I have an admission to make. I hate packing. I despise it with a deep, deep passion. Why? I am a horrible packer. I never bring what I need to bring. Or I never know what I need to bring. Or I panic about bringing everything I need to bring, and I bring too much. Did you know that there is a weight limit for luggage on airplanes before you get charged? How do I know? Oh, because T and I both were about .5 pounds away from the limit the last trip we took. I probably brought a bit too much, but I didn’t want to be caught in a situation where I didn’t have everything I needed.
We’re leaving for Ireland in three weeks. In my head, I know I need to start planning what all I need to pack. I should probably make a list, but I’m much too lazy to start said list. But my time is quickly lapsing so I better get on it.
So now begins the process….when you’re me, and you have to pack for a long trip, you pack for all contingencies: warm weather, cold weather, rain, stomach aches, headaches, fever…you know, pretty much anything that could happen and/or go wrong. I basically pack the equivalent of a CVS pharmacy in my bag when I leave. Many of these medications are the ones I take daily, but I also take enough just in case something “bad” happens. (Yes, I’m aware they have stores in Ireland, and yes, I’m sure they sell these products there). What’s currently on my list: Advil, Lactaid (Yay, lactose intolerance!), GasX, Immodium, Pepto, bandaids, Neosporin…why all of this stuff? Because bad events have occurred to me in the past when I have been on vacation, and I was unprepared. (I recall an ill-fated senior year trip in high school where I actually got physically sick while in Senate chambers.) I swore to myself that I will never again forget a vital medication when on a trip like that. Heck, you should see my purse now. I’m equipped for any kind of natural disaster.
Then I wonder…what if I don’t bring enough jeans? What if the shoes I bring hurt my feet? How many shoes should I bring? Should I bring something dressy? What if we want to go out somewhere nice to eat one night? How warm does it even get in Ireland? Should I bring a jacket?
Am I over thinking this? Oh, that’s quite possible. However, I’ve already started. My goal is to have the suitcase packed by the Thursday before the wedding and have that ready to go. We leave Sunday afternoon the day after the wedding, and I want all of it ready and taken care of before the craziness starts.
This is my first time traveling overseas…for those of you who are worldly travelers, what recommendations do you have for packing for the trip?
We’re leaving for Ireland in three weeks. In my head, I know I need to start planning what all I need to pack. I should probably make a list, but I’m much too lazy to start said list. But my time is quickly lapsing so I better get on it.
So now begins the process….when you’re me, and you have to pack for a long trip, you pack for all contingencies: warm weather, cold weather, rain, stomach aches, headaches, fever…you know, pretty much anything that could happen and/or go wrong. I basically pack the equivalent of a CVS pharmacy in my bag when I leave. Many of these medications are the ones I take daily, but I also take enough just in case something “bad” happens. (Yes, I’m aware they have stores in Ireland, and yes, I’m sure they sell these products there). What’s currently on my list: Advil, Lactaid (Yay, lactose intolerance!), GasX, Immodium, Pepto, bandaids, Neosporin…why all of this stuff? Because bad events have occurred to me in the past when I have been on vacation, and I was unprepared. (I recall an ill-fated senior year trip in high school where I actually got physically sick while in Senate chambers.) I swore to myself that I will never again forget a vital medication when on a trip like that. Heck, you should see my purse now. I’m equipped for any kind of natural disaster.
Then I wonder…what if I don’t bring enough jeans? What if the shoes I bring hurt my feet? How many shoes should I bring? Should I bring something dressy? What if we want to go out somewhere nice to eat one night? How warm does it even get in Ireland? Should I bring a jacket?
Am I over thinking this? Oh, that’s quite possible. However, I’ve already started. My goal is to have the suitcase packed by the Thursday before the wedding and have that ready to go. We leave Sunday afternoon the day after the wedding, and I want all of it ready and taken care of before the craziness starts.
This is my first time traveling overseas…for those of you who are worldly travelers, what recommendations do you have for packing for the trip?
Oh, wish I could help, but I suffer from the same issues... Well, Ireland tends to be rainy, so take one good raincoat and resist the temptation of taking more. It's your honeymoon, so you'll probably be going to nicer places, so take dressy clothes. Running shoes for sightseeing. Two pairs of jeans are usually enough. And try to hold back on the toiletries. And, the most important thing: inform T he is supposed to underpack so you can use up the space in his bag if you need it. That's what men are for!
ReplyDeleteWell, I'd just pack jeans, and jeans and umbrellas. haha That's my style!
ReplyDeleteI've been to England in JULY and it was cold and raining almost every single day.
Then I've also been to Germany, in August, and it was hot and cold and raining and sunny... Crazy!
So bring umbrellas. I'd bring two umbrellas, just in case (I brought one umbrella when I travelled to England and Germany and in both trips I had to buy another one, because the other died in a storm). And 3 jeans, jackets and just one or two dresses, if you went out somewhere nice one night.
Is it too much?
Here's where we differ. I LOVE packing! It's all about organization and I love me some organized! (Yes, I meant it the way I wrote it.) We're headed out of town for Labor Day and my husband thinks me weird for pulling the suitcase out NOW. (Hey, I can start on Sprite's stuff, can't I?) Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI've only been on a cruise out of the country so I'm not very good with that. In fact, once, after #1 was born, we went on a long weekend out of state and we had two suitcases and I packed everything for the baby and forgot anything for hubby or me!
ReplyDeletemy only experience out of the country was my honeymoon cruise, but we went to Mexico , so I knew it would be hot. But, I usually pack a sweater too, just in case. However, for our honeymoon I forgot... we had to buy one because it got cold when we were on the ocean.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I'm the same way! I pack way too much, and I try to plan for EVERYTHING. which is hard. and stressful. I go through the same mental questions for any trip.
I wish you the best of luck!
ReplyDeleteAWWWWWWWW DON'T SWEAT IT MAMA! JUST WOOO-SAWWWWW AND JUST ENJOY YOUR TRIP AND COME HOME SAFE!
ReplyDeleteOH! I am COMPLETELY in the same boat as you. We only get 2 bags for the cruise, and I am FREAKING out. How can I fit 234098 weeks of clothes into one bag? Oh, did I mention I'll only be there 7 days? Maybe I need to be more like Lady Gaga and change clothes every 5 minutes? What if it rains? What if it's hot? What if it's cold? Can I really rely on weatherchannel.com? I can hear the hypothetical panic in my head just thinking about it. Know you are not alone. I'm probably going to start trying to pack tomorrow.... and I don't leave until the 11th. Please do not let me pack my cats. If you don't remind me I will probably try to.
ReplyDelete:-P
I wish I had some great tips for you. But every overseas vacation I took, I was a kid/teenager so my family had me covered.
ReplyDeleteExcept for when I was 21 - I went to Australia, failed to check the weather and brought all summer clothes. It was freezing. I had to buy new clothes while I was there, and then wound up leaving all of my other clothes in the hotel after I left to come home. It was awesome.
I have a Word doc that I use for our twice yearly beach vacation. It's a 3 page table of things to pack, broken down by category (video game stuff, dog stuff, food stuff, medicine stuff). Every trip, I save a new version of the file with the date. We use the guest bed as a landing station for what we want to pack starting a couple weeks in advance, so no, you're definitely not alone.
ReplyDeleteAs for Ireland, I went years ago but it was in June. I would second the good raincoat suggestion. Also, do you have any knit pants or tops that you can dress up or down? Those are great because you can roll them, they don't wrinkle easily, and they're comfortable. (They also weigh less than jeans.)
Hope it's a wonderful trip! Congratulations on the wedding!