The last time I moved, I started packing 26 hours before the movers came.
I can pack for a trip in an hour and be out the door.
We’re a couple weeks away from out first real big road trip since The Littlest Briston joined the family. Lemme tell you, adding a three-year-old into the mix really does a number on the amount you need to pack.
I have a corner of the bedroom set aside right now for things we’ll need for the trip, but not beforehand – it’s filling up very quickly. A week before, I’ll pick out a week’s worth of clothing, wash it, and set it aside for packing (the trip is two weeks, but we’ll have washer/dryer access a few times so I’ll wash everything around the midpoint). I’ll probably have all my clothing packed up and ready to load up two or three days before we leave.
I took off work the day before we’re planning to leave, so if all goes according to plan (ha ha ha) then by the end of that day I’ll have the van packed, loaded, prepped, gassed up and ready for a couple thousand miles of travel.
I don’t think I’ve ever actually packed before the night before unless maybe I was going somewhere with a radically different climate - usually I pack that morning.
The night before. To me, there’s no sense in loading a suitcase and leaving it sitting around for days beforehand.
I used to pack the morning of a trip, and still do if it’s a short trip. But due to the distance I have to drive to get to the airport and given that I often time things a little tightly, I’ve found it’s better for me to pack before I go to bed.
Traveling light. Love it. Last year I had clothes for a week (for a two-week trip), my computer (virtually useless, since I spilled water on it), my DV camera, and a 30-pound tripod in a hard case the size of an adolescent. Usually I’d pack my clothes into a day-pack and sling the computer over my shoulder. Since the new security arrangements, it’s easier to check my bag so as to avoid hassles with my toiletries. (This tube of toothpaste has three point two* ounces in it! Throw it away!) The B&B has laundry facilities, so I could just take a few clothes with me. But if I’m checking a bag anyway, I may as well cut down on laundry days. Especially since it’s going to by so hot and sweaty.
You people are ridiculous. Throw some clean shirts and a tooth brush in your bag 30 minutes before the cab shows up. If you’re a girl, bring some lip gloss and a flat iron.
The night before. I keep “travel stuff” in a specific spot, things like my passport or plug adaptors which I need only when travelling, so it’s easy to grab.
Mom otoh has been known to spend over two weeks packing - for a three-day trip!
The night before. I keep “travel stuff” in a specific spot, things like my passport or plug adaptors which I need only when travelling, so it’s easy to grab.
Mom otoh has been known to spend over two weeks packing - for a three-day trip!
MeanOldLady, I use neither lip gloss nor flat irons. May I bring the PSP and laptop instead?
Sure, as long as you throw them in bag a half hour before it’s time to leave.
I’ll prepare a list mentally if it’s less than 7-10 days. If it’s less than 7 days, I’ll pack the night before, probably with little advanced thought. If it’s longer (for college, for a summer internship away) I’ll write down things I need, but still pack no more than 48 hours in advance. I like wearing certain clothing/underwear often, so washing it the night or two nights before means I don’t have to change my routine. Also, with makeup/contacts/glasses, it makes no sense to pack terribly in advance. I’ve noticed that people who travel more take less time and take less stuff to pack.
For a regular trip to see the fam or whatever, the day before is good enough.
Diving vacation = Ton of Stuff
We go on a 10 day - 2 week dive trip every year or two, and there’s a lot of gear. I will start putting stuff aside two weeks ahead of time, so I can check our equipment and still have time to order anything we need. Clothes and accessories, probably a week out. Everything goes on the guest bed, except the suitcases (b/c our dog gets anxious, too), until the last day. On the last trip, we both had Kindles, so a major weight factor and a decision-making process were avoided! We used to carry a lot of books. Still, BCDs, regulators, computers, fins, masks, wetsuits, extra parts, first aid kit, etc. take time to organize.
I have to admit, the anticipation of a big trip is part of the fun for me, so I tend to stretch out the packing process. I have lists, boy do I have lists.
I start mentally packing a few days before the trip. Do I need nice clothes? Am I going to a different climate? Will I have access to a laundry? My ideal trip would be one where I stay at a hotel with a laundry room. That way I can wash clothes halfway through the trip and don’t need to bring as much. I start packing clothes the night before and throw in the bathroom stuff and laptop/cell phone right before I leave. I don’t travel as much as I used to, so I don’t have a collection of bathroom travel stuff like I used to.
I pack everything except toiletries the night before.
I’m generally packed the week before I make plans for the trip.
It takes me no more than 15 minutes, irregardless of the length of my trip. Since it takes pretty much the same amount of time to grab two pairs of socks out of the drawer as it does 10 pairs, for example, the length of the trip doesn’t matter. As for non-clothing items, I always take the same things and I’ve done it so often that I never forget anything. These are: iPod and charger, cell phone and charger, digital camera and charger, book, newspaper, and the same toiletries every time, and this certainly doesn’t require any “mental packing”. If you have a large family and are, say going on a ski-trip, I could see where some planning may be involved. Otherwise, like MeanOldLady I just don’t see what all the fuss is about.
Back when I traveled for work once or twice a month for two to three days at a time, I was always “half-packed.” My carry-on was always kept stocked with toiletries, shoes, undergarments, and whatnot. Hours before departing, I would simply add whatever slacks and shirts that were appropriate to the locale and season. This greatly reduced the stress of traveling as I was guaranteed to have the vitals with me (and the clothes on my back). If I did not have time to pack or forgot something, I could always buy it the next day at my destination.
Usually in the car on the way to the airport.
Depends, I can go light and in a heart beat if circumstances demand, of course.
But for camping trips or traveling trips, (several months duration), I generally get out my pack a couple of weeks ahead of time. Then, while I’m doing everything else, and things come to me, I take a second and go fetch it and toss in the bag.
This works pretty good for me.
Of course, I put off buying a new pack until the very morning I was leaving for South America, but that’s because I was mostly undecided. I ended up buying a black pack though I really didn’t want one.
For the same journey I ended up buying a pair of hiking sneakers that, I thought, looked like Frankenstein boots! A joyless shoe purchase is a sad, sad thing. And, of course, they proved the very thing for hiking the Inca trail, which my spouse never let me forget the entire journey!
When I pack, I pack the same for a five day trip or longer. Anything over five days and I assume I’ll be doing some washing somewhere so my clothes uptake will stay the same.
I’m leaving on a trip early Friday morning and I did most of my packing today. Mainly because I’m trying to decide if I can pack everything I need into carry-on luggage to avoid having to pay $15 to check a bag and, more importantly, whether I’m going to have to carry a small or a large shoulder bag in addition to my rollerbag… Part of the problem is that I have to bring my CPAP along, and even though it doesn’t count toward my carry-on limit it still means something else I have to carry around in the airport.
Normally, though, I mostly pack the night before a trip. Although starting a few days before the trip I start tossing things I want to make sure I take with me into a shoulder bag. But clothes wait until the last minute.