There is no one (or almost no one) who doesn't like to travel. However, this means packing your suitcase, raiding your closets and making sure you don't forget anything important at home.
When you have children, the work is doubled and the responsibility is even greater. However, there are certain measures that make this task easier. Wanda Von Breisky, founder of CadenzaLux and specialist in luxury holiday home rentals in Portugal, gives us useful tips to keep in mind. Take the pad and write it down!
The first thing I do before packing my bags is check the weather forecast on Windguru and make a mental image of what I want to wear on different occasions. I think of the pieces I feel most comfortable and happy in, clothes that don’t take up much space and can be worn on more than one occasion. Less is more!
My biggest problem is the shoes. I always find it more difficult to narrow down my choices and inevitably use less than 50% of what I take with me… I always think about comfortable shoes for the trip.
As for the final selection, I place all the pieces on a bed and imagine possible combinations. I always remove a few more superfluous pieces.
I always assume that I am taking at least a third of clothes more than what I really need – and I remove them before finally closing the bag! This avoids problems with overweight luggage… and leaves some room for shopping. There’s always something I see for me and my kids, for my house or even one of the houses I’m decorating for CadenzaLux.
When I go on vacation with my kids, this is tripling!
Clearly! Depending on the destination, I may want a stronger or lighter bag. And size matters too. Longer trips always require more space, more bags. More space for shoes (laughs).
And then, I like to have a bag that has something to do with me. It is still a business card when checking into a hotel or villa. I really like bags with my initials, and I like sets with a hold bag, trolley, wallet and document holder.
Personally, I think separate bags work best. One likes to hang clothes, the other prefers not to unpack. One prefers to carry gadgets, the other shoes… This way, with individual bags, it’s easier to pack and unpack and make sure we don’t forget anything. And in the worst case scenario, if one of the suitcases gets lost, you can eventually survive with one of them for a day or two.
Personally, I always take a warmer sweater and a bathing suit. A fun deck of cards, or a game and some colored pencils. My daughter loves to draw.
Sunscreen, first aid kit, and a hat! By the way, many hats, for all the children, and a book. If I travel by plane, I always have snacks, headphones and a pashmina.
In the houses I rent at CadenzaLux, I often have games, sunscreen, beach or pool towels, and hats for clients, but it’s not like that everywhere.
The phone charger!
Now more seriously, and without sounding too holistic, “patience”. Sometimes we forget that we are actually on vacation and end up bringing our crazy expectations of everyday life and the inevitable schedules and routines to the holidays. It’s not an item, but it’s definitely overlooked by many, and in my opinion, it shouldn’t be.
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