By Dixie Headed out of town? Bidness trip or vaca? Do you always seem to forget something? Or wind up looking like you slept in your clothes? Here’s some tips for ya:
Getting ready to pack (how to NOT forget something you need):
1. Designate a staging area. Could be the top of your freshly made bed (because I just know you make your bed up every day), or your dining room table. Any surface that is flat, cleaned off and no crevices where things could get lost. This is where you are going to dump everything you are going to need.
2. Head to your closet. What clothes do you need for each day? Put together every outfit, shoes, socks, underwear, bras included, and lay each day out on your staging area. Is anything missing for each day? Remember something to sleep in, BTW. Nobody want to see yo nekkid behind if there is a fire drill at the hotel.
3. Head to your bathroom. It is ideal if you do this in the morning as you get ready. If you have two sinks, use one as a ‘mini staging area’ for toiletries. If you don’t have an extra sink, put a basket or empty toiletry kit on the counter or at your feet for the mini staging area. As you get ready and use an item (toothpaste, toothbrush, razor, lotion, make up, etc.) put the item into the extra sink, basket or toiletry kit. Everything. When you are in the shower, same thing. Anything you cannot live without on your trip, put in the mini staging area. If you are in the shower, put the items you want to take outside the shower as you wash. When you are completely ready, take all your bathroom items from the mini staging area and put them on your main staging area. Seriously, don’t be cray and put your wet toiletry kit on top of your clothes. Think, man, think!
4. Before you pack, go get your everyday stuff and put in staging area, like:
Cell phone charger
Ear buds if you use them
Packin it in so you don’t look like Wrinkles the Talking Dog:
1. Take whatever you are planning on wearing on your trip off the staging area. Outfit, shoes, underwear–you get the drift.
For work trips where you have to be dressed up, wear the most comfortable shoes you possibly can get away with, especially if you are travelling by plane. Besides having to walk a thousand miles in the airport security line, your feet will swell up during the plane ride. You really do NOT need to wear those stilettos.
For vaca trips or if you are travelling on a work trip the night before and can be casual, try to wear the shoes that take up the most space, like running shoes (they are so hecka big!)
2. Choose your bag, hanging bag or duffel, whatever works. Open it and place it next to the staging area.
3. Use your shoes to line your hanging bag, or put in the bottom as close to the sides as possible. Sole out except for high heels, which should be sole in. If you are a freak re not having shoes touch your pristine clothes, put them in shoe bags or plastic grocery bags. Weirdo.
4. Put your toiletry bag in the bottom of the hanging bag. If using a duffel bag, put the toiletry bag in the bottom of the bag in the middle of the shoes. You don’t want to put it on top of your clothes (creates wrinkles).
5. Take a look at your clothes. Take any casual clothes, especially anything that does not naturally wrinkle, like yoga pants, running shorts, underwear, PJs out. Lay them flat and roll them up. You can fold in half before rolling if you want. The purpose is to make them as small as possible. Lay the rolled up clothes tucked next to the shoes in a hanging bag or on top on a duffel.
6. For the clothes that have the potential to wrinkle: lay each one out flat.
If you have a hanging bag, put these in on hangers at the last minute before you leave and fold the arms neatly in. For added protection against wrinkling, you can put WHITE tissue paper between each item of clothing. Don’t be a dunderhead and put colored tissue paper. Work with me, people.
For a duffel bag, fold them very, very neatly like you would if your Mama was coming by to inspect your dresser drawers. Be very ADHD about the folding. Then carefully roll up each folded item. For added protection against wrinkling, you can put WHITE tissue paper over the item before rolling. Place the folded and rolled item into the center of the duffel.
7. Right before you leave for your trip, make sure you have:
House keys
Car keys
Cell phone
Feed the dog/cat/rat and fish. Lock your door, set your alarm. Do NOT post your trip on social media unless you want to put a big red arrow over your house that says “Rob Me, I’m Not at Home”.
When you get to your hotel, hang up everything you can and unroll everything else. Stay out of the mini-bar, everything in there is ridiculously overpriced.
Enjoy!