I am an over-packer and would love suggestions.
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Anonymous
Exactly this. Coordinate base layers and rewear things, especially pants and jackets/sweaters (t-shirts and blouses will vary up your outfits and take up less space, and are more likely to get sweaty or stained). I've actually gotten worse at packing light since having kids because my clothes are more likely to get messy and I need more backups. But I used to be great at it, and can still do it for business! |
Anonymous
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It sounds like anxiety. You need the security of your stuff everywhere you go. If you start with that realization, perhaps you'll pack with more self-awareness that whatever you bring won't shield you from harm. YOU will protect yourself from harm. If there are affordable laundry facilities where you're going, then you can bring a capsule wardrobe and wash your clothes as needed. I like to change my shirts just like a PP said, because I don't want to stink in the second half of the day, but I'm still a minimalist packer because I wash my clothes frequently on vacation. When it comes to underwear: I remember my parents bringing a short clothe-line, small piece of soap and just washing underwear in the sink of the hotel room, then hanging it to dry. It's the easiest thing to wash, even if you don't have a laundry! But what I wonder about when I read your update is: why duplicates? I don't even own so much stuff in my house, let alone bring it on vacation with me. Why do you need 5 swimsuits? Most people bring 1-2, then rinse and hang to dry overnight. Swimsuits don't need to washed with detergent every time you use them. Why extra pairs of glasses? Why bring many pharmacy items when surely there's one where you're going? I pack a little first aid kit with tylenol, alcohol wipes, bandaids and such. I think, for you, what would work best is that you designate a bag or suitcase and you decide that you're going to bring whatever you want, but that if it doesn't fit, it's not traveling. It will force you to sort out in your brain which item really needs to come on your trip. It will be both an intellectual/organizational challenge as well as a therapy exercise for your anxiety. |
Anonymous
| This thread is interesting. I am not a carry on for two weeks person—but I am someone who thinks a lot about travel outfits and wears pretty much everything I bring. I guess a difference is that sensibly or not I tend to approach big trips as a moment to buy new clothes for the occasion and then I bring and wear them all. It seems sort of depressing to me to wear the same outfit over and over and sink laundry is not appealing. What is the downside that you all see of bringing a larger bag? Just the concern re lost luggage? |
Anonymous
Two reasons: 1. I hate being loaded with bags. I want to travel light, and not have to worry about keeping track of my stuff. 2. I don't have a lot of stuff to begin with at home. But I do like pretty things - it's just that I choose them carefully and plan to wear them for years. I don't follow trends, I buy to suit my figure. So I fill my carry-on with my pretty things, and don't have to "force" myself to re-wear, since that's what I usually do at home anyway. On vacation, I re-wear more often, which is fine, because I like my clothes. Sink laundry is rare - usually there are laundry facilities available. If you're a more consumerist type who buys a lot and cycles through trends, then obviously you'll see things differently, and that's perfectly fine. |
Anonymous
Not OP, but a similar overpacker. This is super helpful. I’m going to format it and print it out for myself. OP, I’m so sorry about the loss of your husband. I hope you have a great trip. |
Anonymous
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I feel some of you have irrational shame about being seen wearing the same clothes or swimsuits. No, they don't need to be reversible, for goodness' sakes! You don't need a different outfit every single day! No one cares. We assume your stuff is cleaned in between wearings. We're not even looking at you that closely! |
Anonymous
| I pack light for work when I go overseas--save older sneakers or other shoes and throw out when you're packing to come home. Bring disposable toiletries too. |
Anonymous
I almost always check a bag, so not coming from a carry-on mentality. I like to be comfortable and look good (not fashion plate, but not sloppy). However, it is so much easier and more enjoyable to really only bring what you need. Ideal for me is to not bring any clothing that goes unworn and have some-to-most reworn. Some sink wash is OK with me - a few lighter, thinner pieces that easily dry overnight. Some laundry service is Ok with me if needed. Laundromat is a huge time suck so while I have done it, I prefer to avoid it. I spend a lot of time and put a lot if thought into what clothes I pack though and basically pack a capsule wardrobe specific to each trip (weather, culture, activities, etc.). It makes my trip better - easier to pack and unpack, to keep my space and bag tidy, to know I have what I need and streamline any decisions of what to wear each day. |
Anonymous
A big reason I want a smaller bag is because I carry it myself. A lot of my travel involves trains, subways, buses, and other public transportation. I sometimes visit places where the cars can't go and I have to walk with my bag down a dirt/rocky road or up several fights of a narrow staircase, and a huge wheeled bag would be difficult. It's so much easier to have a carryon sized backpack for this kind of travel. For example, a few years ago my son (age 17 at the time) and I landed in Edinburgh and then immediately (still exhausted from our red eye flight) took a train to Inverness. Even though we had bought our tickets with assigned seats well before our trip, the train was packed (we actually had to ask people to get out of our assigned seats) with no room in the luggage racks. We spent 4 hours with our bags on our laps, squished between the people sitting next to us and the many people standing in the aisle. I have no idea what we would have done with our bags if they had been full sized wheeled suitcases. |
Anonymous
Haha, very funny, PP! 😄 |
Anonymous
I have issues. |
Anonymous
I'm a different PP who just packed 2 pairs of jeans into my summer vacation bag. It's because I'm going to a mountainous northern area where the temps will range from 50s-70s! I'm so excited to not be hot! |
Anonymous
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OP…
Thank you all for the new suggestions and sympathy for my DH’s death. He was the best and I miss him so much. The PP that mentioned anxiety, is probably correct. One thing that would help me, I think, is to purge my clothes and develop a capsule wardrobe…..although I’m not really sure how to do that. I just have too much stuff. I really need to quit traveling with so many items that are easily replaceable. |
Anonymous
| I pack less for 1 month than my DH packs for 1 week. We manage our own bags and he experiences the error of this ways. |
Anonymous
| For me not waiting until the last minute is key. I overpack if I do it last minute or rush. I also have 1 small suitcase that I use - so it has to fit. I review where I'm going, what I'm going to do and the weather at the location. I allow myself no more than 3 pairs of shoes - the largest/heaviest gets worn on the plane, the others are filled with socks/underwear to use the space wisely. Next I try on the outfits I'm considering taking and see how they fit, how I feel in them and what they will pair with. I also have discovered that whenever I tell myself I "might" need this I don't. After I have outfits that work together, a color theme and an idea of what I will be doing. I do a trial pack. My suitcase is expandable - but my rule of thumb is I can't expand the bag heading out for a vacation. Being able to do laundry can help with overpacking as well - pack for a 1 week - 10 days with the knowledge you will be doing laundry - so my clothes have to be clothes I can wash easily. While I am traveling I make mental tallies of what I used, what I didn't, and what I wish I have brought. The more I do it the better I get at it. When I return from a trip - as I unpack my bag I make notes on my excel packing list- what I liked, what I didn't, what shoes were comfortable. Next trip I review my list and notes - this has helped me tremendously - especially when it comes to footwear or jackets. |