Checking my financial budget.
Remembering my passport is the only non-random item in getting ready for a trip!
On a big, multi-leg trip, the most annoying task is checking that my carry-on and personal item meets the requirements for all the airlines (which can have different rules about dimensions and weight) and that what I pack is okay for all the countries I’ll be visiting.
Checklists!
For me, it’s the packing. I make a list but still am afraid to forget something because all trips are different. I also have generic things like pants, shorts, t-shirts listed but all my potential outfits swirl around in my head while I decide which pants, shorts, t-shirts etc. come along.
In 1935, a very experienced flight crew crashed a new 4-engine Boeing because while tending to all the engines, they’d forgotten to release a new locking mechanism on the elevator and rudder controls. The pilot didn’t learn from that (because he died in the crash), but that’s when pilot’s checklists were created.
Point being: Use a list. Scrap one off the web, drop it into Excel or Word and modify it after each trip to become your own.
I just wing it and then slightly stress about not having done anything to get ready for it - rinse and repeat haha.
Adi said:
I just wing it and then slightly stress about not having done anything to get ready for it - rinse and repeat haha.
This guy gets it lol.
Packing. I detest packing with a vengeance. I always say I’ll do it early and I always leave it until last minute. I have duplicate toiletry/cosmetic bags so they should be easy, but it’s the fiddly stuff that always takes me so much longer than clothes.
Taking on the stress of the other people in my travel party - “don’t forget your passports.” Inevitably there’s always something that comes up!
Decanting into tiny containers. Sunscreen needs to be in original packaging as long as possible, and put into the toiletries case quickly. And there are certain materials it shouldn’t go in. I use solid but flexible plastic pouches for it, and always, always mislay the syringe to fill them.
Ultra specific to this one trip, but I have a train booked to get to the airport for my trip next spring. They keep changing the departure time by 1 minute and sending me a new boarding pass. I have a collection of about 20 void boarding passes at this point, and I’ll probably have 50 more by the time I actually leave.
Packing with minimal suitcase space.
I find it exciting rather than stressful. I stack my stuff to visualize it for a while before I pack it. Trip checklists are helpful—there are things you need for every trip. Like chargers.
Remember the 20/20/20 idea. Don’t worry if you can replace it for 20$ in 20 min…and I can’t remember the last 20! Ha!
Anyway, just relax and embrace the messiness that travel can be. It’s all good! Everything is just a story you remember. Enjoy!
Could you get packing cubes? They are accommodating as they allow you to categorize what you are taking. The smaller cubes could be for your charger, etc. Put your undergarments in another cube, a larger cube for pants and another for shirts, etc. I typically set everything out on a bed a few days before I go on the trip as this lets me see what I have and what I need to include.
Not a problem anymore, but I used to smoke a lot of pot and I’d always worry if something in my luggage would contain an old joint or bag of weed I’d forgotten about and I’d get caught at security. Never got caught and one or twice I found I had an added bonus once I was on vacation.
I’ve always had this rule where as long as I have these 3 things: passport, phone, and wallet (bank cards), I don’t have to worry about anything else even if I forget something.
Sure you can forget a thing or two even with advance prep but as long as I have those 3 things on the day then I’m good!
Noticing the thing that got broken last trip that I was going to fix has not been fixed.
Kingsley said:
Noticing the thing that got broken last trip that I was going to fix has not been fixed.
This year I made notes and put them inside the suitcase.
Packing