Trifter

An often overlooked part of planning a vacation or trip is what to bring and how to bring it. Anywhere you go, there are probably going to be some things you will need or want to bring with you. By taking a little bit of time to consider what and how you will pack, you can often save yourself a lot of trouble and have a more positive traveling experience.

Image by nlnnet via Flickr

What to Pack

Make a List

Consider the sort of things you’ll need to bring and ask yourself what to pack.

How many clothes will you want to bring?

• Bring enough for the number of days you will be traveling.
• Are there any special clothes you’ll need such as formal wear or uniforms?

What sort of toiletries will you need?

• Shaving cream?
• Is soap and shampoo provided where you are going?
• Toothpaste and toothbrush?
• Deodorant?

Will protective items be useful where you are going?

• Sunblock?
• Cold weather gear?

What sort of electronic devices will you need to bring?

How will you power these electronic devices when you get there?

• Batteries?
• Outlet adapters or chargers?

What sort of shoes will you need?

• Will you do a lot of walking?
• Sandals or water shoes for the beach?
• Formal wear for business activity?
• Athletic sneakers for a gym?

Is there anything else you need to bring in order to perform special tasks that you or an employer will want you to perform where you go?

Visualize the big and small things that you will do during your trip to help jog your mind about the things you’d like to bring.

Consider these and other questions and compile a check list of items that you would like to bring. Numbering items like “7 shirts” will be helpful in figuring out if you have everything you need. As you pack, check the items off as you go along. A list is a good visual aid and can be very helpful to show if there is anything you will need to purchase or get for your trip.

Keep things Simple

Avoid over packing by considering what is really necessary. If you’re going on a weekend trip and you back enough food to make twenty-one meals for yourself, that is excessive. The space taken up by that excessive food could probably be used to bring something else. It will be a lot more to lug around with you if nothing else, which would not be fun.

Consider what you’ll actually have to use on your trip. Mechanical can-openers are pretty cool, but a manual can-opener takes up much less space, and weighs a lot less. Shower brushes are nice, but you can probably do without it for a week. Having five pairs of shoes with you would sure give you a nice selection, but couldn’t you get by with just bring one or two carefully selected pairs that will fulfill most of your wardrobe needs? Bringing seven sets of clothes for a week long trip is good; if you will have access to a washing machine and dryer, consider whether you will need that many sets though. The more you think about things like this, the better able you’ll be to optimize packing space which will equate to and easier and more enjoyable packing experience for you.

That being said though, there are a few things that the traveler can over pack. Socks and underwear take up very little space, and having some extra pairs can be very nice for unexpected rain storms, especially hot days, etc. You may find that the same is true for soap and deodorant. It can be quite embarrassing to run out of these hygienic items few days before your trip is up. Cash is something else that one should always bring. Not everywhere accepts plastic cards, but just about everywhere will accept cash.

Organize the Packing Space

Positioning Items

Pay attention to the juxtaposition of items to one another as you pack them. Keep water and magnets away from electronic items since both water and magnets can cause damage to computers and other electronic devices. Heavier items should be packed under lighter ones so that they do not crush more fragile items. When you are packing a roller suitcase, be sure that the heavier items are on the bottom both when the roller is upright on it’s wheels and when it is on its back laying down. With books be careful that they are packed away from items that will get pressed in between the pages. Always be sure that bottles containing liquids will not be under pressure or they could explode.

Keep Important Items Handy

Important documents, keys, and other necessary items you’ll need to use while traveling should not be buried deep in locked up bags. Keep items like this in a secure but easy to access place. Using fanny-packs, pant cargo pockets, or easily accessible zippered pockets on carry-on bags, like back-packs and purses, are all good ways to keep such things handy and safe.

Putting these items in too open a spot, like an open pocket on pants or a bag, is very risky as they could easily fall out or be taken by an ill-intending stranger. Find the balance of having important traveling items like money and traveling documents safe and accessible.

Leave Room for Souvenirs

Most people come back from a trip with more than they brought, but few leave room for these additional items when they are packing. Travelers get gift mugs and other keep sake items to commemorate their trips or to give to friends. Many struggle to bring these items back with them because while journeying to their travel location they had their bags packed to full capacity. How can one fit more items into a bag packed to full capacity? One usually can not do so. You can easily overcome this by anticipating what you might buy or pick up along the way by leaving an appropriate amount of room free for such items in you bags on you trip out. In other words, don’t pack your bags to full capacity. This will allow you to easily carry new items with you if you would like.

Think About Carrying

It may seem neat to put everything into one big duffel, but lugging big duffels further than twenty feet is not much fun. I would even go as far as to say that lugging big duffels any distance at all is no fun. Two bags that are each half that size will be much easier to carry together than that one big bag. Taking some from each bag and putting it into a backpack, so that the traveler now has two bags and a backpack, is even easier. Using four or more bags though starts to again become more than one person can easily manage. As in all other packing elements, attempt to be as light and optimal as possible.

Rolling suitcases are nice because one can carry a higher amount in them at relative ease since it can rolled on the ground instead of all its weight being suspended by the traveler’s body. Taking these rolling bags on anything other than a well paved surface is a problem though, so don’t count on them for camping or many other outdoors activities.

When traveling by air, bus, or train, beware of the restrictions put on carry on luggage. For air travel especially the requirements for the size, weight, contents, and number of one’s carry on bags frequently change. Be aware of current carry-on luggage restriction and look up the one appropriate for you.

Final comments

Being strategic about what to pack, optimizing one’s packing space, and considering the logistics of carrying luggage will lead to a more positive traveling experience. It’s nice to be well equipped where ever one goes. Pack well and have a better trip because of it.