Believe it or not, the key to my favorite packing hack is a contact lens case.
Today, I’m sharing my top three packing tips, and for me, when it comes to packing, less is definitely more. That’s where contact lens cases come in. They’re super small, and yet, they actually hold more than you’d expect. I’ve found that they’re perfect for the small amounts of eye/face cream/powder that I need for a several-day trip. I specifically like the cases with screw-on caps (as opposed to those with fold-over caps), as they’re made of a thicker plastic and are much sturdier. Plus, if you go to pop open a fold-over cap and you’re not careful, you may find yourself breathing in a poof of powder — not an issue with a screw-on cap. These little cases weigh almost nothing and they easily tuck into the smallest of spaces; they’re my go-to anytime I’m getting ready to travel.
Tip number two is simple: pack only what you need. It’s straightforward and common sense, yet I’ve found that it’s a really hard thing for people to do. Many people, if they’re planning to be gone four days, for example, will pack enough clothes for seven. They like choices. But when I’m traveling, I don’t want to be bogged down with choices. I refuse to spend my vacation hemming and hawing over what to wear on any given day. Of course, this kind of packing does require some forethought; if I’m packing a lot of short sleeves, I always include a sweater or jacket because I’m sure to need it at least once during the trip. My main caveat to minimalist packing is this: if you take prescription medications, always take extra, as you never know when you’ll get stuck somewhere for an additional day or two (or more) — and while you can wear the same shirt for a couple of days, when your blood pressure medicine runs out, it’s out.
I will admit that the “pack only what you need” strategy is not without risk. Several years ago, I turned my sister, Deb, on to this plan, and she was immediately enthusiastic. A few days later, she jumped at the chance to try it, as she and Mom headed to Myrtle Beach to have dinner and see a show, with plans to return home early the next day. Given that schedule, Deb chose not to pack any extra clothes (except what she needed to sleep in), figuring she could wear the previous day’s clothes on the drive home — which is exactly what I would have done. They arrived in Myrtle Beach, sat down to dinner — and here’s where the story takes an unfortunate turn — a waitress spilled an entire pitcher of tea on Deb, which (go figure) soured her on the whole minimalist approach to packing. Of course, if I wanted to pursue it, I could argue, “What are the chances that you’ll ever have another pitcher of tea dumped on you?’ but then I feel like Deb would reply, “What were the chances of it happening once?” So, I feel it’s best just to let it go. If she now chooses to pack luggage the size of a steamer trunk for an overnighter to Myrtle Beach, so be it.
Tip number three is expressly for road trips (my favorite kind of travel, by the way). When you’re on an extended road trip and you plan to stay in a different hotel every night or two, rather than packing your clothes in luggage, hang ‘em in the back of the car instead. Steve and I drive a mid-size sedan, and we have more than enough room to make this work, so those of you with larger vehicles shouldn’t have any problems at all. Rather than hanging a rod from one side of the car to the other, we use the rods that hold each of the back headrests in place. All of Steve’s clothes are on one side of the car — his shirts hanging from the two rods of the driver’s side back headrest, his jeans folded on the seat below — and mine are on the other. When we stop somewhere for the night, we can see all our clothes at a glance and it’s easy to grab just what we’ll need for the next day.
The way I see it, how you pack for a trip can either enhance your travels, or it can bog you down. I choose not to be bogged down.
Next week: in a pickle at a grave in Siler City
