Vacation Essentials for a Homey Rental Stay

I’m not a big hotel vacationer. I’d rather rent a home-away-from-home scenario wherein we can cook our own meals, toss in a load of laundry, hook up the Xbox if it’s a rainy day, and not worry about whether we need to get out so the cleaning crew can do their thing. Also, we like road trips. They’re a lot less expensive for a family of four. Anywhere within a day’s drive is ideal, which gives us lots of options. Beach. Mountains. Plains. We’re leaving tomorrow, in fact, for a weeklong stay at the beach (another time, I’ll expound on the southern practice known as Fall Break, a most magical thing, and unfamiliar to Midwesterners like myself).

Vacation rentals do have their downside, though. Dull kitchen knives. Plastic cooking utensils. Often a dearth of any kind of soap and paper products. (One place we rented had no dishcloths, for example. Another had no colander, which is bad if your children demand mac and cheese on the regular. And my experience with cutting boards in rentals has only been negative.) If you decide to add these kinds of things to your vacation grocery list, you’re not likely to want to buy them in large quantities or even at all, because it means you end up spending more (I know we all cringe over the price of the mini jar of mayo), and you also end up taking home more stuff than you arrived with. During our last vacation, to an ill-equipped cabin (which was adorable and in a fabulous setting, I must say, just to be clear), which was also 20 minutes from the nearest grocery store, I began compiling a list of essentials to bring on future trips. I’ll pack it all into a rubber tote and a collapsible cooler. Basically, this is a pared-down version of a camping supply kit. I have a hunch it will be worth the trunk real estate. Hopefully I’ll feel more equipped and at home in our rental–and spend less at the local market.

Kitchen Supplies:

• Chef’s knife and paring knife (if you don’t have blade guards, wrap them in the dish towels you’re bringing along)
• Medium-size cutting board
• Wooden spatula and spoon (if you’re a wooden utensil person, which I am)
• Whisk
• Kitchen sponge, two dishcloths, two dish towels
• Dish soap
• Dishwasher detergent pods
• Paper towel, 1-2 rolls
• Paper plates and napkins
• Plastic storage bags, a few in each size
• Disposable storage containers, various sizes (no place we’ve ever stayed had a supply of storage containers of any kind)
• Aluminum foil
• Disinfectant wipes
• Trash bags, kitchen size (enough for a week)
• Clothespins
• Travel coffee mugs
• Disposable straw cups for the kids

Pantry Items:

• Nonstick pan spray
• Oil, a cup or two, in a small container
• Pancake mix, store-bought or make your own
• Coffee and filters (Don’t expect to find a Keurig, friends. If you do, count it a major bonus and gleefully buy yourself some K-Cups.)
• Tea bags
• Syrup
• A little flour
• A little sugar
• Salt and pepper
• Peanut butter

Cooler Items:

• Ketchup
• Mustard
• Mayo
• Jelly
• Salad dressings
• Other condiments your people like, such as barbecue sauce

Other Supplies:

• Toilet paper, one roll per day
• Kleenex, two boxes
• Laundry soap pods
• Hand soap, 2 bottles
• Sunblock
• Insect repellent
• Basic meds for everyone (Tylenol, Benadryl, anti-itch cream, etc.)
• First aid kit, including a thermometer
• Travel-size games
• Refillable water bottles
• Spare backpack
• Everyone’s favorite pillow and cozy throw

I also pack a car kit in a gallon-size freezer bag consisting of wet wipes, hand sanitizer, a few sandwich bags (just trust me), and plastic silverware, as well as an insulated lunch tote filled with healthy snacks and drinks. I pack each of my girls a tote bag filled with things to do in the car. I always pick up fresh coloring and/or activity books and new markers before a road trip and stash those in their bags, along with a new book, their favorite snacks, and sometimes a new DVD–it makes the hours in the car more special and fun.

If you have additions to this list, I’d love to hear from you! I’d also love to hear feedback if you use this post to help you pack for your next rental vacation. Happy road tripping, friends!

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay