Packing Smart

It's summertime, which means vacation, which means packing! Packing can present a variety of dilemmas – weather, limited space in your bag, and the worry of unfortunate spills taking out part of your already minuscule wardrobe. My idea of a perfect packing job is when I’ve worn every item in my bag at least once by the end of a trip (though hopefully not rain gear). That rarely happens, but now I get pretty close each trip.

Don't Wait to the Last Minute

Start thinking about what you want to bring, and figure out if you need to buy anything new - especially footwear, you don't want to be breaking in a brand new pair of shoes on your trip (I can tell you this from personal experience, unfortunately). Do you need to refill any prescriptions? If you wear disposable contacts, do you have enough pairs to last for your trip, plus some extras just in case? Set aside anything that you won't need between now and your departure date - sure, you'll be wearing your favorite pair of jeans half a dozen more times before you leave, but if you won't need your swimsuit anytime soon, why not find it now and put it in your bag? This will help you avoid last minute packing panic, especially with things that don't get daily use.

Lay out what you want to bring and consider if it will get enough use to warrant packing. Coordinate so you can wear all of your tops with all of your bottoms to maximize your capsule wardrobe. Search for fun travel packing guides to get ideas (but don't bring that many different purses).

A couple of days before departure do a quick inventory - what's already packed, what's clean and ready to be packed, what needs to be washed, and what have you changed your mind about bringing? Lay everything out again and pull anything that you don't need, and fill in any gaps. Don't forget underwear! 

By the night before, you should be pretty much ready to go. Set aside any last minute things (glasses, hair brush, night guard) that you can't pack early, and away you go! If you forgot something, don't panic, you're probably going somewhere with stores and you can find some sort of replacement (if you forgot your glasses or contacts, panic away - being pretty much blind this is my greatest fear, and I have had many a stress dream about this very thing).

Vietnam, 2015: This was not one of my better packing jobs - fully loaded backpack, plus day pack, plus bread, pastries, and bananas to tide us over on our overnight train from Hanoi to Hue, and I had to carry it all. This is one of the many, many reasons I prefer wheelie bags to backpacks.

Be Practical

Remember that you’ll probably be doing a lot of walking and standing, so be sure to pack the right footwear. A comfortable sneaker-style walking shoe may not be what you pictured yourself wearing in Paris, but unless you live in heels, you’ll regret those elegant stilettos after about three blocks of teetering on cobblestones. Don't pack hiking boots unless you're actually going to be doing a lot of hiking, but find some sort of comfortable shoe that won’t have you in tears (and blisters) by the end of the day. My current travel shoes are these black New Balance sneakers - they're fairly lightweight, my orthotics work in them, and they're waterproof enough to keep my feet dry on a rainy day, though I wouldn't wade through puddles in them. For summer you'll definitely want to pack sandals. Cheapo flip flops may be comfortable for walking at the beach or kicking around the house, but they probably won't hold up to walking and standing all day, and they'll look out of place in an urban setting. I love Chaco flip flops for summertime and I'll pack them if I'll be spending any time at the beach, but they're a little too casual for cities. Naot sandals are my current go-to for a dressier sandal - I bought a pair of the Doriths and they are comfortable, lightweight, and fancy enough to wear with a dress but casual enough for jeans or shorts.

Think about where you're going and when you'll be traveling. If you’re not going anywhere near a beach and you won’t be staying in at a hotel with a pool, don’t pack three swimsuits and a beach towel. Unless you’re traveling in winter or you'll be spending time high in the mountains, you probably won’t need a parka. If you’re going to be spending most of your vacation enjoying the beaches of Thailand or island-hopping in Greece, you can get away with just packing lightweight clothing and swimwear. 

Layers are your friend. If you’re traveling in summer, late spring, or early fall, you probably won’t need a heavy coat, but for chilly mornings and evenings, and potential cold weather, a warm sweater or light jacket will get the job done, and at the very least you can use it to stay cozy on the plane. On a cold and rainy day, a long sleeved shirt, a light sweater or cardigan, a scarf, a hat, and a light rain shell will keep you warm and reasonably dry. I’m a fan of an umbrella versus a rain jacket. While a jacket with a hood will keep your head and upper body dry, your legs are on their own, along with any bags you’re carrying, but an umbrella can keep you, your bags, and a friend dry. Make sure the shoes you bring are waterproof enough to handle jumping over puddles on sidewalks – there’s nothing quite like wet shoes and socks to put a damper on your day, especially when your only other footwear option is a pair of sandals.

Leave anything too flashy or valuable that you couldn't bear to lose at home - this is not the time to break out your grandmother's necklace or your Rolex. Don't feel like you can't wear your wedding ring, but otherwise stick to simple accessories or costume jewelry. 

If it's not part of your trip, leave the workout gear at home, especially if you'll be doing a lot of walking. I used to pack running stuff, thinking how cool it would be to take a run in Paris along the Seine, but I honestly get enough of a workout walking around all day that it was a waste of precious space in my bag. If you need to pack workout wear, choose clothing that can do double duty - running shorts that can fill in for pajamas or be worn while everything else is in the wash, a sports bra that can be worn with a regular tank top, and run in your travel sneakers.

Don't get carried away with  buying "travel" clothing - there are some brands, like Prana, Athleta, REI, and Royal Robbins, that make (mostly) normal looking clothing that also happens to look great pulled out of a suitcase, but you really don't need to get the ultra-tech khaki vest with a gazillion pockets, unless you're going on a fly fishing trip. And you don't need travel-specific underwear or bras, just pack something that's lightweight and will dry quickly for hand washing. 

Pack Light

It’s easier said than done, but bringing less allows you more ease of movement when you’re lugging your bag from one destination to the next. Plan on spending some time doing laundry for a longer trip, and expect to do some hand washing of socks, underwear, and maybe some lightweight shirts on a shorter trip.  Your guidebook should list laundromats near you, and if you're staying at an AirBNB, aim to book a place that has a washer (and hopefully, a dryer, though they're not a package deal in a lot of the world - if not, you'll be hang drying your clothes). 

There are plenty of packing techniques to experiment with - rolling, packing cubes, and Ziplock/vacuum bags to name a few. Find the one that works best for you, but bear in mind if you try the vacuum bag or Ziplock bag method, while you may be able to cut down on volume, you won’t reduce the weight of your bag and you may be tempted to overpack, thinking you have so much more space.

Wear your bulkiest items on the plane, particularly footwear and outerwear. Planes can get a little chilly, so you probably won’t regret the extra layers.

Get Creative

Using only a carry-on bag is also limiting in the toiletries department. For men, this isn’t generally too big of a hardship (toothpaste, shampoo, shaving cream, sunscreen, maybe  conditioner and some sort of hair product, and most guys are good to go), but for the ladies, this is a total pain. If you’re traveling with a guy who will let you commandeer part of his partially full quart bag, do it. If you’re on your own, jettison anything that you don’t really need, and think of how you can get away from liquids. Leave the shower gel at home and grab a bar of soap. Buy some tooth powder instead of toothpaste. Check out Lush for a lot of excellent solid products, like shampoo bars, massage bars that can be used as lotion, and facial soap bars. Take advantage of small, travel or sample sized products, and get some even smaller containers – REI is a good place to find tiny, refillable containers. Your 3 oz. moisturizer might meet the TSA’s restrictions, but you certainly won’t use the whole bottle on a two week trip, so squeeze a generous dollop into a ½ ounce container and save some precious space in your quart bag. For contact wearers, grab a travel size bottle of solution, eye drops, and any other eye related gear or solution you need, and put them in a separate plastic zip bag. Medicines are exempt from the quart bag requirement, so don’t waste valuable space if you don’t have it. Note: I’ve used this trick many times with no problems, but going through Heathrow a couple of years back, the security person scanning bags made me cram my contact solution into my quart bag because it wasn’t a prescription. This is good reminder that you are at the mercy of the person screening you every time you go through security, so don’t get complacent. Something you carried on with no problems one day won’t get through the next.

What Goes in My Bag

Over the years I've come up with a pretty rock solid packing list that gets tweaked a little depending on when and where I'm traveling, but I almost always pack the following: 

• Blue velvet blazer - this is my favorite jacket of all time, and I've had it for at least 20 years (all-time best $15 vintage store find!). It's more polished and dressier than a down or denim jacket, and provides plenty of warmth layered with a sweater and a scarf.
• Dresses - better than short for warm weather, I'll usually pack one in black and one in a print or color. 
• Scarves - with limited space, scarves are great for adding a pop of color to an outfit or some extra warmth, and you can pick one up on the road to add a little more variety. I'll usually pack a black one and colorful one.
• Cardigans - layering is essential to packing light, and cardigans fit the bill. Wool is usually the way to go, and again, black matches everything and will only show the worst of spills.
• Cross body purse or messenger bag - I prefer this to a daypack, unless I'm hiking, simply because it's more secure and easier to wrangle than a backpack. Mine is big enough to fit all the usual necessities plus a water bottle, camera, guidebook, umbrella, sweater, and canvas bag for any market stops or shopping. I'll bring a lightweight day pack in my bag for the way home - I stuff my carry on to the gills and check it, then carry on the day pack and my purse.
• Maxi skirt or dress - a nice way to stay cool but also cover your knees if you're planning on visiting churches, temples, or mosques that frown on bare legs. Throw on a cardigan or a scarf to cover your shoulders and you're good to go. 
• Jeans - I used to have a travel-specific wardrobe, but I realized that was impractical and just started bringing what I wear at home, particularly jeans. I've got a couple of pairs of lightweight long pants that I'll bring if I'm going somewhere really hot, but other than that I pack a pair of black jeans that can pass as slacks and two pairs of blue jeans.

Four Unexpected Lifesavers That Are Worth Packing

• Foot Massage Ball – You can purchase these nubby, golf ball-sized foot massagers at running stores, REI, or Amazon. They take up virtually no space in your bag, but feel like heaven after a day on your feet.
• Gloves – Even if you’re not going anywhere you think you would need gloves, bring them (unless you're going somewhere tropical, then don't bother). You never know when you might find some unseasonably cold weather, and if you packed light layers, you can get chilly. The stretchy $2 pairs from a drugstore are perfect, and they take up about as much space as a pair of socks. 
• Bug Spray – If you tend to get bitten, pack some sort of bug deterrent, even if you don’t think you’ll need it (I’ve gotten mosquito bites in Paris, Rome, and Tuscany – indoors). Window screens are not prevalent worldwide, and if you’re staying in a place with no A/C, an open window may make for a more comfortable night temperature-wise, but you won’t be able to keep out the little winged devils.
• Hand Wipes – I love picnicking when I travel, but as a slight germaphobe the idea of not being able to wash my hands before a meal grosses me out. A travel size pack of wet wipes that you can pick up in most drug stores is the perfect compromise - they’re ideal for cleaning up for a picnic lunch or after an especially grimy metro ride where you somehow managed to touch someone’s gum that was stuck to a seat (true story). I prefer wipes to hand sanitizer gel because you can use them to clean things other than hands, and they’re perfect for cleaning up emergency spills when you’re out and about.

More Resources

• Rick Steves: I love Rick Steves, and his site is a great resource for packing lists and tips for packing light. Check out his packing lists for women and men, they're spot-on.
• Adventures With Sarah: Sarah Murdoch is a travel and packing genius. Follow her blog for great travel tips and gear advice.
• Some fun packing tips from Man Repeller: for a more fashion-focused packing mindset. . .