u/kelly_packof4

I'll go first — I have a portable door alarm that I bought after reading some safety thread three years ago. Packed it every single trip. Never once took it out of the bag. It just lives in the side pocket like a little security blanket I never activate.

Also a full-size first aid kit when honestly all I've ever needed is Advil and Band-Aids.

I feel like half my suitcase is stuff I pack "just in case" that never gets a case. Meanwhile I forget the things I actually use every trip — like the Anker 313 power bank (~$15) that I somehow leave on my nightstand every time.

What's your dead weight? And how do you remember what actually gets used vs what just rides along? I swear I need a system because my memory resets between trips.

If you've never tried to apply sunscreen to a 3-year-old who's already running toward the pool, you haven't lived.

After years of trial and error:

Spray sunscreen for the body (Banana Boat Kids Sport, ~$9) — not perfect coverage but it's fast and they don't fight it as hard

Stick sunscreen for the face (Sun Bum Baby Bum, ~$10) — no screaming about eyes, goes on like a crayon, kids think it's face paint

Reef-safe for beach destinations (Stream2Sea, ~$16) — yes it costs more but some beaches require it and the hotel shop will charge you triple

Apply at the hotel BEFORE you leave — not at the pool. By the time they're poolside they're already in the water and you've lost the window.

Reapply reminder — this is the thing I always forget. Someone in r/WaltDisneyWorld told me to set a phone alarm for every 90 minutes and it genuinely saved us.

What's your sunscreen system? Especially reapplying on kids who treat it like torture.

Real question — when you're packing for a trip, do you:

A) Have a master list you pull up every time and just check/uncheck? B) Start from scratch based on the destination? C) Just throw stuff in and hope for the best? D) Something else entirely?

I've been a solid C for years and it shows. Last trip I packed three swimsuits and zero socks. The trip before that I brought a rain jacket to Arizona in July.

I tried keeping a list in my Notes app but it's so generic it doesn't help — "pack clothes" is not useful advice to myself.

What I actually need is something that remembers what I packed LAST time, what I actually used, and adjusts for where I'm going. Like a packing list that learns.

For now I'm using a spreadsheet with tabs for beach/city/cold but even that feels clunky. What's your system? There has to be something better than my brain.

We do the east coast to Florida drive at least twice a year and at this point I have a permanent "car bag" that never gets unpacked:

A power strip with a car inverter (~$20 together) — charges everything during the drive

Emergency snack stash — shelf-stable stuff that doesn't melt: granola bars, dried fruit, beef jerky, Goldfish crackers

A first aid kit with Dramamine — because someone WILL get carsick in the mountains

Trash bags — clip one to the back of the headrest. Game changer for keeping the car human.

A cheap Bluetooth FM transmitter (~$12) — our old car doesn't have CarPlay and Spotify through the car speakers saved everyone's sanity

Blankets and travel pillows — for the inevitable "I'm cold" and backseat napping

What's permanently in your car for road trips? Especially if you have kids — the entertainment/snack/sanity items that make long drives survivable.

Every trip we have the rain conversation and we never settle it.

My strategy has evolved:

• Disney/theme parks: cheap ponchos from Amazon (~$8 for a 5-pack). You'll get rained on, the gift shop ones are $15 each, and they fold to nothing.
• City walks: a compact umbrella (the Repel Windproof, ~$16 — survived 3 years of NYC wind)
• Beach/tropical: honestly just get wet. You're in a swimsuit anyway.
• Hiking: a packable rain jacket (I use the Columbia Arcadia, ~$50 but worth it)

The thing is, rain gear takes up SO much space for something you might not use. Ponchos are the only thing light enough to bring "just in case" without guilt.

What's your rain strategy? And do you actually pack rain gear every trip or only when the forecast looks bad? I always check weather the morning we leave but by then it's too late to pack anything I forgot.

We just did back-to-back trips — beach in DR then a long weekend in NYC — and I basically packed two completely different suitcases.

Beach: swimsuits, coverups, reef-safe sunscreen (Stream2Sea brand, ~$16), water shoes, sand toys, insulated bag for poolside snacks

City: walking shoes, layers, crossbody bag, portable charger, umbrella

The ONLY overlap was: power strip, toiletries, nightlight, silicone bags.

That overlap list is basically my "never unpack these" items. They just live in the suitcase permanently.

Do you pack completely differently for beach vs city? Or do you have a core packing list you start from every time and just add destination-specific stuff on top? I keep thinking there has to be a smarter way than starting from zero every trip.

The space under the airplane seat is precious real estate. Especially with kids where you can't just get up and dig through the overhead whenever you want.

What lives in my personal item for every flight:

• Anker power bank (~$15) — non-negotiable
• Kids headphones (the Puro BT2200, ~$18 — volume limited so they're not blasting Cocomelon)
• Snacks in individual bags (not one big bag — learned that the hard way)
• One change of clothes for the youngest in a ziplock
• Chapstick and hand cream (airplane air is brutal)
• AirPods for me because sometimes mama needs silence

What I stopped bringing: a neck pillow (takes up too much space), a full water bottle (buy after security), entertainment books (tablet replaced all of them).

What's in yours? Especially the thing you'd never fly without that most people don't think to bring.

Every time I see someone traveling carry-on only with kids I want to ask HOW. Between the diapers (even though we're mostly done with those), the snacks, the spare clothes, the entertainment, the car seat debate... we end up checking at least one bag every time.

The closest we got was a 4-day beach trip where I packed:

• 3 outfits per kid in packing cubes (Eagle Creek compression, ~$18)
• Toiletries in a single Stasher bag
• Snacks in a separate insulated lunch bag
• Entertainment = one tablet loaded with downloads

Still had to gate-check the stroller.

Parents who actually pull off carry-on only — what's your secret? What do you skip that I think I need? I feel like the problem isn't what I pack, it's that I don't have a way to track what I actually USED last time vs what just took up space.

My oldest insisted on bringing a cheap headlamp on our last camping-adjacent hotel stay and it ended up being the most useful thing anyone packed. Reading in bed without turning on the overhead light, finding stuff in the car at night, navigating the hotel hallway for an ice run.

My youngest brought a roll of stickers and spent the entire flight quietly decorating the seat tray instead of screaming. Best $3 I ever indirectly spent.

I used to fight them on what they wanted to bring but honestly their instincts are sometimes better than mine. The headlamp is now a permanent suitcase item.

What did your kid insist on packing that you thought was pointless but turned out to be the MVP of the trip?

Every packing list on the internet tells you to bring these. I've tried them all. Here's my honest take:

Travel pillow — used it once, it was uncomfortable, now it takes up space in my carry-on for no reason. I just ball up a hoodie.

Packing cubes (controversial I know) — I get why people love them but with kids I end up just dumping everything out looking for that one specific shirt anyway. What actually works for us is one cube PER KID in a different color. The cubes themselves aren't the hack — the color coding is.

Portable luggage scale — checked my bag weight exactly once. Now I just know what 50 lbs feels like.

Travel-size toiletries — I buy the Walmart travel containers (~$4 for a set) and fill them with my actual products. Way cheaper than buying mini versions of everything.

What's a "must have" travel item that you think is completely overrated? And what did you replace it with?

Every seasoned traveler has a graveyard of items they left behind. A trail of phone chargers plugged into outlets hidden behind hotel headboards, sunglasses left on rental car dashboards, and toiletries abandoned on bathroom counters.

But my absolute worst habit was buying specialized gear right before a trip and then leaving it behind because it wasn't part of my "standard" packing routine. On my last trip alone, I realized I was systematically abandoning my memory-foam plane pillow in seat-back pockets, leaving my waterproof phone case on dark nightstands, hanging swimsuit wet-dry bags behind closed bathroom doors, and letting my Kindle get swallowed by white hotel duvets.

After paying the "Souvenir Tax" one too many times, I developed three dead-simple rules that completely cured my checkout forgetfulness:

1. The "Mom Hook" Carabiner System: I attached a giant stroller carabiner hook (like The Mommy Hook) to the frame of my suitcase. Every specialized accessory (neck pillow, tech pouches, waterproof cases) gets physically clipped to this ring as it is packed. If there's an empty loop on the ring, the room sweep isn't done.
2. The Fridge Freeze-Out: If I put baby bottles or collapsible travel mugs in the hotel mini-fridge, I put one of my shoes or my rental car keys inside the fridge next to them. You literally cannot put on your shoes or drive away without opening the fridge door.
3. The "Checkout-30" Sweep Alarm: I set a phone alarm for exactly 30 minutes before our exit room check. Packing stops, we pull all window curtains open for natural light, completely open bathroom shower curtains, and pull the sheets entirely off the beds down to the bare mattress (you'd be amazed what slides under the pillows).

It's completely stopped the pre-checkout panic, and everything actually makes it home now.

What is the most expensive or ridiculous item you've ever left behind in a hotel room or plane? And do you have a system or trick to make sure everything you left the house with actually makes it back?

Curious if anyone has gotten any upgrades when booking MVC .

I have been exploring the Orlando properties but most already are two bedroom. I would be curious for more expensive properties like Hawaii offer those upgrades .

I got a pop up last night that new levels are coming and speak to the concierge . It was in a red theme .

They have been saying it for years but mayeb it’s sooner than we think . I’m hoping they do not dilute the tiers / increase current levels

Saw another post that a 50k membership level is comming .

What perks do you think these users will get !? I hope this is not a new wave of business claiming and reselling inventory .

Posted this in r/Cruise but wanted to hear the parent perspective too —

We just got back from our third family cruise and I'm still amazed at how wrong I got the packing on cruise #1. Brought way too many outfits (kids wore the same 3 things on rotation), not enough swim diapers (the pool enforces it, resort shop charges triple), and zero ziplock bags (you will need them for wet everything).

Things I'll never cruise without now: a nightlight for the cabin, reef-safe sunscreen in bulk (you burn SO much faster on the water), a collapsible laundry bag, and one of those over-the-door shoe organizers for cabin storage because drawers are a joke.

First-timers and veterans — what's your cruise packing win or fail? And how do you organize what to bring? I feel like every cruise I'm rebuilding my list from scratch and still forgetting something obvious. Any ship, any cruise line.

Summer planning is here and I posted this in r/familytravel but need this community's road trip wisdom too —

Summer's coming and we're doing our annual drive from the east coast down to Florida with four kids. Every year I think I've got it dialed in and every year I forget something dumb.

Last year's hero item: a cheap power strip with USB ports. One hotel outlet fighting four tablets, two phones, and a portable speaker is a war nobody wins.

Last year's mistake: not bringing a separate bag for dirty clothes. By day 3 everything smelled like sunscreen and chicken nuggets and I couldn't tell clean from worn.

What's your road trip or summer vacation packing hack? Beach trips, lake houses, camping, theme parks, international — all counts. Bonus points if it's something you'd never see on a generic packing list.

How are you all organizing your packing for trips? I feel like I'm always making the same list from scratch every time and still forgetting something. Drop your system — apps, spreadsheets, notes on your phone, whatever works.

We just got back from our third family cruise and I'm still amazed at how wrong I got the packing on cruise #1. Brought way too many outfits (kids wore the same 3 things on rotation), not enough swim diapers (the pool enforces it, resort shop charges triple), and zero ziplock bags (you will need them for wet everything).

Things I'll never cruise without now: a nightlight for the cabin, reef-safe sunscreen in bulk (you burn SO much faster on the water), a collapsible laundry bag, and one of those over-the-door shoe organizers for cabin storage because drawers are a joke.

First-timers and veterans — what's your cruise packing win or fail? And how do you organize what to bring? I feel like every cruise I'm rebuilding my list from scratch and still forgetting something obvious. Any ship, any cruise line.

Summer's coming and we're doing our annual drive from the east coast down to Florida with four kids. Every year I think I've got it dialed in and every year I forget something dumb.

Last year's hero item: a cheap power strip with USB ports. One hotel outlet fighting four tablets, two phones, and a portable speaker is a war nobody wins.

Last year's mistake: not bringing a separate bag for dirty clothes. By day 3 everything smelled like sunscreen and chicken nuggets and I couldn't tell clean from worn.

What's your road trip or summer vacation packing hack? Beach trips, lake houses, camping, theme parks, international — all counts. Bonus points if it's something you'd never see on a generic packing list.

How are you all organizing your packing for trips? I feel like I'm always making the same list from scratch every time and still forgetting something. Drop your system — apps, spreadsheets, notes on your phone, whatever works.