For children, travel is a fantastic experience. They get to enjoy new places and meet people from other walks of life. Most of us want our children to travel as much as possible, but finding the money for regular vacations is not always easy.
Save money, ditch unnecessary luggage
Fortunately, there are ways to keep the costs down, so that you can travel more. One way to do this is to travel with less baggage. Luggage costs vary from airline to airline, but typically each case you put into the hold will cost you between £25 and £32.
That means that if you are a family of four travelling with three cases you will have to spend between £150 and £192 on luggage alone. If you pack wisely you can usually manage with just one case, and greatly reduce this travel cost.
Divide the case into sections
In all likelihood, you will need to invest in a bigger case and book the upper luggage allowance. In addition, everyone will need to maximise the amount of cabin luggage they carry.
Once you have the case, divide it up so that each member of the family has an equal amount of space available. Assigning each adult a third of the case and dividing the remaining third amongst two children works well for most families. Use packing cubes to make sure the space is divided fairly.
Mix and match
Now lay out what you want to take onto the bed and rearrange your clothes into outfits. The more clothes you pack that can be mixed and matched the better, because doing this greatly reduces the number of items you need to pack.
Washable clothes
Bear in mind that you can easily rinse out lightweight items in the hotel sink and let them dry over a couple of days when planning each person’s outfits. Try to make sure that any items you plan to do this with do not need ironing once they are dry.
Sensible footwear
It is very important to take sensible footwear with you when you travel. If you are going somewhere hot, a pair of sandals and comfortable pair of closed in shoes is an ideal combination. You can wear the sandals to keep your feet cool, and the other shoes for activities that involve a lot of walking. Ideally, you only want to pack lightweight sandals, like these. They are lightweight yet sturdy and will not take up a lot of space in the case. The closed in pair of shoes should be worn to the airport.
Travel size toiletries and medications
Only pack travel size toiletries. You only need enough for the couple of weeks you are away.
Do the same with medications. Although with vital medicines that have to be taken regularly it is always wise to pack an extra week’s supply.
Learn compact packing techniques
To get everything in you will need to roll lightweight items of clothing, rather than fold them. It is also important to fill any little gaps with items like socks and pants. The trick to compact packing is using the entire cube as effectively as possible.