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Original poster

Help. I need to pack and drive 80 miles tomorrow and I'm just kind of frozen

81 replies

Longcovid21 · 05/01/2022 19:53

I'm drained after a difficult Christmas and feeling slightly under the weather. I am mentally overwhelmed with the task of packing for me l, children and pets (including all the extra Xmas gifts) and worried I won't get everything in the car. Does anyone have any tips or advice please? I just don't know where to begin

OP posts:
MarshmallowFondant · 05/01/2022 20:37

It's encouraging others have recently managed it.

People "manage" to pack stuff into a car and drive 80 miles every day of the week... It's really not that big a thing.

Unicornbaker · 05/01/2022 20:38

I feel your pain, I’m travelling over 300miles tomorrow with a cat and a baby! Lists are your friends!

Clymene · 05/01/2022 20:39

It's much easier to pack to come home. Although that's a long stay if you've been there since Christmas

purplesequins · 05/01/2022 20:42

in can feel overwhelming.
agree with others - music or podcast on and off you go.
start with clothes and fragile items (built lego for example) into suitcases.
depending how big dc are use the space under their feet

Skyeheather · 05/01/2022 20:50

Take down any parcel shelves that you have in the boot and put them down flat on the floor of the boot. You can now fill the boot floor to ceiling, you may have to rearrange bags/cases a few times to fit everything in. How many kids in the back? If there's two you can put a bag or two on the middle seat. My kids are small and their feet don't touch the floor when they're in their car seats so I put a bag into each foot well. I also put stuff into the front foot well leaving enough room for my feet. Have travelled home with a bag on my lap before! DP's shoes are huge so I separate them and fit them into any hole/space I can shove them! If you have to leave early pack the car the night before but don't put any valuables in, nobody has yet tried to steal two weeks worth of dirty washing and some half used groceries from our car. You could leave anything that doesn't fit until your next visit or until relatives visit you?

LittleOwl153 · 05/01/2022 20:50

I did this a week or so ago...
How old are the children? Are they in bed? If not pack each child's kit as they get ready for bed. Get them to leave 1 outfit (or however many they need for the time left) out. The rest get packed. Unless you have alot of clean clothes then I'd just screw as much as possible into their bags. Of they've had new clothes etc then they go in too. Put the bags outside the doors so that the kids don't unpack them... move to your room or downstairs if need be.

Then start on the presents. Pack up everything they are not going to use tomorrow pack into as small a space as possible. Remove selection boxes from their boxes for example if you can.

Small squashy things can go in the car with the kids. We came back with 2 quilts and a pile of coats strapped into the middle seat over a box of other stuff for example. Pack when it's light. Don't leave it till late tomorrow even if you don't plan to leave till later on.

Good luck!

chillied · 05/01/2022 20:52

coming home is the easier packing job, you don't need to make choices. You just need to find everything you brought there.

It doesn't need to be packed neatly cos you just need to get it home, you're not getting ready to live out of your luggage.

I'd use "morning energy" and not worry too much if you can't do much tonight. Just go round room by room in the morning.

All dirty washing in the same bag is a good tip though. Helps when you get home.

SpiderinaWingMirror · 05/01/2022 20:53

I wpuld give child one of those bags for life and instruct them to fill it with toys/books etc.

Skiptheheartsandflowers · 05/01/2022 20:56

Can the family members you've been staying with help you pack the car, if you assemble you brought with you plus the Christmas presents?

RosesAndHellebores · 05/01/2022 20:58

Put the biggest thing on first, then the next biggest and fit the smallest things round the biggest.

How many children and how small is the car?

pickingdaisies · 05/01/2022 20:59

@MarshmallowFondant

It's encouraging others have recently managed it.

People "manage" to pack stuff into a car and drive 80 miles every day of the week... It's really not that big a thing.

Helpful.
DietrichandDiMaggio · 05/01/2022 21:02

@chillied

coming home is the easier packing job, you don't need to make choices. You just need to find everything you brought there.

It doesn't need to be packed neatly cos you just need to get it home, you're not getting ready to live out of your luggage.

I'd use "morning energy" and not worry too much if you can't do much tonight. Just go round room by room in the morning.

All dirty washing in the same bag is a good tip though. Helps when you get home.

Yes, coming home is easy because you don't need to think about what you are packing; just sort it into clean and dirty clothes. Is it a particularly difficult journey, because 80 miles is really not that big a deal for most drivers, even with children.
BarbaraofSeville · 05/01/2022 21:03

Get a good night's sleep.

Tomorrow, delegate the people you are staying with to mind DC/pets, help you load the car with everything that belongs to you and you want to keep, make breakfast as appropriate and just do it.

If there's more than you can get in the car, it's the perfect excuse to leave behind that giant toy you don't really want to clutter up your home.

Plan for an easy tea or takeaway when you get home.

DysmalRadius · 05/01/2022 21:05

Can you at least collect up dirty laundry etc since that can all be wanted into one disorganised bag and dealt with when you get back. Kids can be in charge of checking their presents etc to get most of it done in the morning and you can just idiot check each room before you go and fling whatever's left into a bag!

ilovesushi · 05/01/2022 21:07

Just stuff it all in any bags, cases or boxes available. Don't worry about folding or what belongs to who, just cram it all in. Keep aside clothes for the journey tomorrow. In the morning sort water and snacks for kids and animals. Done!

nicensafe · 05/01/2022 21:08

For Gods sake! this post sounds pathetic! It will take 2 hours tops. How hard is it to throw stuff in bags in the car? You are going 80 miles not around the world.

nonevernotever · 05/01/2022 21:18

Ignore the people saying it's not an issue. If you've had a difficult Christmas I can totally understand how even making a cup of coffee could seem like too much, never mind packing. Those who say to do a little bit to get started are right though. How old are the DC? Old enough to be given a bag and told to collect all the dirty clothes?

keepsmefit · 05/01/2022 21:19

Jesus get a grip. My 75 year old female relative drove 120 miles with 4 kids and 2 dogs on Christmas Day to drop them off at a relatives, then drove all the way back. 3 days later she went back for them and all their newly accumulated belongings. AND she lived to tell the tale!

coodawoodashooda · 05/01/2022 21:19

How old are your kids? Id just keep them off if I was struggling that much.

Muchtoomuchtodo · 05/01/2022 21:20

Just Chuck it in. It doesn’t need to be tidy, it just needs to be in. If it sprawls onto spare seats so be it!

80 miles isn’t that far at all so as long as you get going just after lunch you’ll easily be back by dark

LauderSyme · 05/01/2022 21:26

nicensafe FGS where is your empathy? Everyone gets overwhelmed sometimes, even with apparently simple tasks, except perhaps perfect you. Your username should be notsonicensmug.

I get it OP, I've had times when packing and getting out the door has seemed an impossible task. Hope you have conquered that frozen feeling and are well stuck into by now!

keepsmefit · 05/01/2022 21:28

nicensafe FGS where is your empathy? Everyone gets overwhelmed sometimes, even with apparently simple tasks, except perhaps perfect you. Your username should be notsonicensmug

Yes and yours and lots of other on here should be wrap me up in cotton wool!

SenselessUbiquity · 05/01/2022 21:34

I used to hate this. My strength would just drain out of me after people family people family etc etc for however many days. It's easier now my kids are older but when I used to have to do everything I felt like crying. Don't worry - just get on with it tomorrow, be as slap dash as you like, anything you forget is in a safe place so you'll get it back. If you must feel you've done something tonight, put out a set of clothes for everyone to wear, pack away a bag of dirty ones into one bag you can throw into the wash straight away, stuff all the other clothes in bags anyhow and collect up all the shoes that won't be worn on the journey (wellies etc may be lying about in odd places) and put them in a carrier bag by the door. Then you can all get into your clothes and get those bags into the car first thing. Good luck. It feels like wading through treacle sometimes.

Luredbyapomegranate · 05/01/2022 21:38

Make a list so you can can tick everything off in a satisfying fashion

Do a bit now, knowing you can stop when you want and you’ll have a plan to come back to

DrGoogleSaysSo · 05/01/2022 21:39

If you think not everything will fit in the car, you can fill a large cardboard box and post it to your address through "send it now", it's not too expensive around £12 and you would get the box delivered to your home address in a few days.

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