Good packing is an art form. It may not win any artistic acclaim or demand millions of dollars at Christie's, but it will make your life a lot easier. If you pack properly, you can fit an amazing amount of stuff into a small little area. Ideally, you want to start getting things ready a few days in advance of your departure, or at least start making your packing list then, so that you remember to bring everything you need. So let's get started! Packing in 7 easy steps. I know you're thrilled, but try to contain your excitement.1. Pull out your suitcase. I definitely recommend spending a little extra money on a good bag, rather than going with the cheapest one because seeing all the contents of your luggage spill out onto the baggage carousel is not a comforting feeling. Trust me on this one. If you have time, you can shop around for a bag like this one (which is the same as the one pictured above). I recently saw it advertised for $40 off its regular price.
2. If you are traveling by air and have a neutral colored bag, you might want to tie a small, brightly-colored ribbon on the top so that you can easily spot your bag. Also, there is no need to include all your personal information on the luggage tag. Your first initial, last name, phone number where you can be reached while traveling and email address will suffice.3. Be sure to tuck an empty plastic bag in here somewhere (grocery bags work just fine). That way you'll have somewhere to store all your dirty clothes. You can also throw in some of those used dryer sheets I've mentioned in a previous post to keep things smelling fresh.
4. Gather together everything that you will need. For this trip, I packed the following items:
- Shoes: cowboy boots, good walking/trail shoes, flip flops and I wore my heels in the car.
- Bottoms: 1 white skirt, 1 black skirt, 1 striped dress, 1 pair of shorts and 1 pair of jeans.
- Tops: 1 green jacket, several white tank tops, 1 purple tank top, and 1 plaid Western shirt.
- Accessories: 2 scarves, 1 belt with buckle and jewelry.
- Bathing suit & sarong.
- Undergarments.
- Toiletries.
- Books or other reading material.
- Pen & notebook.
- Phone charger.
- Plastic bag.
- Camera (in a separate bag).
5. I put all my shoes at the bottom and fit in other awkwardly-shaped stuff around them. I did bring a hairdryer on this trip because I knew that the hotels we were going to be staying in were pretty bare bones, so they wouldn't be provided. Most hotels, especially the larger chains, have hair dryers in the room. If you aren't sure, I recommend checking the hotel's website or calling ahead. You don't want to lug around extraneous stuff.
6. Start putting in your clothes. If you roll them, you can actually fit more items in the suitcase, and rolling also helps prevent wrinkles. I folded here. You can see I have an open space on the left hand side; this is where I will put my toiletries. Be sure to use other nooks & crannies for small items like belts or scarves. Oh, and just like the song, "These Boots are Made for Walkin'" (the one by Nancy Sinatra), indeed, that's just what they'll do. But they also are the perfect place to stuff socks or what-have-you if you need additional room (they also keep their shape this way).
"Are you ready boots? Start walkin'."
7. Now, last but certainly not least, it's time to pack some reading material. I thought the selection of Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey was appropriate, seeing as how I was headed to the desert and all. I like to usually have some short stories on hand, as reading short stories makes me feel as though I am accomplishing something akin to finishing a novel, but in a much shorter period of time.
If you look closely, you can see that I have used the card from the flowers that my sister sent me as a bookmark. You can also use postcards that you pick up along the way.
So it's time to hit the road! And there should be no need to worry when you are 100 miles away that you didn't forget anything because you are prepared. Road trips are not made for worrying.
good tips!
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