I’ve been making all sorts of lists to get myself ready for my upcoming trip.
I’m a huge proponent of lists. Mostly because I have a terrible memory and if I don’t write things down I will most likely forget. Even though I don’t normally start packing until the night before (sometimes even the day of) I always start making lists of what I need to pack/buy very early on. I find that if I start packing too early that’s usually when I tend to over pack.
Packing is always a struggle for me because I tend to want to pack everything. I use this little trick to make sure I don’t over pack. Usually I try to do this when I have limited luggage space, especially when I’m planning a backpacking trip and staying at hostels.
Basically, each number from 1-5 represents a category and also the number of items I’m allowed to pack per category.
Here’s an example of what I would normally pack:
5 - tops (including a cardigan/jacket)
4 - bottoms (jeans, shorts, leggings and skirt)
3 - dresses
2 - footwear (depends on where I’m going but usually 1 pair of sandals and 1 pair of flats)
- if I’m going somewhere warm I’ll also pack 2 sets of swimsuits
1 - pjs
- I also like to pack a small (empty) carry-on size bag so I can have a little extra room to bring back goodies.
This system has been working for me and I always manage to fit everything in one bag with room to bring back goodies.
Wu tip: Hostels don’t usually supply towels and toiletries so I always travel with this PackTowel (https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5024-431/Personal-Towel) I got from MEC. It’s a super lightweight towel that folds up nice and small in the little carrier bag that comes with it. This PackTowel is a bit pricey but I think it’s totally worth it. I’m still amazed at how much water it soaks up and how quickly it dries. The only thing is I like to wait till it dries completely before I pack it back in the little carrier or else it gets that wet towel smell.