Happy Travel Tuesday! Today’s post is a continuation of my Travel Panic Mode post. Click here to read my previous post. We are exactly 48 hours from the moment when I will take my 11-year old to school and see him off on his very first camping trip away from home and without me. So you see I had a reason to be in panic mode on the other day. My son is heading to Wahsega 4-H Center located in Dahlonega, GA where he along with fellow six graders will embark on a 3 day Overnight Environmental Education Field Trips where they will discover mountain air, clear streams, rugged trails, rustic cabins, great food and an unforgettable adventure in the North Georgia mountains. This a trip that I planned to take with my son and due to scheduling conflict I will be traveling to San Antonio for the annual Blogalicious conference.
The fact that I am not going poses an issue because if I was going then I would have additional items in my suitcase for him but in this instance I had to think fast as time was winding down and I needed to gather everything on his list and prepare him for this upcoming trip. Taking into consideration that my son is only 11-years old and you know how boys can be when they are running wild through the woods so organizing his luggage is essential. 
I start by laying all of essentials out on the bed to ensure that we have marked every item off of his camping list. Once I have confirmed that it’s a go I then start to separate and pack his toiletries together separate from his water shoes, insect repellant and sunscreen.
My two younger sons and I each received one of these Colgate travel bags at a Colgate event while serving as one of their Blogger Ambassadors. The bags included a few of the samples pictured above: travel toothpaste, mouth wash & body wash. If you recall one of my previous post that can be found here. Those little samples that you receive at events over a period of time can potentially save you over $250 a year by utilizing the ones that you have stashed away and collect from your hotel visits.
In efforts to prevent my son from trying to decide what shirt he wants to wear with whatever jeans that he selects I decided to have him select before hand , then I would iron, roll the selected shirt up in the jeans and place in side of his suitcase.
In the above picture I am sure that you get the picture and trust me this system works more often than you may think plus rolling your clothes is an old travel trick that I learned early on when I started traveling because it saves you so much more space and it allows you to get everything in one piece of luggage.
As you can see in the above picture I have made it super simple for my son. All he has to do is just grab a rolled set and get dressed for that day’s adventure. I must admit that my panic session has finally subdued and I feel so much better about allowing my son to travel alone with his middle school class. He will leave on Wednesday morning for his 3 day camping trip and I am thankful that we have everything all packed neatly and ready. 
Viola! See he’s ready and packed by the stairs. Now you know on Wednesday I will be crying because I now realize that my little boy is growing up. Have you experienced a similar feeling? If you have allowed your son or daughter to go on overnight camping trip, how did you prepare them for their trip? I would love to hear your stories and tips.
~Turkesha McIvy