely google “Disney bag must haves” (or some variation thereof), and get 100 different answers. Be careful! Most of these will be linking you to items you “must buy to make your trip great”, which is not true. What you need in your park bag will entirely depend on you.

I rarely head to the parks without my backpack. It entirely depends on the time of year I visit. Other than my money and ID, I always have the following with me:

1. An umbrella or poncho. It’s Florida, it rains often.
2. A sweater or shirt. The air conditioning on WDW buses and in buildings is intense!
3. A portable battery. While there are more and more available plugs in areas around the parks, who wants to sit and wait for their phone to charge? Keep yourself on the go with a portable battery!
4. Wet wipes and hand sanitizer!! Look, literally millions of people visit WDW in a year and they all bring germs with them! Trust me, wet wipes and hand sanitizer is a must!
5. Personal items. This will entirely depend on you, but I usually have sunscreen, a hairbrush, hand cream, gum, and lip balm with me at all times!
6. Fan or cooling cloth. I generally suffer from heat exhaustion and I find having a fan with me helps me cool down faster so I don’t miss out on my day.

** Don’t forget to check out my post on my favourite park accessory small shops!!**

DO NOT FORGET YOUR PASSPORT!!

When you book your trip, check your passport for the expiration date! It is truly unbelievable the amount of people that are about to leave on vacation only to realize their passport isn’t valid. And before you leave the house, car, airport, check to ensure you have your passport!! This is honestly, the most important item you will pack!

(Obviously, if you are heading to WDW and live in the US, this doesn’t apply, but having a passport for travel is just always a good idea!).

Happy travels!