A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about packing for a long trip. Here's the picture of everything I packed in one large suitcase for my two-week trip.
I think I wore a 1/4 of it.
The problem - My thought process told me that I could take whatever I wanted since I was driving and therefore didn't have a luggage restriction. Now I realize that I was flawed in my thinking. While I could bring whatever I wanted, I didn't consider how much time I would spend on my trip shifting through my suitcase looking for something to wear. Hello, it's vacation! You probably shouldn't spend a good portion of it looking for the right shoe/jean combo.
The solution - In the aforementioned post on packing, I recommended the packing method given in the June 2007 issue of Glamour magazine. In summary, Glamour suggested that you take the number of days of trip and divide it by two. And that's the number of bottoms you should pack for your trip. So my trip was 14 days, which means that I should have taken 7 bottoms (shorts, jeans, pants & skirts). I packed 12. Oh, and let's not forget the 5 dresses that I packed and did not wear. Oh yeah, I managed to get 36 tops in the bag as well. With the Glamour packing method, I would have only taken 21 tops (number of travel days multiplied by 1.5). I now know that I could have packed half of what I took and I would have been just fine. Especially since I did do a little shopping on my trip which I'll talk about in another post.
The lesson - Don't overpack! Duh, right. No seriously, overpacking typically turns into a huge waste of time. You think you're giving yourself more options by having 4 pairs of black shoes to
choose from but you're really just using your precious vaca getting real close to your luggage.
Do you overpack? I want to hear from all of you overpackers. I'm curious, what makes you pack more than you need? And after the trip, do you feel that you should have packed less? And if you have a fool-proof packing method, please share it with us. Apparently, some of still need help!
Packing formulas from the mags are a good guide sometimes,but I think everyone would benefit from taking a tip here and there from an organized buddy or friend and then personalizing it because only you know you,ya' know? I like how you seem to lay all your stuff out then pack it--will try that. I travel a lot and keep a beauty and grooming case packed at all times.It fits in almost anything and I replenish as needed,but it STAYS READY and I NEVER BOTHER ITS contents.
My sister packs ensembles for events she knows she will attend first and then packs pieces to mix and match with those ensembles.I admire her flow,it always seems to work.
Posted by: August Deed | July 11, 2007 at 03:46 PM
You are right August Deed. All tips from any source should be weighed and adapted to fit your personal needs. My goal is to offer something helpful to my readers in hopes that a new method or idea will help to improve your look/life, etc. It's funny you mentioned keeping a beauty case packed at all times. I have a roll bag that I use for travel but I almost always take stuff out of the bag and use it whatever. I'm thinking I need to follow your lead and keep my beauty products packed and untouched at all times. Life would be much easier I'm sure. And I'm really intrigued with your sister's packing method. This notion would work for me if I knew which activities I would be indulging in during my trip! LOL
Posted by: STYLEnosh | July 11, 2007 at 04:15 PM