Vacation I have 5 kids. We try to take them to different places once or twice a year whether it be…

There were 5 of us growing up. My parents always got adjoining rooms or a suite with a pullout couch. Then if we needed more beds they either had cots brought in or we brought pool floats/air mattresses. Little kids can sleep on just about anything. As far as packing, I remember us having one of those big roof top cargo carriers from Sears. They always packed a cooler full of sandwiches, snacks and drinks and dad would go to the store when we needed more. That way we weren't having to eat out for every meal.

We are a family of 7 and have used hotels like Homewood Suites a lot when we travel. You get a small kitchen and can have adjoining rooms with pull out couches, extra beds. They also have breakfast and some evening meals. The prices aren't bad either.

We haven't been anywhere really since we had our 6th, but the last big trip we went on (with 7 of us) was to Disney, where we had a 2-bedroom condo, with a separate living room and a kitchen & dining table. We had more beds than we needed, with a king, two fulls, and a pull-out (two were in pak-n-plays). If you go to resort areas, like popular beaches or Orlando, you can rent a house or condo that accommodates larger groups. We live in NC & go to the beach here or in North Myrtle, where you can easily find a house or condo with as many bedrooms as you need. We never fly anymore, only drive.

For packing, I sometimes consolidate multiple kids into a single bag and just put each child's clothes in his own jumbo ziploc bag. I always travel with extra ziploc baggies of various sizes. I take a pop-up laundry hamper or 2 for dirty laundry (the hampers are $1 at Dollar Tree here). It really depends on where we go. For a week at the beach, I go grocery shopping when we arrive (or nowadays, you can order online & pick up groceries at the store to save valuable vacation time), and we prepare meals in the condo/house during the week.

Hope this is helpful; happy travels!