Packing for vacation.....with a baby

Natali has been on a big vacation before. When she was just 8 days old she traveled to Oregon for a week. I doubt she remembers it though.

For that trip we bought a lot of supplies locally rather than pack them. For this trip we are going on a cruise. There's no Walmart at sea.

We thought about it and came up with a solution. Buy supplies after we land in Miami.

We are bringing minimal diapers, formula and wipes. Just enough for two days max.

Saturday I will take an earlier flight (one of the many perks of working for an airline!), rent a minivan and buy supplies for the trip at a local Walmart. A few hours later Kelli and Natali will arrive, I will pick them up and head to a hotel for the night. Easy.....we hope.

As far as clothes. In the past Kelli and I have always traveled with just one carry on each. We went to Tokyo for a week...with JUST a carry on each. We pack VERY efficiently.

For this trip we had to rethink our approach. Natali doesn't need much in the way of luggage space, but we still couldn't get by with just two carry ons as we are gone for 8 days. Solution? One big ass suitcase.

I have been a fan of Delsey bags for years. They are light weight and high quality. I researched bags (again I research EVERYTHING) and found a 29 inch Air Energy bag at Kohls. The sticker price was $279, on sale for $139. I bought it online with a coupon and free shipping for $106 all in. Not too shabby.



 

We packed last night. Max weight for checked bags is 50 pounds. The Delsey bag weighs 12 pounds. With all of our clothes....all three of us....the weight is 39 pounds (12 pound bag + 27 pounds of clothes).  We are bringing a standard carry on with a duffle bag inside to bring back souvenirs and what not.

Should be a fun trip. Seven nights on a boat.