**fun anecdote** when flying, once i carried with me through the vast DFW airport the following: my carry-on suitcase (maximum allowable size); an oversized "purse" literally overflowing with things that wouldn't fit in my suitcase; a pillow, also filled with items shoved into the pillowcase such as a book, my ~*~*~*pink blankie*~*~*~, cold weather apparel, etc.; and my laptop which was in a separate bag all together. how they even allowed me on the plane is beyond me. airports are super fun to explore, but not if you're carrying 25 pounds of travel gear and you can't even get some overpriced ben and jerry's ice cream without digging for your buried wallet and accidentally dropping your pillow on the disgusting germ-covered floor.
i am such a SERIAL OVERPACKER y'all. it's not such a huge problem when you're driving instead of flying, as i am on this particular trip, because you can fill up your car with tons of xxxtra stuff, duh. but i'm seriously trying to learn how to become a lighter packer so i can travel more conveniently and just be soooOOoo easy-going and low maintenance. xoxoxox
here are some general rules and tips for packing that i'm making up just now:
vacation is not the time to plan elaborate outfits, and you do not need a different pair of shoes for each day.
no platforms. what could i possibly do that would require 6-inch-high saddle shoe wedges with pink soles? nothing? exactly. 3-inch brown oxfords with orange striped soles that my boyfriend refers to as The Ugliest Shoes In The World? no need for those either. oh but surely there will be some kind of dressy dinner that i'll be attending even though i've pretty much never attended a dressy dinner in my life that will require my sparkly purple heels that i wore as Magenta in Rocky Horror Picture Show. oh, no, no that won't be happening. and in the odd chance that you do attend a formal event, just remember that you never actually dress appropriately for the occasion anyway.
you don't need your tennis shoes. no one will be inviting you to a zumba class and you won't be waking up early before everyone else each morning to go for a brisk jog. **exception** wear your tennis shoes if you're going to six flags of course
do not bring like 4 etxtra books in case you "get a lot of reading done"
i may have brought two books AND two magazines on my 3 day trip to dallas last week. and guess how much reading i did? one single chapter of one single book. only bring the book you're reading now, MAYBE one magazine if you're taking a plane trip, and save the literary ambitions for another time.
do not bring different belts for each day.
*~*~*~weather-appropriate apparel~*~*~* i'm travelling to wisconsin, which i have reason to believe would be a cooler temperature than here in louisiana. also i get cold easily when i go in air conditioned buildings. normally i would bring my green sweater, my gold sweater, a few flannel shirts, my leopard print cardigan, and maybe even my blue cardigan. you never know what you might want to wear. but for this trip i'm only bringing ONE COLD WEATHER LAYER AND THAT'S ALL. oh my god this is such a growing experience y'all.
absolutely no cookbooks are needed on trips, ever.
don't pack any costumes either.
clean out ur purse grrl~~~
throw away that receipt from 2010 and PUT YOUR COINS IN YOUR BABE THE GALLANT PIG BANK. lighten ur load~*~*
don't pack something you've never worn "just in case." it's ok, really, if you leave home without that white button-up shirt from goodwill that you splattered paint all over to look like a shirt neil young wore during jazzfest 2k9 (because neil young is such a fashion insp to millions). if you've gone 3 years without wearing it, you'll be fine for one more week.
it will never be necessary to bring six cameras on a weeklong trip. i totally have done that before and it's not even worth it. i'm only bringing one disposable camera and one other camera with the roll of film almost finished and NOT my digital camera because VACATION IS ABOUT HAVING FUN and not spending 4 hours trying to take one perfect picture and then looking at it on the display screen and moving the camera one millimeter to the left to make it more perfect and then adjusting the shutter speed like 1/80th of a second and then hating yourself. also my digital camera is large-ish and inconvenient for carrying around. remember: think LOW MAINTENANCE. low maint. lo mein.
things to definitely bring:
ear plugzzz.
glasses and/or contacts. these are so imperative you guys. let me just tell you about the multiple times i've had to store my daily-use contacts in tap water from the hotel sink and then it feels like you're inserting two thin shards of glass into your eyes the next morning (and all throughout the day).
dresses are such a good thing to pack because it is just ONE article of clothing but constitutes a full outfit, therefore takes up less space in your suitcase. plus they are comfy for long car rides.
bicycle in case i feel like riding it while i'm there
kewl way to procrastinate packing: write a blog about it.
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next blog~*~ idea, solving one of life's greatest mysteries: how to return from a trip and not just set your suitcase open in the middle of the floor and unpack things from it as you need them.
also i just googled "serial overpacker" to make sure i was using the word serial correctly (and i am) and it appears as though i'm only the 2384u2918u3th person to write basically this exact blog, only better. ew :o(
UpDaTe:
believe it or not y'all, i procrastinated to the extent of not even finishing this blog until i was already in wisconsin. here are some things i forgot or was wrong about:
digital cameras. earlier ^^^ i was just like wahh it's so stressful i luv/h8 taking pixx n looking at them :o(((( but truly i regret not bringing it because i forgot that i love photographing things in other people's houses like this sign in my 11-year old nephew's room that's like "get dressed, eat breakfast, brush hair" and sometimes for important things like that it's necessary to adjust the focus etc.
opossum stuffed animal. my stuffed opossum Blossom is the absolute perfect back cushion for 20 hour car trips, he is cute, and he is photogenic.
other things to bring that i forgot are smart to bring:
scissors (for tons of purposes including but not limited to impulsive hotel bathroom haircuts)
tape
first aid kit feat. printed band-aids because everyone knows i have an irrational fear of plain-colored ones.
aNoThER uPDaTe bEcAuSE i FoRGoT SoMEtHiNG sO iMpOrTanT:
yet another way to procrastinate packing is to text a bunch of your friends for advice about how to pack.
THANKS FOR NOTHING Y'ALL. i received the following useless texts disguised as "advice"...
"it's important to reserve an entire extra large suitcase for shoes."
"no matter how hard you try you will always forget something!"
"medications that must be taken rectally need refrigeration."
i hope this entire blog has been of great use to all y'all.
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