Packing for a Holiday Visit: Leave Room for the Gifts

The clothes are folded. Your child's pajamas are finally in the bag. Then you look at the dresser and remember the presents.

A few nights with family can involve several kinds of packing: something to wear to dinner, something comfortable for the drive, the book your child sleeps with, and the gifts you have been meaning to wrap. Getting them into a suitcase is one job. Finding them when you arrive is another.

Here is a practical way to pack for a holiday visit, whether you are heading to your parents' house for Thanksgiving or spending a winter weekend with relatives.

Give the gifts a place before the suitcase fills up

Lay out everything you plan to give your hosts or relatives, including the awkwardly shaped things. A picture frame takes a different kind of space from a sweater. A toy box may fit across the bottom of a case but leave very little room for shoes.

Try the gifts in the empty suitcase before adding clothes. If you are bringing something fragile, think about whether it needs its own protective packaging or a different way to travel. A hard shell alone is no guarantee against damage.

Pack gift bags and tissue paper flat. For bulky or especially delicate presents, arranging delivery to your destination may be simpler than squeezing them into the family luggage.

Keep the first night together

Picture arriving after dinner. Your child wants pajamas, someone needs a toothbrush, and most of the clothes are still in the car.

Put sleepwear, the toiletries you will use that evening, and the next morning's essentials in one clearly marked pouch or near the top of a case. If two adults are sharing a suitcase, use separate pouches or different sides so neither person has to unpack the other's things.

Keep the journey bag separate from this bundle. It can hold a child's spare outfit, a small activity, chargers, and the things you expect to reach for on the way. On a road trip, place that bag where an adult passenger can reach it rather than underneath the cases in the trunk.

A family holiday packing list for a three-night visit

Use this as a starting point for two adults and one child. Adjust it for the weather, your child's age, and whether laundry is available where you are staying.

• Clothes for each person: outfits for the days away, underwear and socks, sleepwear, and suitable layers. Count the clothes for a family dinner within those outfits rather than adding a second wardrobe.
• A child's backup: one spare outfit in the journey bag, plus the comfort item they actually use. Check that a favorite toy has made it into the bag before leaving.
• Shared items: toiletries the family can share and the chargers you need. Ask your hosts about towels, a hair dryer, or laundry access before packing duplicates.
• Gifts: the presents themselves, suitable protection, flat gift bags, tissue paper, and cards.
• For coming home: a separate bag for worn clothes and some space for gifts or purchases you may bring back.

If several people are sharing larger cases, our family guide to sharing a five-piece luggage set goes into more detail about assigning space without mixing everyone's clothes together.

Choose the luggage around the pile you have packed

Once the clothes and gifts are laid out, the choice is easier to judge. A short visit with a small present may work with one wheeled case. Several people's clothes, winter layers, and larger gifts may call for separate cases. Here are two LARVENDER options for those different situations.

For a lighter visit: the Peach Sparkling three-piece set

The LARVENDER Peach Sparkling three-piece luggage set includes a wheeled suitcase, a duffel, and a toiletry pouch. It is an option to consider when the clothes and gifts you have laid out fit comfortably into one case.

Use the smaller bags to separate what you need during the visit from what stays packed. The three-piece count describes the set's contents; it does not mean three suitcases or three bags permitted on a flight.

For more clothes and gifts: the expandable five-piece set

The LARVENDER PC+ABS expandable five-piece luggage set includes suitcases labeled 20, 24, and 28 inches, a weekender duffel, and a toiletry bag. It gives a family different case sizes to choose from for a visit with more clothing or gifts.

Take the pieces the trip needs and assign each a job: clothing in one case, gifts in another, and journey essentials in a smaller bag. Before buying, consider who will handle the cases, where they will fit in the car, and any checked-baggage charges.

For a closer look at what the piece counts mean, read our three-piece versus five-piece luggage set comparison.

Flying? Check the gift as well as the bag

TSA advises travelers to keep gifts unwrapped in both carry-on and checked bags. Pack the gift bags and tissue separately and finish the presentation after you arrive. Check the agency's What Can I Bring? guide for the actual item, especially if a present contains liquids or batteries.

Your airline and ticket determine your baggage allowance. A suitcase's advertised size is not a promise that it meets every airline's rules. Measure the packed bag, including its wheels and handles, and check its depth again if you open an expansion zipper. Our guide to measuring a suitcase before flying walks through the process.

Leave room for the trip home

Giving away presents may free up some space, but a family visit can send you home with a few things too. Keep a folded bag for worn clothes and check the luggage again before adding anything your relatives have offered you.

If you are flying, check the return bag's size and weight after repacking. Extra space from an expansion zipper still has to fit within your airline's limits.

Before leaving home, close each bag and carry or roll it to the door. Make sure the first-night bundle is easy to find, the gifts have a place, and the things needed on the journey are within reach. That is a more useful final check than getting every zipper to close with someone sitting on the lid.