vacation

One of my favorite things we did to avoid some of the usual travel confusion on this vacation was to make and use bag tags. They took a little bit of time and money, but they were so worth it.

I used the cute templates that came with my JDC Monthly subscription in June, but you could use plain 'ol paper just as easily. And while I hated spending money on the self-laminating tags, I plan on stretching my bucks by using them again and again.

Here's some tips on how I made and used them:

--Read the package directions to make the tags. Keep in mind that regular weight paper works better than card stock.

--Use basic or generic labels so the tags can be used again. I wrote our names or descriptions like "personal care items" rather than listing the exact contents of the bags.

--Use labels to separate what belongs inside the car. When it comes time to pack up, things get hectic and bags get tossed wherever there's space. To avoid having any of our car bags stuck under a layer of suitcases, they were all labeled with names and the words "inside car".

--Use tags to help grab-and-go. We broke up our long trip to Florida with a one night stay in Georgia. I used tags to label the smaller overnight bags we packed for that hotel. Anything in our trunk with a tag on it went into the hotel for that single night; anything without a tag stayed packed until our final destination. So helpful after a very long day of traveling!

Don't forget to check out even more vacation tips and leave some of your own tips in the comments!

Packing up the family's bags and then trying to live out of them for a week  can be quite a headache. My vacation cards helped with the gathering, but the packing and organizing still took a lot of work.

For all that vacation packing, I've found a new best friend:  zipper bags. Seriously, these bags saved my sanity by keeping things clean and just a little bit orderly. I mostly used quart-size and gallon-size bags, but I needed a few sandwich-size ones, too.

Here are some of my favorite uses:

--PERSONAL CARE ITEMS - each member of our family had a baggie with their name written on it to contain their own toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, and any other personal items. These bags were tossed into the family duffle bag of miscellaneous toiletries. This kept things simple during a late bedtime or a morning rush.

--LIQUIDS AND SEMI-LIQUIDS - I'm always thankful for hairspray, contact solution, and mouthwash....until one of those bottles empties itself into a duffle bag.  Any item that could possibly leak, melt, or spill got put in a zipper bag.  No exceptions.

--SMALL CLOTHING ITEMS - one of my kids had the bright idea of making a large baggie for socks and one for underclothes.  Amazingly, this was the only child of mine who didn't need help finding these necessities in their bags.  Repeatedly.

--JEWELRY - I don't take a lot of jewelry with me on trips, but I do like to have a few pieces to complete my outfits.  I put each individual necklace in a sandwich bag and placed all of those smaller bags into one larger bag in my suitcase.  This kept them from getting lost or tangled together.

--CHARGERS AND CORDS - I've never travelled with so many wires in my life.  The countless phone chargers, iPod and camera cords, earbuds and headsets all got put into a labeled bag.  I might not have personally known what all those wires were for, but at least I knew where to find one if it was needed.

--BAG OF BAGS - I also threw in a few extra empty baggies in case they were wanted. Unfortunately, I couldn't find them when I needed them most, so next time I'll do a better job of packing a couple bags of baggies.

I'm sure there are countless other uses for zipper bags while traveling, such as baby items, toys, snacks, etc., etc. So, tell me......

What do you use to help keep things organized when you travel?  Are you a baggie gal like me?  Got any other tips?  We want to hear!

Don't forget to check out the other vacation tips, too!