What should I pack for a trip up North?

Advice, tips, and what to pack for a 8th grade history trip to D.C./ Philadelphia/ New York!!!?

• Okay, on June 7th ( Saturday ), I'm going to D.C. with some students from my school for a school field trip and I wanted to know what to pack for 6-7 days since we are going there for a about a week. We are also going on side trips to Philadelphia and New York. So we're going to stay in Washington for about 3 days then Philadelphia for about a day and a half and New York for 2-3 days. Please tell me some advice about those states and what to pack for that week. They told us we could only bring a suitcase and a carry-on bag ( 2 bags minimum ). How much spending money should I bring? All meals are already included with the trip and transportation. At New York we are going to see a broadway show... and we are also going to Chinatown. The rest of the trip is to look at the historic monuments and stuff. Please give me some advice and tips. Thank you :S I'm so excited to go ^-^

• Answer:

  You didn't mention if you were flying or not. However, either way, the same method follows: put the main stuff that you'll need throughout the trip into the large suitcase. I would HIGHLY recommend using a suitcase that has wheels so that you can pull it behind you. Nowadays, you can get suitcases for fairly cheap (Target is a good bet). In the suitcase, I would include 2-3 pairs of jeans (those can be worn several times), a couple of sweaters, 4-5 long sleeve shirts. All of these can be worn several times. Often times, clothes can be hung up in a steamy bathroom overnight to rid of wrinkles and to freshen up the smell, especially if you shower just beforehand. Oh yeah, don't forget to have enough socks and underwear for the trip. You can wash out underwear in the sink and hang it up over night to dry, but I doubt that you would want that displayed among your roommates. Roll the clothes in the suitcase to conserve room and decrease the chance of wrinkling. I would include one nice outfit for seeing the broadway show. Throwing in snacks for the hotel stays wouldn't hurt either. In the carry on, I would carry the essentials for the trip: toiletries (shampoo, toothpaste, etc), medication you may need, small sewing kit, nail clipper, stuff to do while on the buss (books, ipod, etc), an extra shirt in case you spill something, and whatever absolute essentials that your instructor requires for you to bring for the particular day. I would only carry a small amount of cash on you each day, just in case your money is stolen. If you watch what you buy, you can easily do the trip for under $100. If any of the museums require a fee for you to pay, then you'll want extra money for that as well. Don't forget your wallet/purse and make sure you have identification on you at all times. Before you come back from the trip, pitch all the stuff that is just pure junk that you accumulated. They will take up a lot of space in your bags. Have fun!