A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Hobbies, Crafts and Creativity Helpful Hints Packing For A Trip

With so many of us taking summer trips or helping someone else pack for a trip, I thought it would be fun and useful if we posted our ideas on how best to do that.

I always travel light -- from so many years of backpacking -- you learn to scale down! Even so, it can be a headache trying to organize and pack it all in a handy manner and so things don't get ruined.

I tend to put many items in gallon ziplock bags for Maxi. All his boxers, all his socks. That not only makes filling the suitcase easy, but it keeps his clean stuff from accidently getting mixed up with his worn things.

We will be taking the train from Boston to Baltimore on June 12th. I know from experience that trains can be either too hot or too cold, so I am making sure we dress in layers.

I am also a big fan of making lists and getting everything all laid out before I start putting things in the suitcase & checking off from the list. I find if I just start putting things in the bags, I lose track too easily.

When I have some time, I will post about the first train trip I took w/ Maxi when he was about four months old. The way I packed for that trip just about killed me! Lesson learned!

What about you? What suggestions do you have or what packing disasters can you share?

My best suggestion is to buy a travel kit...ya know those $5 kits from Wal-Mart, they have all the hygiene necessities in one pack, no spills, no forgetting.

Roll up all your clothes, they wrinkle less than folding....and yes, make that list

I agree with Tamara, Merme. the military rolling up lets you fit far more clothes, in a suitcase, or backpack and tsurprising they do not wrinkle as much.
I al;ways take a white garbage bag to fit my worn clothes into, in the hotel room. then when I pack to go home, I can either re-roll them or sometimes the whole bag fits into the suitcase.--that way you do not have dirty clothes in with the clean, smelling them up.

and call ahead to the hotel----see if they offer things like complementary shammpoo, soap, hair dryers, irons & boards---if you KNOW that they offer some toiletries you will have to take l ess with you too. a hair dryer can take up a lot of room, after all.

Good Luck

I think packing for any domestic destination is far easier than packing for an overseas trip. I mean, if you are anywhere in the USA and realize you've forgotten something, it isn't usually a disaster.... we have shops galore all over the country and one can pick up just about anything from coast to coast.

What I found tough was packing for international destinations... simply the process of learning the differences was a little daunting. For instance, electrical outlets are different in Europe and one needs to either pack an adapter or buy a European curling iron once you've arrived. Plus the issues of currency and language. Fortunately, there are lots of great resources available to the would-be traveler and plenty of well-traveled people around who can advise.

I used to fly quite often when I was young. Don't even get me started on the topic of Lost Luggage! Once, an airline lost both my big bag AND my guitar. I eventually got it all back again, but my bag ended up first in a warehouse in Chicago and my guitar made a round trip to the Orient!

But meanwhile, there I was hundreds of miles from home without so much as a toothbrush on me! Fortunately, the airline took good care of me, putting me up in a hotel (they'd also messed up my connecting flight), letting me shop in the hotel's shop for anything I needed.

Still, it was a lesson learned and ever after that, I always carried really important items in a small "carry on" bag (giant purse) and did not pack anything in a suitcase I couldn't really do without.