So many people write post after post about how they pack and I'm always so impressed. Do you want to see how an incompetent person does it?
I packed for three days of being someplace and two days of travel on either side. I'm not checking a bag because you all know I'm too frugal for that and I don't want to wait at baggage claim when my flight gets in at midnight, you know?
For both travel days, I wore a black wool& dress and my long duster. I wore my glasses because no one wants to be wearing contacts if travel days take 22 hours (spoiler for future posts). I wore bracelets and earrings and no other jewelry.
Three dresses
A scarf (yo, I get cold)
Underwear/bra/Jockey skimmy
Tshirt/yoga pants for sleeping
Flip flops (I thought I would need them if it rained and it turned out it did not rain and these went unworn - I have regrets about packing them)
Toothpaste
Toothpicks
Floss
Medicine - Tylenol, Flonase, Zyrtec, steroid cream for my eczema, birth control
Shampoo/conditioner/face cleaner
Contacts
Dry shampoo
Sunscreen
Small tube of lotion (could have skipped this - there was lotion where we were - I had to take out hand sanitizer because I ran out of room in my quart bag and I wish I had not packed lotion, but had packed hand sanitizer)
Deodorant
Makeup - Face and eyelid primer, foundation, blush, eyeshadow, mascara, lip gloss, associated brushes and sponges
Hair brush
Granola bars (6)
Fig bars (four two-packs)
Empty water bottle
Gatorade Zero powder packets
Line a day journal/goal tracking journal
Physical therapy band/towel
Purse
Kindle
Earbuds
Wallet
More lip gloss
By the time I returned, I didn't have any food left except for one package of fig bars and some Gatorade packets, I had finished my dry shampoo so I tossed that bottle, and I had dropped my Benetint liquid blush all over my friend's bathroom, so I also tossed that bottle. That meant that the liquids were easier to pack on the way out. Also, they didn't make me take out my liquids at SeaTac when I left, so that was nice (and weird).
There were no vacuum seal bags, no fancy four-wheeled luggage, no packing cubes. But I used everything (except where noted for lotion and flip flops) and never had any issues with fitting it into an overhead plane compartment or carrying it around.
What snacks do you bring when you go to the airport?
I am HERE for posts like this.
ReplyDeleteI think it's impossible to go on a trip and not regret something being packed. Hindsight is 20/20. What's frustrating, is packing all wrong. Years ago we went to Denmark to visit my brother at the end of August. My parents had gone the year before and it had been hot and sunny. So, of course, I assumed it was always hot and sunny at the end of August in Denmark.
Alas and alack, it is not. So I packed something ridiculous like one sweater and all sorts of T-shirts. It was freezing almost the whole time we were there. I had to buy some extra clothes, and wore my brother's jackets every day. That one sweater I packed showed up in a lot of pictures. Sigh.
So now I try to diversify and bring things for warm, cold, wet, and dry and that means I'm almost certainly going to have some things with me that I won't use.
Amen to being cold. Flights are freezing!
I don't take snacks to the airport, generally. But if we do, it's usually something energy dense like nuts or beef jerky.
I honestly did regret not having warmer clothes at one point during the trip, but I got over it. I didn't have room unless I had checked a bag. So, I've definitely been there! I checked the weather before I left, but I did not take into account that 70 degrees with no humidity is different than 70 degrees with all the humidity. Oh, well. I survived!
DeleteThats a very efficient packing- I'm impressed!
ReplyDeleteI'd rather underpack than overpack for plane travel. I'm not checking anything. And I'd probably be staying with family , so I could borrow jackets, etc. I flew to a wedding without anything to wear, planning to shop at the destination. It gave us something to do while waiting for the rehearsal dinner.
I'd bring something like m&m's to the airport- no mess and tasty. However, I'd buy a diet coke once past security.
You went to a wedding with nothing to wear?! Planning to shop there?! I am such a picky bitch that I can guarantee that would not be a workable plan for me! Imagine me over here with my mouth hanging wide open.
DeleteI avoid packing chocolate because it melts. I don't actually think of M&Ms as no mess!
Dropped your Benetint oh noooooooo-- that stuff is MESSSSSSSSY (Dorothy uses it and she is a dropper)
ReplyDeleteYES!! All over my friend's WHITE bathroom. I screamed and yelled for paper towels or a towel he didn't mind getting stained. He acted like it was NO BIG DEAL, but I was panicked. His beautiful bathroom!! (Also, it was almost full, so what a serious waste of money.)
DeleteBravo!!! I will always find room in my luggage for my electric toothbrush.
ReplyDeleteRight now if I go on a trip it means a backpack and carry on. The only way that I could do backpack only would be if it was a weekend trip which would mean that I wouldn't have to bring my work laptop. Unless it's a very short trip I would also make room for my personal laptop, but I think there is room to get it in your backpack.
Grrr to the 22 hour travel day. Can't wait to hear the story!
I did not bring my laptop which is the only way this worked out. I also am way behind on reading and writing blog posts, so there were definite tradeoffs to not bringing it!
DeleteWhy do you say you're an incompetent person with packing, Engie? I'd say you're pretty much perfect! I know you wear dresses all the time but I have to say that is a SMART travel hack. Dresses take up so little space! If your only regrets are lotion and flip flops, that's pretty good I think.
ReplyDeleteI get free checked baggage with my credit card but I still only take carryon because it's so much easier than waiting for luggage. Also since the pandemic I live in fear of lost luggage.
22 hours of travel??? To go to Seattle? Yikes! Looking forward to the stories!
Forgot to say I rarely pack snacks! Just a water bottle (empty, to be filled after security).
DeleteIn retrospect, I should have thrown in a pair of leggings, too, because there were a couple of days when I was cold and could have benefited from an extra layer, but I made it out alive without frostbite, so let's call it a win.
DeleteYou rarely pack snacks people are amazing. I don't know how you do it!
How did you get all that stuff into one backpack? I'm in awe. You may not consider yourself a competent packer, but I beg to differ. Well done.
ReplyDeleteWell, the backpack suffered, it turns out. Ha!
DeleteCount me among the impressed, that’s some good packing!
ReplyDeleteWe are checked bag people. I hate worrying about my liquids, I hate lugging luggage around an airport, I hate shoving things in the overhead compartment. Waiting for bags takes very little time, and I have not yet had a bag go missing (knocks on wood superstitiously…which used to make Mulder bark because he thought someone was at the door, sigh).
We’re going to Portland tomorrow (YAY!) to see my family, and I said Hell no, I’m not paying to check a bag, we’re going to have to do carry on. Everyone was sad and resigned. Then I got an email from the airline saying the overhead bins were going to be full, would we like to check bags for free? YAY!
It never occurs to me to pack snacks when I travel.
We are such different people, friend. I cannot imagine not packing snacks or regularly checking luggage. My friend did check luggage and it took almost an hour to get her luggage at SeaTac. AN HOUR. It was fine because we were together, but it was a huge crowd of people and I put on a face mask and was one of those people for a bit. I find checking luggage to be far more stressful than bringing my backpack.
DeleteI am a lady who has serious issues regulating my blood pressure (I have passed out a lot) and it would never occur to me to even leave the house without snacks, let alone when I'm traveling across the country!
If all goes well, I will never be in an airport or plane again.
ReplyDeleteIs that a good thing for you? Because it sort of sounds sad to me, but if that's something you're excited about, awesome.
DeleteI think you did great! For the trip I just took, I literally had to sit on my carryon bag to get it closed, and then it ALMOST didn't fit in the overhead bin because it was too fat- the flight attendant had to help me squish it down.
ReplyDeleteI ALWAYS travel with snacks. This last time it was nuts and kale chips. And one question- you wore a dress on the plane? I saw people in dresses at the airport, and I kept thinking how my legs would be cold on the plane. I always wear super comfortable pants.
Yes, I wore a dress. And my duster. And my scarf. I was okay, although I was cold on my last flight. I don't think there is such a thing as "super comfortable pants" for me in existence, to be honest. At least not pants I'd wear in public!
DeleteI am so impressed. (And what a good woman you are to continue your PT on your trip. Bravo!)
ReplyDeleteYour packing is thoughtful and practical. I may have to reconsider dresses in my life because they are so easy and uber-appropriate.
I don't often pack any snacks at all, which now seems dumb to me. Still, I rarely feel much like eating when I fly because I'm always tense and annoyed.
It wasn't even so much as eating on the plane as making sure I had appropriate snack food throughout the trip. My friend doesn't eat breakfast immediately upon waking, for instance, so I just grabbed a granola bar every morning. And let's say we were on an interminable walking tour and I felt a little bit lightheaded - that's a perfect time to break out the nuts or a fig bar. I never leave the house without a snack!
DeleteA 22 hour travel day to go to Seattle? Wow, things really went poorly as that should be a fairly easy trip! Yikes!!
ReplyDeleteI use a roller bag and backpack when traveling and shove my small purse into my backpack to consolidate down to 2 bags when boarding. Or I should say that I what I do when I am traveling for work. When I traveled w/ Will, I used a bigger backpack and fit both of our things in that. I absolutely needs to be handsfree since I was pushing a stroller.
I usually back protein bars of some sort when traveling but I don't pack much for food since I am usually traveling on my company's dime so they pay for my snacks!
I hate roller bags because as far as I can tell they always break. LOL. And you have to worry a lot more about overhead room. But I can see the advantages in terms of not killing your back.
DeleteI think I'm just used to being with my husband, so food is necessary because we frequently can't find anything for him to eat if we don't bring something with us. It's habit now.
Up until this spring, the carryon I tended to use was my 1999 high school graduation gift! I got a luggage set and the roller suitcase still works! It does not look good, though, but it's very small so fits on any plane, even the tiny regional jets so I will still use it occasionally.
DeleteTotally makes sense about being used to packing food!
I'd say you did an excellent job of packing! I always pack lots of snacks! I like to bring Wheat Thins, pretzels, dry Cheerios (like a little kid!), granola bars, almonds, and/or dried cheese. (Moon cheese) The Gatorade packets are a genius idea! I'm going to do that next time I go somewhere.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could share with you how excited I was when I found the Gatorade packets. I haven't bought a bottle of Gatorade since!
DeleteI have packing regrets too. Food to pack? I like almonds too.
ReplyDeleteSnacks forever!!
DeleteI don't think it looks like you are terrible at packing. I so overpack when I don't fly somewhere. I like ot have choices, damn it. I was very intentional when I packed to go to Italy in the spring and I think I used everything. I pack food when I travel, because I don't trust that I'll find gf options and I like my specific snacks. I take my gf protein bars, because I eat one everyday. I pack my GF oatmeal and the bowl that I use to cook it in, because it needs a deep microwavable bowl. Because life is fun, I also (since Nov) pack Miralax. I take a few other little snacks, like a mixture of almonds and pumpkin seeds and walnuts and maybe one or two of those little chewey cluster thing, Good Eats, or Good something, I forget what they're called. Sometimes I'll bring a microwave popcorn packet.
ReplyDeleteWhen I take my car, it's all holds barred. I pack shoes for every occasion, my special pillow, workout gear, a cooler - literally EVERYTHING. My husband has a camping set he brings to cook/microwave/eat with when he travels because he doesn't trust other things to not be cross contaminated. All the cool people do that, I guess!
DeleteI don't fly much but do take a lot of road trips. Beef jerky is a must...and this being Wisconsin, usually some sort of cheese. Gatorade Zero to drink.
ReplyDeleteThat was the first flight I'd been on since February 2020. I don't do a ton of flying, but, surprisingly enough, I'll be on another flight next week!
DeleteThat is excellent packing! I only travel with a backpack, in fact I do not even own a suitcase. What you packed could easily last for a week or more. I always pack travel snacks because I easily get hangry and the airport never has what I want. Lots of bars, nuts, sometimes fruit for the first leg of the journey.
ReplyDeleteNo suitcase!?!? Wow! If I had done laundry, that could probably last me forever, to be honest. My friend did have a washer/dryer, so if I'd been delayed or something, I could have made it work. Unhappily, but possibly.
DeleteThat's an impressive packing accomplishment! And I love your Lions patch! And I'm betting you've had your backpack forever! Gold stars and hearts for all those things!!! (I usually pack nuts and dried fruit because they'll last all trip long and satisfy most cravings... and have you seen what those things cost inside the airport?!)
ReplyDelete