How to Pack for a Summer Vacation

Before you can disembark on a summer vacation, you'll need to pack your luggage. Depending on where you're planning to visit, the things you pack can be very different. Plan your packing in advance to avoid forgetting important items because you're rushing at the last minute.

Things You'll Need

• Separate suitcases
• Weather reports
• Weather-appropriate clothes
• Sunscreen
• Towels
• Plastic bags
• Refreshments
• Cooler

Instructions

1. Check the weather forecast before you pack your luggage for a summer vacation. If rain is predicted, you'll want to pack accordingly. Unseasonably cool weather may require you to pack sweaters or light coats.

2. Bring plenty of sunscreen and towels for a summer vacation at the beach. You'll pay a premium for the convenience of purchasing sunscreen at a beachfront shop.

3. Pack for a summer vacation based on the length of your trip. If you're planning to spend all summer in a rental vacation home, you'll need to bring more clothes and personal belongings. For a backpacking trip across Europe, you'll have to pack much lighter.

4. Pack a separate suitcase for everyone in your party. This will help everyone keep his or her belongings organized. If you're traveling with young children, purchase a child-sized suitcase that's fun and functional.

5. Confine all your toiletries to a plastic bag. This will keep any fluids from leaking into your luggage and soiling your clothing.

6. Save money on your summer vacation by packing some refreshments of your own. While you'll be able to buy snacks and drinks at rest stops or airport convenience stores, you'll pay an inflated price.

Tips & Warnings

• With all the extra space available in a car's trunk and backseat, it may be easier to pack for summer road trip than for a trip by plane.

• In your rush to pack clothes and personal belongings, don't forget to pack your various forms of identification too. You'll need a passport or drivers license to go most anywhere these days.

• Mark your suitcases so you'll be able to spot them easily on a luggage conveyor belt. Tie a piece of ribbon around the handle or put a strip of masking tape down the front of a suitcase. To make it even easier to spot your luggage, consider investing in a colorful suitcase with a unique design.

• Airline restrictions may prohibit you from packing fluids in your carry-on luggage. Shampoos, soaps and beverages could be used to conceal dangerous explosives and have been forbidden by the government. You'll need to pack any potentially dangerous liquids into luggage that's checked and stowed in the plane's hull.