A traveling and preparedness tip

Last summer we drove to Ohio to visit Lolly and on to Washington DC for a two week family road trip. After staying with Lolly for several days we were in a different place each night. As we packed and unpacked so often it became quite a process and a challenge to get all 10 of us ready and to keep track of all the toiletry and hygiene items from day to day. After one frustrating episode I had a great idea--keep it all in one place! So when we got home I got a large diaper bag and filled it with everything we would need when we are on the road. I bought duplicates of everything so it all stays in the bag rather than getting unpacked when we get back home. I have the various items organized into a few smaller bags within the diaper bag, so I keep all the hair items in one little bag and the first aid and medications in another. I love traveling with this seperate toiletry bag because it is easily accesible when we need some medication or want to brush our hair before arriving at our destination. When we are at home, I keep it stored in the pantry by the garage. That way it is easy to grab in case of an emergency so it has become part of my 72 hour kit as well. And I don't put it away after returning home until I have restocked it with the items that need to be replaced. I love this bag!

Here is the list of items I keep in my family toiletry bag:

Toothbrushes and toothpaste, floss
Shampoo and Conditioner
Travel size hairspray and mousse
Sunscreen
Coconut Oil (I use this instead of lotion)
Soap
Brushes (2), a comb, and hair styling items--hair elastics, clips, bobby pins, and barretts
Tweezers, a nail clipper, safety pins, and Q-tips
Desitin
Sanitary pads
Essential Oils
Herbs, Vitamins, and natural remedies I love like Sambucus, garlic capsules (for ear aches) and Colloidal Silver
Bandaids
Pain reliever, expectorant, and an antihistamine (We are not prone to allergies, but when we were in Oregon last year and Michelle started to swell up with an allergic reaction in the middle of the night we had to drive 30 minutes to the nearest open store to get a few tablets of benadryl. I knew then that I needed to add an antihistamine to my bag!)
Razors (men and women) and shaving cream
Deodorants
Cosmetics
Quarters and a little laundry soap in case we need to do laundry in a hotel
$50
A mesh laundry bag that folds up easily and slips into one of the pockets of the bag

This makes packing for the next trip much easier because I don't have to remember and gather everything again. I just have to grab the bag and make sure it gets put into the car!