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10 Essentials to Pack for a Cruise Vacation

July 2, 2014 by

Your bags are packed.  You’ve followed the guidelines on dress code and think you understand what it means by formal attire. You have just enough shoes for any occasion without being too many. You’ve secured all of your toiletries in mini bags to avoid spillage. Now you’re ready to go. But are you really? We’re so used to having everything handy in our daily life that we don’t think about packing them for vacation.  Take a peek at these 10 essentials to bring on a cruise vacation to see what else you should pack for your next adventure. 10 Essentials when Packing for a Cruise Vacation

10 Essentials when Packing for a Cruise Vacation

  • Beach bag or tote to carry camera, book, beach towels and sunscreen on the ship or to your excursions
  • Nightlight, when those curtains are drawn and the sun has set it can get mighty dark in those rooms
  • Small wallet/purse or Lanyard for key cards & identification
  • Over the Door Pocket Organizer
    to hold cosmetics, toiletries, brushes, curling irons and medications instead of clogging up small counters

10 Essentials when Packing for a Cruise Vacation

  • Lightweight or mesh bag to keep dirty laundry separate on the way home.
  • Medication and not just prescriptions. Think about upset stomachs, headaches, allergy relief and even cough meds just in case.
  • Extra Sunscreen, that tropical sun is fierce so bring along more than you think you’ll need.
  • Notepad and pen to leave notes for your traveling companions, children or room steward.
  •  It’s no fun overpaying for something on vacation that you already have at home.  Packing a few extra essentials will keep your budget on track so you can spend money on the fun things like fruity drinks with umbrellas or slot machines.

luggage photo provided via Flickr by Thor




Moving with kids, help from storage units

November 5, 2010 by

Ever move with kids? It’s hard. This past summer we rented a portable moving and storage unit and it was the only thing that saved us. We were able to organize and pack early. The things that they could do without for a couple weeks were put into the mobile storage unit out of the way of our living space.

Using a portable storage unit allowed us to live normally while slowly and efficiently clearing out the house of out of season clothing, DVDs, books and extra everything else. The excess kid gear took up most of the room. We had wagons, scooters, beach gear, balls, a basketball net and containers and containers filled to the brim with craft and art supplies. With 5 kids we had a lot to move so besides our storage unit we also had to rent a truck; a rather large truck. A family of 5 can really accumulate a lot of stuff over the years. The unit made things a lot smoother on moving day. With half of the house already packed it made for a less stressful day. The idea of a portable storage unit seemed unnecessary at first. I thought a truck was all we needed but I will never go back to that all in one day packing and moving process again.

Zippy Shell Mobile Storage and Moving

This is a sponsored post but the opinions and descriptions presented belong solely to LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! Your experiences and reactions may differ from ours.




Tips for Moving with Kids

October 6, 2010 by

Our move a couple months back was tougher on the kids than we anticipated.  Sabreena and Shaun are really missing their friends and old school.  Shae has been asking to “go home” to her old room.  While everyone has adjusted well there are moments when they are reminded that things have changed.  1-800-PackRat has put together a great guide to getting your kids prepped for the big move.

Moving can be a challenge for your family, and 1-800-PackRat understands that comforting your kids is particularly important during this time. Here are a few tips that might make the transition a smoother one.:

1. Keep an open dialog: Speak with your kids about what moving will be like and what they should expect. Listen carefully and address their concerns. You might be surprised what children find bothersome. For example, where will the family dog sleep in the new place?

2. Be supportive: Kids are well-tuned to the stress of a family and moving often heightens these types of feelings. Remind them that things will settle back down following the move. Reassure them of the things that won’t change: their toys, activities, etc.

3. Let your kids be part of the action: Get the children involved in the moving process, whether it’s marking boxes or wrapping their toys in paper. Something to occupy their minds keeps them feeling a part of the transition.

Nothing will guarantee your child won’t be upset by the move, but minimizing their anxiety over such a big change will go a long way.

This is a sponsored post but the opinions and descriptions presented belong solely to LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! Your experiences and reactions may differ from ours.




Moving Tips from some ole’ pros

August 20, 2010 by

You’re sick of hearing about it I know, I’m sick of talking about it but I want to share some info to make your next move easier.

The more organized you are before the move the better the outcome. But that is much easier said than done. Moving can throw even the most organized household into chaos. Getting organized before you take on moving is a commitment, but is well worth the effort in the long run. Here are some tips to help you on the road to an organized move:

Start planning as soon as you find out you have to move. The more time you have, the more organized you can be. Come up with a storage and moving to do list that you can follow and amend from now until moving day. Put everything you can think of on that list, no matter how trivial it seems now. When things get busy and hectic as you dismantle your house and get closer to your moving day, your very detailed to do list will assure that you will not forget anything.

Get rid of things you do not need. Go through everything in your house and put aside those items to either donate or sell. Most charities will send a truck to pick-up donated items but don’t give someone else your trash.

It is never too early to pack. Begin packing non essential items EARLY. Start with out of season items, decorations, the coat closet, garage tools and kids gear that is outgrown but being saved.  If you plan to put a stuff in storage, pack those items first and move them as soon as possible.

Label everything. Have loads of permanent markers, tape and labels handy while you pack. Label the contents of every box and in what room the box belongs. I even labeled something “Random Box of Sh!t” then listed everything that was in it.

Leave a few open and empty boxes for last minute items. You will want things like bed linens, toiletries and cleaning supplies readily available when you are unpacking. Label them clearly with “open first” so you can spot them and put them on the truck last or in the car with you.

Happy moving vibes to anyone going through it!

This is a sponsored post but the opinions and descriptions presented belong solely to LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! Your experiences and reactions may differ from ours.




Why Is Moving So Expensive?

May 27, 2010 by

By now everyone should know we are moving back to DE at the end of June and we already have started cleaning and packing. A few weeks back I went to Home Depot and bought some small, medium and large packing boxes. So far Home Depot seems to have the best prices on boxes unfortunately I can’t get everything I need from Home Depot like mirror boxes, mattress covers and packing paper. My local Home Depot did have short wardrobe boxes for $9.98 a piece.

I went online tonight to see how much these other supplies would cost me and I couldn’t believe it. Mirror boxes are $4.25 a piece (need 3) and mattress covers are $2.95 for twin mattresses which I need three sets and $3.95 for a queen mattress which I need one set. I did go back to Home Depot on Sunday to buy 20 more small boxes but I am sure we also are going to need more boxes at some point. Factor in tape and packing paper and the costs are getting out of control. So far we probably have spent about $50 and are not even close to being finished. It is crazy how expensive cardboard is. I am sure but the time it is all said and done we will be $100 – $150 into moving supplies. These costs don’t include the moving truck I have to rent for four days (story for another time). If you know a packing/moving company that wants to give away moving boxes let me know as I could use the help.  These costs are starting to kill me.
 




Let The Fun Begin!!!!!

May 20, 2010 by

So most of you know that at the end of June we are moving back to where we belong in the great state of Delaware. June 30th is when we are moving and it seems like a long time away but I don’t thing so. I am sure June 30th is going to sneak up on us before we know it.

So to try to get a jump on the move this past weekend we started to pack. Not a lot of stuff but we packed our DVD’s, most of the pictures on the walls and bookshelves, books and cookbooks. We began selling our old Ikea furniture on Craigslist so we could use that money to by new and different Ikea furniture which Melinda and I finally did last night after 5 different visits.

We have more stuff to get rid of but it is coming along nicely. This weekend I am going to try to do a little more packing of things like dishes we don’t use daily and do a little painting. I figure if we do a little each day/week by the time June 30th rolls around we will be ready to move and we won’t be so stressed out. Don’t get me wrong we are going to be stressed out but not over packing last minute items.