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| BTS is now equipped with a pretty and efficient carry-on. |
I love to travel, but I don't like to pack a suitcase.
As one who overthinks and over plans, I tend to pack for every inevitability. Weather is a factor, of course, but what about the other unknowns? Perhaps everyone at our hotel will be dressed more formally or, conversely, maybe more of a jeans and sneakers crowd. If I bring a few of my favorite dresses, shouldn't I accompany them with the most appropriate sandals, not just literally a one-size-fits all? And, then, once I've struggled with the final selections, how do I get the pile of "necessities" into one (never big enough) bag?
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| Carry-on from Away has a fancy lock and lots of compartments inside |
I found it is possible to overcome such obstacles with a lot of help - and, in my case, help comes via a new suitcase, some good reference material and a special and spatially-skilled daughter.
For my birthday this month, my children gifted me with a new, pretty, pastel pink carry-on from Away. It has a fancy lock, lots of compartments and a personalized luggage tag with the initials, BTS. (From now on Barb's Tea Service will travel in style, proudly claiming this luggage from any overhead compartment or airport carousel.)
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| . . .NY'ers via Facetime |
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| Birthday brunch with family, including |
To make full use of the powers of productive suitcase stuffing, I turned to a New York Time's article my husband, Chris, forwarded me from last December, "How to Maximize Space as You're Packing" (he knows my issues). The author lists a number of suggestions and guidelines to aid in this often-daunting traveler's task. Packing cubes get top billing and can be found at many retail outlets, including REI and The Container Store. These nifty sacks allow for both organization and compression and the article recommends various types depending on your packing profile from "for most people" to "heavy packers". (I know where I belong).
The NYT article also offers a few rules of thumb such as the "5,4,3.2, 1" method. For a weeklong trip, it goes like this:
5 pairs of socks and five pairs of underwear
4 tops
3 bottoms
2 pairs of shoes
1 hat and accessory
(I'm assuming, "two pairs of shoes" means "only", not per category "dress, casual, fun, comfortable, color, etc.")
Also the "Ratio method of 3 to 1": Three tops to every bottom you pack.
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| Need to find the right method to pack tea souvenirs while traveling |
Armed with an efficient suitcase, guidelines, and Rachel, who as a "bonus" to the birthday gift has offered her skilled packing services for my next trip, I'm almost looking forward to this heretofore despised chore. The only item I need to do further research on is to how I pack the tea souvenirs I purchase on vacation. More on that to come. . .
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The suitcase was presented to me at a birthday brunch at Royal Park Hotel with all the "kids", Rob, Rachel, Sean, and via FaceTime, Matt and Jenna. At RPH, I indulged in bananas foster French toast, (which presented another type of "getting stuffed").
4 comments:
I think it depends on where you are going and sometimes you just need more than one suitcase. When we went to Paris and Ireland last summer, my daughter and I took an extra tote bag that we packed empty. We had so much stuff from Mariage Freres Tea and it barely fit in the tote. I also need to get a small carry on for personal items. I had a backpack and it just wasn’t big enough. @denvertealady
@denvertealady I agree! It is situational. It's been awhile since I have been to Paris, but I brought home a lot from Mariage Freres, too. I loved it there!! Sounds like you had some fun travels with your daughter! Bringing an extra tote is a great idea.
I share your challenges, especially on shoes. Just got back from an up north trip where I had no less than seven bras packed (still scarred from a long weekend when the kids were small where I had one black bra only) and not enough tops for my evenings. My tendency now is to get it about right on most things with one category each over and under represented, so I’m a work in progress although better overall.
Kudos and LOL! Yes, that's the fear - having too little of any one items. I know when packing for up north, especially this time of year, the weather can be even more uncertain - so, strategic packing is key. Sounds like you have it covered!!
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