At some point in my travels like taking week trips down South, going "Up North" and weekend trips for debate tournaments, I decided it was not worth the hassle to over-pack. I was either lugging unnecessary baggage through a hotel or messing through piles of useless, once-neatly packed clothing, until finally it occurred to me that generally I didn't need everything I brought. Since that time I have challenged myself more and more to pack better, looking for the lightest load I can take. On this trip I went to Philadelphia for 3 days and 2 nights with nary a checked bag; in fact, everything fit under the airplane seat. Someday I would love to try traveling with no suitcases at all. (Click the link to hear how Rolf Potts went without baggage on a 6-week trip: Around the World, No Baggage.)
The Best Laid Plans..... How it really went down (and was done well) -
Outfit for plane on the way there:
Black leggings under dress pants, socks, purple 3/4 sleeve, leopard cardi, green scarf, cheap fun bracelets, X2B winter boots, black leather jacket, et c’est tout.
Outfit for plane on the way home:
Black dress pants, socks, black 3/4 sleeve, leopard cardi, green scarf, cheap fun bracelts, X2B winter boots, black leather with gloves, and winter hat.
Outfit for the game (wet, but not rainy, 50ish degrees)
Black leggings, dress socks, wool ski socks, black tunic with slip, pink hoodie, black leather and gloves, winter hat. (After awhile, towards late afternoon, I really would've used warmer pants. If I had worn the slacks in addition to the leggings it would've helped, but slacks are not tailgating/football gear.)
Packed in vintage Avon sales bag (great-grandma’s), coach clutch, and small black leather cross-body bag:
- Homework for Economics and Composition 1 classes, laptop, phone charger, phone, camera, headphones
- Gideon New Testament, and little notebook and pen
- Emery board, deodorant, baking soda, floss, toothbrush, laundry soap, razor, baby powder, hair gel, hair serum, combs (2), flat iron, soy leave-in conditioner, sunglasses, teal pencil, teal liner, CG powder and CG foundation, concealer, gloss, lipstick, L’Oreal blush (raisin-y), bronzer/highlighter duo, women's toiletries, hair-ties, bobby pins, waterproof bag for toiletries, green mardi gras beads (not used), earplugs (not used, but should’ve used them w/ Tex waking up), pink beauty sleep mask, warm hat, mechanic’s gloves, sunglasses (not used, too cloudy), tweezers (not used, should’ve tho), and brown sport headband (not used).
- Extra pair of socks, extra pair of dress socks, and wool socks
- Extra underwear (2)
- Black 3/4 sleeve
- PJ shorts
- White short full slip
- Black long-sleeve tunic (great!!)
- Light pink tank (too loose, needed a tighter one, maybe two)
- Extra bra
- Pink hoodie
- Black leather jacket
- Cash (good for tipping!)
- Pink belt (fun!)
- Pink silk pillowcase
- Orange Carabiner
- Glasses (great for viewing the game!)
Needed/Wanted:- Laptop charger (if used more; as it was my battery lasted just fine, and I'm only now on the last 10% three days after coming home)
- Better cami or two
- Bigger bag, possibly :P Since I bought a few souvenirs my bag was super tight; but then, it was so nice and compact too.
- An extra shirt (For PJs; freshness; whatever)
- Jeans? But not really needed
- Moisturizer for face (coconut oil was a great substitute though!)
- Extra pair of shoes (but really not needed either - this time, it wouldn't have been worth a bigger bag)
^ X2B boots, vintage Avon bag, vintage Coach cross-body bag for mini laptop, and Coach clutch. The cross-body bag held only my laptop and few cosmetics.
^ Packed Avon bag, homework on top
Best Parts:
Walking around the airport (and the city, for that matter) in comfortable shoes, carrying a small amount of luggage. Bringing my laptop for school was great too, as well as the warm hat and flat-iron.
Basically, I had everything I needed; I packed sufficiently but sparingly. It helped that the weather was only 50-60 degrees with occasional rain. This wardrobe was clearly best suited to what I planned for - walking in the airports, riding on the plane, strolling in the hotel, lounging in the room, going to the football game, walking in the city, and going out to eat. Anything too terribly out of the ordinary or a longer trip would've been outside the parameters of the list.
Anyway, I took about two or more hours to pack, including brainstorming, and I took it as a fun challenge to pack as light as possible for the trip.
Until next time!
-Deb
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