Five tips for packing for vacation when you are a ‘P’

Packing for a trip when you are a ‘P’ (Lifestyle preference – see my Monday Musing for this week) can be a challenge.  Making a commitment and decisions are difficult.  The theory is that the “perceiving” means preferring to take in information – in other words, we are constantly re-evaluating our options based on any new data we receive or expect to receive.

So, the challenge for the ‘P’ is that she is constantly gathering information – what will the weather be?  Will we go somewhere fancy for dinner?  What clothes fit me?   Will I need to wear these clothes before packing them?

You can see the dilemma.  I often pack very last minute, and it works for me, but I have developed some tips that help me be a successful packer.

1. Make a reusable list.  This is really the number 1 tip – if you don’t do any of the others but this one, you will save time and aggravation. 

 

We vacation at the beach every summer for a certain amount of days.  One year I made a list and put it in a document.  Every year – about a month before vacation, I review the list and make tweaks based on the ages of my children or notes I made on last year’s list.  Then I am ready to just pack and check off items on the list.  The list is organized by each traveler, the beach bag, and “other” which includes all the miscellaneous cameras, bedding, towels, etc. that we need for that vacation.

You can do the same for a “weekend away” list, “winter vacation to warm place/cold place”, etc.  You are probably going to make a list anyway, just take the extra 5 minutes to type it into a document, and then you can reuse it.

2. When the kids are old enough, make them pack their items. I started when they were 10, gave them a copy of the list with their specific list, and then I would just check what they packed.  Around 14, I stopped checking, and they were responsible if they brought the correct sweatshirt or not (it’s a good lesson). 
3. Double up. Create a travel kit with doubles (or travel size) of your favorite shampoo, deodorant, make up, hair spray, etc.  You will save time and money knowing that you have everything you need in your kit already.  I have a kit for the toiletries, OTC medicine/first aid, and seasonal (bug spray, sunscreen, etc.).  It’s an investment in the front end to have duplicates of everything, but it saves you in the long run – the first time you realize that you forgot the sunscreen and you have to buy a $20 bottle in the sundries shop or even worse take time out of your vacation to go to the nearest drugstore, you will have broken even.
4. Don’t over plan for the weather. This is definitely one of those challenges for a ‘P’ that is doing the packing.  If your destination spans 40-80 degrees Fahrenheit, and you could have sun through monsoon, you will need to curb your desire to pack several options for every possible weather situation.  Of course, this is more of a challenge if you are limited to one piece of luggage, but it’s a good practice to pack only what you’ll need no matter if you have a carryon or an SUV to hold your belongings.  Pack the majority of your items for the average weather.  For the extremes, it’s usually bulkier to pack for wet and cold than hot, so think layers.  Also, heat escapes from head, feet, and hands, so make sure to bring a hat, gloves, and warm socks – all that don’t take up much room in your suitcase.  You can be quite comfortable by adding these items to a layered sweatshirt.
5. Spacebag Space Savers. I once say Kelly Rippa say that she packed for her three children,  her husband, Mark, and herself all in one suitcase.  She confessed that her trick was using SpaceSaver bags – those bags where you vacuum (or push out) all the air.  This shrinks the space you need by half or more.  I started using them during our next beach vacation.  We rent a place, so I have sheets and towels to bring, this was perfect for squeezing in all those bulky items without taking up tons of space.  I haven’t used the smaller ones for carry ons (I can usually fit all my stuff), but they look really useful.

One year, I photographed how I had packed the car so I could remember how I did it the next year:

So, there you go, my five tips – there are so many great ideas about packing light, how to pack, etc. out on the internet, but that’s all about when you actually start packing.  The challenge I have is planning and starting, so these are the tricks I use to help me get the packing done and not forget anything important.

How do you pack?  Are you a last minute packer?  Or do you have your suitcases waiting by the door a week in advance?