I’m going to divide this post into two sections, “what to
pack” and “how to pack” closing with a summary of my favorite baggage do’s and
don’ts.
What to pack?
First and foremost (and hopefully most obviously), pack for
the climate. Hot? Cold? Sunny? Snowy? Rainy? If you’re going on a ski holiday,
skip the shorts and tank tops. No brainer, right? Right. But other things
aren’t so obvious. Make a packing list keeping your destination in mind. Start
thinking about what to pack as early as possible and keep your list somewhere
handy so you can add to it at a moment’s notice. (A note on your smart phone is
always handy if you have one.) You never know when you’ll be at the grocery
store and suddenly realize that you’ll need to pack bug spray or a travel
umbrella. Don’t risk forgetting by the time you get home. If you’re computer
savvy, create a master pack list that you can reuse from trip to trip.
Naturally you’ll tweak it as appropriate (example: my master pack list always had passports on it though I didn’t need to pack those when we flew to Florida last spring). Having absolutely
everything on one master list will come in handy over and over again.
What are the top things on my master pack list? Passports
and color photocopies of your passports (at least 2 copies); leave the originals in a hotel safe and keep the copies in your purse (unless the country requires
you by law to keep your passport on you (i.e. Singapore)). Medication: get one
of those medicine dividers from walmart and put a couple of doses of over the
counter meds just in case (tylenol, imodium, tums, etc). If you come down with a series illness, this won’t
help you, but the single dose or two that you packed might come in handy until
you can get yourself to a drug store to find more. Motion sickness medicine.
Never challenge the strength of your stomach. You might have the stomach of a
rock, but the combination of foreign food with a bumpy bus ride or riding
backwards on a metro might be a deadly combination. Know yourself and be smart.
Shoes! You might be surprised when I tell you that everyone
should pack 3 pairs. Yes, everyone! Men and women alike. This will also depend
on the nature of your trip (don’t bring Uggs to the beach) but for the most part,
I stick to my claim. Everyone needs to bring 1 sturdy pair of walking shoes
(sneakers, hiking boots, etc. depending on your destination), 1 pair of dress
shoes that you can still walk in (loafers, ballet flats, sandals), and 1 pair
of flip flops (unless you’re going to a super cold climate with no chances of hot
tubs, indoor pools, or spas!). I’ve taken this combination of shoes with me
everywhere I’ve gone, and I’ve always had happy feet. You might think that
dress shoes will just be a waste of space, but again, it depends on where
you’re going and what you’re doing. I’m not the type of traveler that plans on
doing anything fancy or formal, but sometimes a situation comes up that
requires you to dress a little nicer than sneakers. Now if you’re traveling
with your husband, boyfriend, brother, or other male companion and you’re
thinking to yourself, “He has such big feet! All of those shoes are going to
take up so much space!” I hear you friend! I do! I will cover that dilemma in
“how to pack”.
Pack a trashbag. As of Day 1 on your trip, you will start
accumulating dirty clothes. Trashbags are great for keeping dirty clothes away
from your clean clothes. Pack your shoes in grocery bags. If you happen to get
mud or gum or something gross on your shoes, have a way to separate them from
the rest of your things. Pack 4-6 ziplock sandwich bags. Use these for your
toothbrush, loose bar soap, razor, etc. You have no idea how handy these
suckers are when you have to check out of a hotel right after showering and all
of these things are wet.
One more thought on what to pack. Go easy on the toiletries.
Remember that you can only carryon 3oz bottles and those larger liquids have to
go in checked bags. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve had bottles
explode/leak while on the airplane. Bring the basics, of course: shampoo,
conditioner, deodorant, toothpaste, etc. Beyond that, keep it simple. Take bar
soap instead of body wash. Take 3oz of your favorite styling product (if you
absolutely have to!) and stretch it across your entire trip. Ponytails, braids,
buns are your friend! Take one moisturizer if you have to. Skip the mouthwash
and the hand sanitizer (though be sure to pack Lysol wipes...I'm serious! These are your best friend in a foreign public restroom!). Pack little or no
makeup if you can. Your au natural self is beautiful!! Or, if you absolutely must pack makeup, I limit myself to travel-sized products that fit in a super small pouch. Have you ever gotten that "free gift with purchase" whenever buying makeup? Those are the ones I save for traveling. Bottom line, these types
of things take up lots of space and have the potential for a spilling disaster!
How to pack?
A couple key thoughts. Leave your valuables at home. You might love that expensive watch or those diamond earrings, but losing
them on travel would be awful. Not to mention flashy jewelry is a huge magnet
for petty criminals. If you’re into fashion and trends, buy accessories where
you’re going. How fun will it be to buy cute necklaces and scarves to wear
while you’re traveling and then be able to tell your friends where you got them
the next time they comment on how cute you look?
My biggest packing tip is “pack to trash”! This will help
even the most disorganized pack-rat packers to save space. I have often
finished packing and thought I had everything that I could possibly need with
just enough room to close the zipper. Then my darling husband chimes in
with, “hope you don’t plan on buying anything over there, ‘cause there’s no
room to bring anything back.” Distraught yet wistful, I look up at him and ask,
“Don’t you have any extra room?” Over the years, we have developed a fool-proof
pack to trash system. Pack things that you will use/wear on your travels, and
trash when you’re done. Pack old underwear and toss it as you wear it. Do the
same with socks, undershirts, shoes! Ah ha! Here’s the big man feet shoe trick!
On every single trip my husband and I have ever taken, he travels with 3 pairs and
comes home with 2 pairs. By taking clothes, shoes, etc. that you plan to
discard after wearing on the trip, you will instantly have lots of souvenir
room. And we always comically take a “left behind” or “gone but not forgotten”
photo of things we discard.
 |
| Gone but not forgotten! Big man shoes left behind for souvenirs! |
DO try if at all possible to NOT check luggage. I traveled
to Japan for over 2 weeks with a small rolling suitcase and a backpack. We
didn’t rough it on that trip by any stretch of the imagination. Checking
luggage takes extra time and is very difficult on public transportation. In
Rome we waited 2 hours for our checked bags due to a delay. What we didn’t
realize then was how lucky we were to have only waited 2 hours. That same day
the airport workers went on strike (very common in Europe) and some people went
days without their bags.
DON’T pack essentials in your checked bags. If you do check
luggage, be sure to have all of your medications, essential toiletries, official
documents, money, and at least a change of clothes in your carryon. Some things
you can buy anywhere, but you won’t easily replace your meds, cash, etc. if
your checked bags get sent somewhere else by mistake.
DO put both carryon’s in the overhead compartment (as long
as you’re not flying a discount airline that charges you for overhead space - yes they exist!). I
know the airlines always say to put your larger item above you and put your
smaller carryon under your seat, but ignore them. If you’re trying to travel
with only carryon’s, do you really want to sit for a 7-14 hour flight with a
backpack taking up your only leg room? When you get to your seat, pull out your
book, ipod, snacks, or even a smaller purse to put in the seat-pocket or under
your seat and stick the backpack up top. Hello leg room! (Shh! Don’t tell any
flight attendants I just told you this!)
DON’T be afraid to re-wear clothes. If you won’t have access
to laundry or don’t want to waste precious vacation hours doing laundry, don’t
be afraid to wear things twice; it saves packing space! Don’t re-wear socks or
underwear, but things like jeans and bras can easily be worn 3 times on a
single trip.
DON’T forget that if you forgot to pack it, you can buy it
there…most of the time. Foreign brands might be different and sound strange,
but you can buy shampoo, toothpaste, soap, etc. everywhere. You might pay exorbitant
prices for special things like suntan lotion or bug spray, so try not to forget
those things, but it’s not the end of the world if you do.
Happy packing!!
Thanks for reading!
- Foxy the Traveler
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