A Tale of Two Passovers, Part 2

The year I threw my back out making Passover at home (check out blog post Passover Part 1 for more details) and received a prescription from the doctor to go away for the holiday, we took it seriously, as we would any medical advice. It may have been the best prescription I ever got.

Packing up to spend the holiday away in a sunny climate is a privilege I don't take for granted.

Here are a few tips and products I love to help the packing go smoother.

It's in the Bag or the Tag

Assess luggage, this is the one holiday trip that we need to use our garment bags.

I also like to make sure we have enough luggage tags. The sea of black wheeled duffels and suitcases is enough to make everyone crazy. I like to use colorful luggage tags to differentiate. These brightly colored silicone luggage tags are cute and fun and available with next day shipping. If you have more time and want to personalize these are cute from Oliver's Labels.

For the ultimate luxe luggage tag look, I love these leather ones from Jax Gifts. They also make a great gift.

We recently purchased a few new pieces of the luggage and we are loving them. Tumi is definitely an investment but they last forever…or close to it.

Once the luggage is sorted, it's time to pack.

I love to use a collapsible garment rack - one of the most versatile Amazon purchases I have ever made. All the clothes that I’m planning to take I hang on the rack and I lay out all the shoes below. So, I have each outfit in its entirety (even with mixing and matching). I try to encourage my kids to do the same…some of them listen...some not so much. When they were younger I would do it for them. But now, as teens it's their responsibility.

Cubes for the Win

Packing cubes are a must! I found these on Amazon and they are really life changing. Each family member has a different color that makes for easy storage and if we have to swap luggage or shift things around, we just move the cube. My husband jokes that buying these cubes is one of the best things I did for our family (that, and labelling our passports - check out my post on that).

I like to roll the items within the cubes - Marie Kondo style - folded but standing up. When we get to the hotel I don't even unpack. I take the cubes straight from the luggage into the drawer. Not only does it save time, but it's cleaner.

For a longer trip I often need more than one set to fit everything.
I got a fun new set from @impressgiftsnj and personalized them with different functions… Sleep, Sweat, Swim, etc.…

Beyond the cubes I love to bring out my favorite travel cases for toiletries and other small items, personalized with a monogram or anything you chose. Visit Jax gifts to choose yours!

Many programs have “theme nights” (kind of like a cruise). Sometimes we’ll get a schedule in advance so we know to pack accordingly. Usually, it's standard things we’d have like white night, metallics, occasionally more out there themes were cowboy chic or neon night.

Luggage scale - This is a must if you don't want to be unpacking and repacking bags at the check in counter. Make sure you have someone with you to read the scale when you’re struggling to keep it lifted enough to get the digital weight to display.

Another method is doing a little packing math with your bathroom scale… First weigh yourself, then weigh yourself with the bag and then subtract your weight and voila! This one step will save time and energy of having to move things around at the airport. But even if you do, it's just a matter of relocating a few cubes instead of clothing strewn all over the check in area.

If you’re making the holiday away, I always like to bring some small touches from home.

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Our rubber frogs have travelled to Mexico, Israel and a few places in between along with each child's most recent holiday projects. This year I’ll be packing 2 different types of masks - the 10 plague masks and my disposable masks from @dahliafried I love the newest clover design because we all deserve something sparkly and new! If you love these as much as I do, use code LISA10 for $10 off your holiday mask chain purchase on this new design.

Last but not least, I book my spray tan… because a healthy glow is always in style. Besa Bella Bronze is my go-to, for a spray tan that goes to you. Mention my name for a discount!

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Bon voyage and remember to enjoy the fact that you aren't shopping, prepping and cooking!

Unless of course you are doing it all from your destination…in that case...enjoy the change of scenery, weather and ship as much as you can in advance!

Check out my stories for Passover disposable tablescapes and favorite food products you can ship in advance.