No, really, I hate packing.
I find the experience almost traumatic. It makes no difference where I’m going, or how long I’m going for. It’s all just as awful and annoying.
Now here I am, packing for 3 months away. (Yeah yeah yeah, you went to Outer Mongolia for 2 years and only packed one small bag- I do not care.) How do I do this? What if I don’t take enough? What if I take too much? What if I get there and realise that I have 7 posh dresses but no underpants? A variety of pashminas and no shoes?
I don’t think this is something I can put off until the night before, like I do for short trips. Even then, packing the night before is disastrous because I turn up at my boyfriend’s house for 2 days, during which time we plan to do little more than lounge on the couch and eat pizza, with five pairs of jeans and eight dresses.
This website has been helpful, if a little bizarre- I’m not entirely sure if I need knee high stockings and a hair ribbon, but thanks anyway.
So the spare room – which has now become my packing room – currently looks like this.
Utter chaos. I am not very good at this ‘minimalist packing’ business.
Do I need eleven shirts and blouses of varying prints, patterns and colours? What does 20kg worth of clothes actually look like? Oh my god, what about all that stuff I have to take that isn’t clothes?
There is no real point to this post other than to complain, and procrastinate from bloody packing. Are you an expert packer? Will you help me?
August 25, 2012 at 10:57 pm
Ah I usually adore packing because it’s for a lovely holiday but when it’s packing for a long trip it becomes stressful – I’m always petrified about forgetting something vital or losing things!
My advice would be to do things in sections; clothes and shoes, bath stuff, books and stationary, any home things, and then important documents etc. That way you can feel more organised and keep stress at a minimum.
I’m sure it will go more smoothly than you think! Might be worth investing in one of those suitcase weighing hook things, we have one and it’s pretty handy.
August 26, 2012 at 3:48 pm
Yeah see that’s one of my biggest problems – I am both a scatterbrain and a massive worrier so I am so concerned that I’m going to leave something really important.
I like this advice. Doing it in sections is a good idea. I don’t have a luggage scale hook but my friend Becci does and I’ve asked to borrow it from her. I could do without having to repack my case at the airport if it’s too heavy.
August 29, 2012 at 9:15 am
Thanks for your comment on my blog post a little while ago. We’ve only just been connected to the internet in our new house, so sorry it’s taken me a while to reply!
I have good news – I am no longer unemployed, so my ‘woe-is-me’ post about graduate unemployment no longer applies :D But now I have the new job worries…
I hate packing too because I always forget something and remember it when I’m on the plane or on the way to the airport. Like the commenter above says – work in sections. I go through each part of my bedroom, wardrobe-drawers-under the bed, and think about what I’ll need and then do the bathroom. Just resign yourself to the fact that you’ll probably forget something and you won’t stress too much about it :)
August 29, 2012 at 3:12 pm
I’m a terrible packer! So no, you don’t want me to help :) I’m a last minute grab n’ go person, even for long trips. I figure I’ll just buy new versions of whatever I forgot–they’ll be “souvenirs.”