Packing the Van

We own a total of one (1) suitcase. I got it when I was in high school and it is used so rarely we haven't found need for more luggage, so I wasn't about to buy more for a single trip.

Scrolling through Pinterest I came across a large family who uses plastic storage totes in place of luggage and I was intrigued. They traveled in a regular-sized van, so I was curious how well this would work out for our family in a minivan with less storage capacity.

Packing for the drive itself

I used a small basket to fill with items specifically for the van and the drive down to Disney. This included a small box of trash bags, hand sanitizer, Wet Ones hand wipes, travel first aid kit, pull ups, etc. Of course the boys each had their busy bags.

We wanted to save our food budget for dining out while in Disney so we brought plenty of packaged snacks and I stuffed a cooler with sandwiches, cheese sticks, and cut up fruit. We also packed our water bottles so we could refill throughout the day while in the parks.

Using totes instead of luggage

I forgot to snap a picture of the van all loaded up, but trust me when I say, this method worked GREAT. We used one large storage tote for everyone's clothing. Basically there was enough room for each of us (6 people total) to have a little stack of all our clothing for the week. It was so easy to grab an outfit right off the top each day!

We used a second large tote to pack all the household and hygiene items, plus whatever miscellaneous. Again, this worked so very well to keep things contained and easily found.

The two large totes were stacked in the very back, with the cooler tucked in next to them, and the bags of dry snacks on top of it.

Unfortunately this meant there was zero space left for our double stroller in the back, so it had to be tucked into the center of the van in between the seats. It was a bit of a hassle for the big kids to climb out of the back seats to get out for bathroom breaks, but otherwise it was fine.