Packing

Yesterday I came back from visiting my parents! I'll post the details of my trip on Thursday. I thought I'd take today to write about my packing strategy. I'll start with this story...

Instagrammed while Driving to Boston

During my last semester of law school not yet Hubs and I went to Boston to visit with our college friends. I packed frantically for our weekend trip and when we got to my friend's apartment I realized I had contact lenses on my eyeballs but no case to put them in when it was time for bed and no contact lens solution to keep them from drying out overnight. I ended up buying over priced contact lens solution at a convenience store and using cups. I also realized I would have a problem later that summer. I was sitting for the Maine Bar Exam in Maine on Tuesday and Wednesday and then going down to Boston to sit for the Massachusetts Bar exam on Thursday. I was already stressed out thinking about the bar exam and I was so sure I'd forget something so I started making a packing check list with everything I need when I travel so I wouldn't ever forget anything I needed.

So the first thing I do when getting ready for a trip is to print out my packing list (this is a link to the list I used uploaded to google drive), check the average weather for the area, and write down any special things I need. Like for the bar exam, I needed so many Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Gatorade Energy Chews. (Also, I needed not to lose my mind but that's not something you can pack.) For my trip home, I needed to remember to bring paperwork home for my dad to fill out.

The Planning Process

I look at the average weather, think about how long we'll be there, and I think about what I'll be doing on the trip. Knowing all this informs my deliberations upon what to pack. I usually don't start packing things until a few days before but I try to check to be sure that I have enough clean underwear to pack and to be sure that anything I really want to bring with me is clean earlier so that I have enough time to clean things. Hubs just throws everything in his suitcase the morning of. He is not known for wonderful outfits. 

As the time for the tip gets near I pull out everything and see how it goes together. I try to make sure all the colors go together so that I can remix my outfits on the go if need be and I try to stick to one color as my neutral color. I usually stick with #navyornothing but over Thanksgiving I went with black. Really thinking about what colors I'm packing helps me pack lighter and makes my travel wardrobe more wearable since I can mix and match what I've brought.

Folding Clothes

Usually, I just fold my clothes and put them in my suitcase. If I'm traveling far away I have Eagle Pack-It Garment Folders that help me fold my clothes nicely and save space supposedly.

My Travel Sized Toiletries

The night before and the morning of I start packing my toiletries as I use them for the last time. I empty out my purse of all my liquids and fill up my quart sized ziplock baggie. I keep a large gallon size bag full of travel sized toiletries and travel containers in my bathroom so that it's easy for me to find small containers to use in my travel size bag. I purchased a wonderful travel sized loose powder holder on eBay. I also love GoToobs for making my own travel sized containers of my favorite products. I try to refill them when I get home so that they're ready to go for my next trip.

Sometime You Have More then a Quart's Worth

The morning of, I double check my packing check list to be sure I've got everything and I squeeze it into my suitcase. I am a germaphobe and I think feet and shoes are the most discuqting thing in the world so I wrap those in plastic bags before putting those in my suitcase. (I feel so grossed out when I see pictures of other people packing and they have their dirty discussing shoes on their nice clothes in their bag! Ewwwwww!)

My Suitcase All Packed Up

My suitcase is carryon sized (22" long) but when I travel on smaller planes sometimes it needs to be checked at the gate so I try to make sure that there's nothing in my large suitcase that I would be afraid to check. I also like to make sure that everything is strapped down so that nothing falls out if my suitcase accidentally opens up.

My Law School Backpack and Favorite Travel Companion

I refer my back pack as a carry on for most traveling. It's  got a convent pocket for my laptop that makes it easy to take out when I go thru security. It's also easy so much more comfortable for me to have an even load on my shoulders when going thru the airport, especially if I have to make a connecting flight.

When I travel I try to wear my biggest clothes. So on my trip home to Chi-beria I wore my warmest coat and my Bean boots. Those would have taken up so much space in my suitcase so it made sense to wear them. I also always try to wear my easiest to take off shoes so I don't have to bother with suitcases when I'm in the security line. I also try to leave my bag of toiletries on top so that they're easy to get to too.