Packing Small Cars for Long Trips

Well, I'm off to Florida, yet again. Surprised? Actually, it is kind of weird because this will be the first time Jason and I drive down together in one car! We're packing up the pups and taking the drive in one long plunge - then it's a week of Disney with the family. We even did a little splurge on a hotel for one night! I'm really excited to come home and share all the photos with you - expect February to be full of bright, happy photos from Disney. So to start off the vacation and traveling posts right, here's some tips on packing a tiny car with a lot of things from our ability to stuff 2 humans, 2 dogs, and all the stuff we need into a Fiat or Fiesta. Curious about how we deal with these long drives? Check out some old posts I've done from the archives on how to pack your camera, how to dress for the road and all about how to deal with long drives.

Large, flat items first
Dog crates, boxes, or anything large goes towards the bottom in the trunk. In our smaller cars, we choose not to fold the seats down because we actually lose room due to the fact that our seats do not fold flat.

Use Footwells To Your Advantage
Back when Teemo and I used to travel alone, I stuffed my carry-on sized luggage into the passenger seat footwell, then his bed on top. This served as almost a floor to even out the seat and make more room for him. When together, we use the back seat footwells for backpacks, my purse, and a snack bag for easy accessibility.

Play Tetris
Jason always says that packing is like Tetris. His advice? Find your holes and try to find items that fit in those holes. Can't fit anything there? Try and move things around to create the hole you need.

Strategize
Driving is like a strategy game. If you are the only one driving, you can leave your seat in that position and pack behind it. If you aren't, be sure to pack things that can deal with being crushed or can move. The change in seat position between me and Jason is vastly different, so we put someting like my purse behind the seat that comes out when we do anyway.

Think About What You Are Wearing
In the winter on trips like this, we start out wearing coats, but by the end, we are in Florida and don't need them. I pack a single coat with a hood and I put it on the back of my headrest so that it falls behind my seat. It takes up less room this way. Also, don't wear something you can't use the rest of the trip. Example, I wouldn't wear my boots or mittens on the trip we are going on now because they are larger winter items I can't wear in Florida and take up space.

Plan Ahead and Pack Well
Here's my big advice. Don't pack 8 million things. Girls, I know you want to pack different options for outfits. But you don't need to! Plan what you are wearing ahead of time and put it on a calendar or spreadsheet in something like Google drive - try and do outfits that look good with the same pair of shoes so you don't need to bring 8 pairs of shoes. Notice that in my last Florida posts, my Seychelles clue booties came up a ton? They go with everything, so I didn't have to bring 8 pairs of shoes! I do mine in a calendar so in the morning I can see what I am wearing and grab it. Also saves time getting to where we want to go because I don't have to try and come up with an outfit on the fly from what I have.

coat :: target remixed

sweater :: loft outlet remixed

dress as shirt :: free people remixed

skirt :: modcloth

blue tights :: target remixed

cream heels :: steve madden remixed
ring & necklace :: francesca's collections remixed
earrings :: target remixed
bag :: emma fox remixed

While I am gone, watch out for some guest posts from a few favorite bloggers of mine and follow me on Instagram and Twitter to keep in touch! AND! Guess what? A special giveaway tomorrow!!