Fabulously Organized Family Travel Tips

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The Joys of Storage

We go to the same destination every year, or rather, we have for the last 8 years or so. This year, we did something that will change the way we pack for this trip--we got a storage unit.

It's not a lot of storage--roughly 4 feet in any direction, but it holds a surprising amount of stuff. There are 8 of us sharing this space, and we've offered to share the space with a couple other families that we know well that also go over to Maui every year. The roughly $20 per month in costs are well spread out.

We went to Home Depot and spent a few bucks on a quality lock, and a few more on some sturdy plastic containers. For the first time ever, I came home with *less* luggage than I went over with, including the shopping I did.

Stuff we left:
--the boogie boards. We don't boogie board here. The water is cold. We usually end up purchasing a cheap, new board every time. This time we bought two nicer ones at Costco and they'll be there next year waiting for us.

--toiletries. Big bottle of Costco shampoo, kids' toothpaste, bottle of hairspray...the list goes on and on. We left pretty much everything we could that won't go bad/spoil by next year. Toiletries are heavy--this should be nice for the packing.

--clothing and shoes that I only use in Hawaii. Flip flops, sarongs, the beachy "basket" purse that I got at the craft fair in Maui and is a huge pain to pack...most of this stuff comes home every year and gets packed away until it's time to go again. Not a lot of "sized" clothing, as we all fluctuate a bit and the kids are still growing.

--Kitchen and laundry supplies. We used to have to throw stuff out/give stuff away every year.

--Pool toys, beach mats, towels. Again, we either packed it or gave it away at the end of every trip. Now they live over there.

--Other odds and ends. Reusable grocery totes and mesh beach bags (Maui will have outlawed plastic bags completely by next year, but we try not to use them anyhow.)