Packing Frugally for a Trip to Washington, D.C.

Disclosure: Some content includes links to sponsors or affiliates, which give me a small percentage of the sale. You are not obligated to use these links when you make a purchase, but when you do so it helps to support this site, so thank you!

Read all of my helpful articles on planning a family vacation to Washington, D.C.!

    You've been planning a trip to Washington, D.C. (or somewhere else!) and want to pack as carefully and frugally as possible, but you need some helpful tips for your student or family? 

    Well, you've come to the right place!  Keep on reading for some great packing and safety tips, as well as a FREE printable packing list.

    I'm going to show you how to frugally pack your luggage so that you avoid baggage fees, bring the right items along with you (with my free printable DC packing list), and don't overpack.

    Our family planned our trip so that we'd be in Washington, D.C. for 7 full days.  We were told we could pack everything into carry-on luggage.  My thoughts at first were, "Yeah, right!"  But we did it, easily!  I'll show you how.

    Some of these tips aren't as frugal as they could be; for example, I didn't buy $12 el-cheapo shoes in which to walk.  That's because I would have been in misery walking 5-10 miles per day in them!  However, I wanted to show you some of the ways to help your trip be as comfortable as possible at the best price I could find for durable, long-lasting items.

    The weather can vary greatly in the Washington, D.C. area.  Read more about how to choose the right time of year to visit Washington, D.C. for your family.

 

    Once I figured out how to pack a carry-on suitcase for a full week of clothing (or more, if necessary), we purchased a carry-on suitcase for each of us.  This was our children's first time flying, so we didn't have the right luggage we would need.  Below, you'll see a helpful video to show you how to pack several weeks of clothing in a carry-on suitcase.

    In our small town, we could only find two carry-on bags of the right size (and price) at one store, and two at another store.  We purposefully bought luggage that we could return within 30 days if it broke during our trip, so we bought our carry-on luggage about two weeks before our trip.

    Two of our carry-on bags broke during the trip.  They were still useable, but the zippers weren't working properly.  We promptly returned them when we arrived back home and got our money back.  However, the two American Tourister carry-on bags worked wonderfully!  Each bag cost just under $50, but we'll use these again and again.

    You'll want to check with your airline to see what their exact requirements are regarding carry-on luggage.  We chose to fly with Alaska Airlines, so we were each allowed one carry-on bag, which - including wheels and handles (very important to know this!) - could measure up to but not more than 10" H x 17" W x 24" L (25 x 43 x 61 cm), plus one personal item, such as a purse, briefcase, backpack, or laptop computer. 

    My smart husband found the carry-on luggage that most closely matched those size requirements so we would meet the limit but still be able to pack as much as possible.  By the way, the Kirkland carry-on luggage from Costco is just a tad too large for many airlines' overhead storage.  You'll want to avoid that brand for your carry-on bag.

    We each were able to bring one carry-on piece of luggage plus a decent sized backpack...and we tied our lightweight hooded coats around our waists until we were allowed to move around in the plane after take-off.

    Our family saved $200 just from not bringing any checked baggage with us.  Woot!

Before we packed for our trip to Washington, D.C., we frequently checked the weather forecast for our dates of travel so we'd know what to expect ~ in general:

• Rain tends to be highest in the late spring and early summer, so if you'll be traveling at that time of year, or in the winter, you may want to pack a tiny fold-up Totes Micro Umbrella.  We each had one for our trip (third week of October), but we actually didn't need them.
  
• July is hottest with an average high of 89 degrees Fahrenheit (31.6 degrees Celsius).  Ugh.
  
• January is coldest with an average low of 24 degrees Fahrenheit (-4.4 degrees Celsius).  Brr.
  
• That's why we chose to visit in October!  We stayed away from all of the summer tourist crowds, and we only saw a couple of school groups that week, so there was little to no waiting in lines.  We also avoided the extreme heat, humidity, and cold!
  

You'll want to bring clothing that reflects the kinds of activities in which you plan to participate and the weather that you expect.

• A DC trip offers many cultural opportunities, including dress-up events like the Joffrey Ballet, Chekhov International Theatre Festival, and other events at the Kennedy Center and Mead Center.  If you don't plan on going to any semi-formal event, then you won't need to bring a tie, skirt, or dress.
• We spent one evening at the ballet at the Kennedy Center, so while we weren't dressed as well as we should have probably been, it was acceptable.
  
• For sightseeing, wear comfortable clothing - yet not so sloppy that you stick out like a sore thumb. ☺
  
• Keep in mind that DC residents tend to dress quite conservatively, and nicely.  This is quite different from where I live, where most people hang out in jeans and a t-shirt or sweatshirt.  In DC, this was not the case in most areas; most everyone dressed in "business casual" style, even to go grocery shopping.  If it isn't important to you how you dress, then don't worry about it.  People will probably figure out you're tourists, anyway!  But if you want to dress to fit in, dress a bit more nicely.  (Jeans and sweatshirts are bulkier, anyway, and don't pack as neatly!)

What to pack:

Pack comfortable walking shoes for travel to Washington, D.C.

Clarks "In Motion" Women's Shoes

• In order to travel around Washington, D.C. frugally, you'll be walking - a lot.  #1 rule for bringing shoes on your trip?  Make sure they are very, very comfortable and broken in before you leave on your trip.  This is not the time to buy brand new shoes and hope that they'll be comfortable.
• I have a quite difficult time finding shoes that are comfortable for my feet.  Basically, I do my shoe shopping in a larger city, because I can rarely find anything that will work in my small town.  Or, if they do have something that will work, the styles, colors, and sizes from which to choose are very limited. 
  
• I selected these Clarks brand In Motion shoes by asking several shoe salespeople in different stores what brand of shoes they would recommend for walking 7-12 miles per day.  I bought two pair of these (one black; one brown).  You may find that these are too expensive for you, but I had to have something that would be extremely durable as well as very comfortable - plus would also work with slacks or jeans. These shoes were (and still are!) amazing.  I wear them every day, except on really hot summer afternoons.
  
• You may also find Aerosoles to work well for you, as well as some running shoes.  If you know of other really comfortable, durable brands of shoes that work well in these kinds of situations, please let us know in the comments section, below.  Thanks!

How in the world do I pack for a week or two in carry-on luggage?

    I'll admit it.  Even after watching this video, I was skeptical.  This guy owns a Packing Light store, so you could probably guess that the clothing he is selling is very thin, durable, easily washable in a sink, and is for those who are truly "going light" as they travel. 

    But after I laid out all of my clothes in the same manner that he did, I found that my clothes, shoes, and more fit easily into my small carry-on luggage!

    Wow.  I was really surprised.  My girls didn't think it could be done, so our whole family watched the video together.  My husband packed his own carry-on, and I worked individually with each of the girls to help them pack theirs. 

    Bottom line?  This totally worked!  ☺  It's a free 8-minute video that saved us $200 in luggage fees. 

What should I pack, besides clothing and shoes?

Baggage I.D. tag: a baggage I.D. tag should be inside every one of your bags.  Here's a free printable baggage I.D. tag from Alaska Airlines to fill out and place inside the large zipped compartment of your carry-on bag.  You may also write your own, using an index card or piece of paper.

 

 

 

 

 

Use packing cubes, like these Small Packing Cubes by Dot&Dot.  Read my review of these here.

Limit toiletries to necessary, travel-size items.
Pack items like shampoo in small containers.  You're only allowed to carry 3.4 ounces (100ml) or less (by volume) bottles of gels, liquids (including liquid makeup), and aerosols, packed inside 1 quart-sized, clear, plastic, zip-top bag; 1 bag per passenger is placed in the screening bin. You can buy toiletry kits that are designed to match the liquid requirements of TSA for carry-on luggage, or you can pack your own using smaller travel sizes and containers.  Just keep in mind that the tiny travel bottle of shampoo that you find in the stores isn't a frugal purchase at all; you'll save money after a couple of trips by buying a toiletry kit and filling the containers yourself.


Silicone Travel Bottles:  Regular plastic bottles tend to waste moisturizer, sunscreen, and hair products that can't be squeezed out as easily. These new, squishy travel bottles made out of transparent, soft silicone are easy to clean, more flexible to pack, and best of all, you won't waste any product in them.  You can also find these at Walmart, Marshall's, and other department stores from time to time. 

Camera.  I know, I know.  Everyone is so excited to take photos and videos with their smart phones.  Well, even though picture quality on smart phones has dramatically improved, it still won't capture memories quite the same as a high quality yet easily portable camera.

My parents let us borrow their Canon PowerShot G15, and it took fabulous photos!  When we arrived home, I reluctantly gave it back to my parents. ☺ While we felt we couldn't afford to replace my old camera with a G15 or the newer G16, my husband did purchase a Canon PowerShot ELPH 330/340HS for me for our anniversary, and we got a great camera that takes excellent photos and videos for a little price.  Nice! 

(Hint:  check the Canon.com website for "Promotions".  We got our ELPH 330HS for under $150 in mid-December because of a short-term promotional price.)


Additional camera memory.  You never know how much video you might want to take on your trip!  We watched Amazon.com closely and found a Sony 64GB SDXC Class 10 Memory Card on a one-day deal in September before our trip, so we grabbed that for around $18 (usually closer to $35).  Its high speed enabled us to take faster night shots without flash, which worked out really well when visiting the memorials at night.  At 64 GB, it also held thousands of photos and tons of video!

If you can afford to bring a second memory card, in case your first one begins to fail, that's also a great idea.

 

Batteries and chargers.   The PowerShot ELPH 330 uses the NB-4L Battery Pack, so I purchased two additional batteries to accompany my camera.  The Canon versions are $59.99 each, so instead I purchased two off-brand compatible batteries, rated highly by customers on Amazon.com, for $11.99 each.  I've been using the off-brand batteries for six months now, and so far, they work just as well as the Canon battery.  Every night, back at our motel, I charged my camera batteries to make sure they would be ready the next morning.




Power Strip.  We didn't take our Belkin multi-socket power strip with us, since we left our laptop at home.  However, it would have been nice to have, since we had a smart phone, a Kindle Fire, and two iPod Touches with us that needed charging each evening.  Next time!  It has two USB-2 ports, as well as three 3-prong plug ins. 

If you're coming from outside of North America, you may need an electrical adapter and plug converter.

This pocket-sized travel guide even has a compass on the outside spine!

See how the maps "pop out"? They actually unfold to be quite large.

Guidebooks and maps.  Joanne, my friend - and our tour guide - brought with her this amazing book.  It's a tiny hardbound book, under $10, that easily fits into a purse, backpack, or even a pants pocket! 

InsideOut Washington DC has two very detailed, fold-out maps with a 64-page, full-color illustrated guide. The guide opens with two itineraries. If you're short of time and want to see all the best that DC has to offer, these itineraries are sure to help you explore and savor the best that Washington DC has to offer. The guide is then divided in to 7 chapters:

• See it - the best places to see from museums & galleries to markets, monuments and much more
• Buy it - pinpoints the key shopping areas and stores to target
• Watch it - places to be entertained: shows, theatres, music venues, ballet, comedy, cinema and nightlife
• Taste it - from ethnic cuisine to local fare to the top places for an evening cocktail; all the best places to eat and drink
• Know it - all the practical information you need to get the best out of your trip
• Directory - hotel listings, additional places to visit, annual events and useful websites
• Speak it - essential local words and phrases. In addition to the 2 detailed street maps, there is also a transit map that will help you navigate the Metro!

Totes Micro-slim Umbrellas

Travel umbrella.  Totes makes a micro-sized umbrella that folds up to six inches in length.  It easily fits into a jacket pocket, or a small backpack or medium- to large-sized purse.  As I mentioned earlier, we each took one with us, knowing we could easily use them in the future.  Thankfully, we only had about 20 drops of rain hit us one morning. 

Jansport backpacks

Bring a backpack. You can use your large daypack/backpack as your "personal bag" on the airlines.  If you normally carry a purse, just keep your small purse inside your backpack while flying.  Place your umbrella, lightweight hooded coat,  wallet, camera, maps, snacks, lunch, water bottles, and souvenirs inside!  The Jansport backpacks are high quality - and large enough - and can often be purchased for around $25 if you watch the deals online year-round, or in the stores at the middle of September after school has started.  If you decide to bring your backpack with you on daily trips, keep in mind that when entering some Smithsonian and governmental buildings, your backpack and/or purse will be searched. 

    You can purchase a less expensive backpack if you'd like.  All of the cheaper ones I found were much smaller, though, and not as well built.  It's up to you.  Our daughters use their larger sized Jansport backpacks for overnight trips to friends' houses, and as book bags, so they use them regularly, and will use them for years.

    Security is taken very seriously in D.C.  I would recommend not taking big bags or backpacks while sightseeing.  Leave them at the hotel and make certain smaller bags and pockets don't contain anything that can be considered dangerous, even nail clippers.  If you go to the Capitol Building or the White House, they won't allow your backpack to enter the building - or water bottles or food - so leave them in the hotel that day.

Baggallini "Paris" (crossbody bag)

Baggallini Messenger Bag

Carry a purse.  I carry a purse out of necessity, not because I enjoy carrying purses.  I'd actually rather be without a purse!  But for travel, "crossbody" purses work really well slung across your body so that your shoulder doesn't get so tired by the end of the day (or after an hour or two), and they are less prone to theft being carried across the body. 

    Baggallini Travel Purses are a very durable "crossbody" style, meaning that you can either wear them with a long strap (up to 50" in length) across your body, for better safekeeping, or you can shorten the strap to make it a shoulder bag...or remove the strap altogether.  For travel, this is an excellent brand. 

    I've used two Baggallini travel bags:  for our trip to Disneyland six years ago, I used a crossbody modified messenger bag style that would carry water bottles, maps, and everything else we would need.  It was wonderful, and it's lasted for six years with no problems whatsoever.

    Baggallini purses and bags aren't the cheapest, most frugal options available, but they are extremely sturdy.  You'll use these bags for years.  Trust me - I have!

    For our trip to Washington, D.C., I knew that our bags would be searched in many locations, and I wanted everything to be easily accessible.  I knew I wouldn't be carrying a water bottle around with me most days, so I selected a crossbody purse from Baggallini, the Paris version.  Unfortunately, Paris is out of stock almost everywhere I've looked, even though I just bought it in October 2013, about 9 months ago. 

    I wanted something that was very durable, lightweight, weatherproof, and zipped/fastened well.  I also wanted a long shoulder strap.  In addition, I wanted to be able to carry my Kindle Fire with me, since I don't own a smart phone.  With the Paris purse dimensions being 10 1/2" wide x 8" high x 4" deep, this met my needs!  While I don't have much room left in the main interior pocket, I can still get my Kindle Fire (in a thicker zipped case) in the purse, and still carry my checkbook and several other things, plus a lot more in the outside zip pockets.

• Shoulder strap length: 50"
• Includes interior back wall zipper pocket and two interior multi-function pockets
• Small bag included
• Two small exterior pockets

    If you're looking for a durable purse that will hold a Kindle Fire in its case, plus quite a few other things, yet still be lightweight and not a "huge" purse, these dimensions should work for you.  The 4" depth is pretty important.  If a purse only has 1" or 2" depth, it will be tricky to get a Kindle Fire in there along with anything else.  You can try googling the Paris style of purse, or find something else on the Baggallini website that will meet your needs.  Also, PackingLight.com has an excellent selection of Baggallini crossbody purses (not an affiliate link). 

    Whichever style of purse or crossbody bag you decide to purchase, I recommend that it's made out of lightweight heavy duty nylon instead of heavy leather or alternative leather options.  Leave everything out of your purse that you truly won't need on your trip, to lighten the weight.

You want me to bring what?

    I know, these are kind of oddball items to include for your trip, but they don't take up much room.  They could be very helpful to you on your trip, depending on what you encounter:

    Duct Tape has so many uses that I won't be able to list them all.  What about taping up exploded luggage or removing lint from clothing? Carry a small roll (about $5) with you to patch tears in shoes, bags, or clothing.  Needing to baby-proof your hotel room by covering outlets and securing drawers shut?  Duct tape will work well for that!  You can also hold together a well-worn guidebook when the spine gives out.

Moist Wipes are so useful when traveling! You'll be able to sanitize your hands and kill germs on tray tables, doorknobs, tabletops, and other public places, and you can also use them as a refreshing face cloth after a day spent traveling. The alcohol in many wet wipes helps remove ink stains in a pinch, too. (For guaranteed stain-protection, pack a few Shout Wipes.)

Safety Pins - Have you ever thought of clasping the zippers of your day pack together to keep thieves at bay? Or use a safety pin in place of a missing button or zipper pull?  If you're walking through muddy areas, you can tack kids' pant legs up so they don't get as filthy.  Safety pins also prevent static cling in a dress or skirt if you slip the safety pin into the seam of your slip (the metal has repelling properties).

Safety tips for traveling:

• Before you leave on your trip, digitally scan your passports, plane tickets, driver license, and other important papers and store them in an online email account (like Gmail or Google Docs, etc.). This allows you access to important information if it's lost or stolen.

• Also before you leave town, get travel insurance on your trip; this covers flights and lodging, among other pre-arranged expenses, in case you become ill.  Make sure your medical insurance will cover you in another country, and consider purchasing emergency travel medical insurance as well.
  
  
• Spread out your cash, credit cards, and debit cards into different pockets and bags in order to limit your losses in case you're a victim of robbery or you lose something.

• Each day, take a picture of your traveling companions in the clothing they are wearing that day.  This way, if someone is missing or lost, you will have a very current photo to show the police.
• Everyone in your group should carry emergency contact information on them, including I.D. and the name of the hotel where you will be staying, parents' names (for children), phone numbers to reach parents, etc. 
  

• Don't keep your wallet in your back pocket!
  
  
• Leave your jewelry and expensive cameras at home.  Don't say or do anything that would indicate you are wealthy or of affluence.  And remember, if traveling to a poor area or a third-world country, even the poorest Americans are usually wealthier than many of the residents of that area or country.
  
  
• When sitting in a restaurant or cafe, don't leave your purse or bag dangling from the back of your chair, or set it at your feet.  Instead, keep it on your lap or wrap the strap around your leg.   

FREE printable packing list:

Click on the packing list image, below, to download and print my FREE printable packing list!

    Share your packing and traveling experience with us all!  If you think I've left something important out of this information, let us know!  Thanks!

Disclosure: Some content includes links to sponsors or affiliates, which give me a small percentage of the sale. You are not obligated to use these links when you make a purchase, but when you do so it helps to support this site, so thank you!

---