Today’s the final day of packing for our first-ever retirement snowbird getaway. We leave for Florida tomorrow for our extended escape from the Minnesota deep freeze.

Related: 2020 Snowbirding Practice

Since we haven’t done a 3+ week trip ever before, packing is a bit different. We need to pack like we are going on vacation for sure, since we will be in Orlando. But, at the same time, we also need to ‘set up’ house for nearly a month and bring some of the ‘everyday’ household gear with us.

Here are some of the oddball things I am bringing that I’ve never brought before:

• Amazon Fire Stick – for accessing our Netflix, Amazon & Disney+ accounts in the villa TV. I’m even bringing one of our Amazon Echo devices.
• Tax Paperwork – the IRS doesn’t care if we are going to Florida and our accountant won’t be happy if we don’t get our paperwork organized.
• Command Hooks – I hate it when you don’t have a hook or cord clip where you need it. I bring a little ziplock bag with a half dozen of these to make sure I can hang my coat near the door.
• Warm & Cold Weather Gear – while the forecast looks warm for the start of our trip, anything can happen in FL this time of year. Once we were in FL during March (2005) and it dropped into the 30s.
• Closet Hangers – For a long weekend you can live out of a suitcase. For a month you need hangers to fully ‘move in’. I simply pack my shirts on their hangers.
• Car Stuff – We’ll have a rental car on the trip, so I’ll need my phone magnet/clip, cords, sunglasses, and other things. I have a zippered pouch I dump stuff into.

Packing for 3+ weeks isn’t like moving to Florida, but it sure feels different. Our friends that live in Florida for 4 months each winter and are seasoned snowbirds have two sets of everything so they can practically get on a plane without a suit case now.

Related: Snowbirding Top Tips

We’re not ready for that yet – or that organized – but here we go!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

Image Credit: Pixabay