I travel a lot and am a complete mess at packing.
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| Proof of Kirby's packing ineptitude |
I leave in 9 days for Germany (5 days visiting Department of Defense schools; more about that later), France (a few days in Paris then on to Giverny and the Normandy Beaches) and finally London (via the Chunnel). Five days of work, a couple days of travel and about five days of play.
Keep your Cafe Francais in a ziplock bag. Takes up less room than the cans.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful trip! The Normandy beaches were a highlight of our trip this fall--visit the WWII museum in Caen if you can! In fact, they offer half-day tours of the beaches that include museum admission, which was what we did because we didn't have a car at the time.
ReplyDeleteAs for packing, we bought suitcases from Rick Steves' travel store in Edmonds and LOVE them because they have no frame. This makes them lightweight and easily able to expand. He also sells mesh packing cubes designed to go in them, which we didn't get but after a couple weeks of things getting jammed in every which way, I kind of wish we'd gotten some! Good luck and have a wonderful time!
I travel a lot, so years ago I typed up a packing list. It has categories for clothes (listing everything from socks to gloves and scarf), toiletries (every item listed), miscellaneous (something to read, camera, publicity materials, emergency phone numbers, etc.), and even sections for camping and car trips (pillow, travel mug...). Whenever I'm packing, I check off items on the list, ignoring those not relevant for this trip. It makes packing faster, and even better, I rarely forget anything.
ReplyDeleteChris Eboch
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ReplyDeleteI want your list!
Roll your clothes.
ReplyDeleteTake only 4 outfits and wash when you can.Take only two pair of shoes. Think of being on a backpack trip at Philmont...less is better. MarjieP
Marjie -- what is Philmont??? Okay. Taking only 4 outfits. I had already winnowed down to 2 pairs of shoes (do you know how hard that is for a shoe fanatic like me???). Less is better. Less is better. Less is better.
ReplyDeleteI believe. I believe. I believe.
I love those mesh zippered things you can get from travel websites and even L.L. Bean. I have several sizes. It makes it super easy to look through things and repack, move things around, pack by outfit, etc.
ReplyDeleteWrinkle-free white blouses are great, too. Eddie Bauer and Brooks Brothers have good ones. NEVER wrinkle and go with anything.
J.Jill has a new "wearever" line of clothes that travel well. Lightweight. No wrinkle. Washable.
Barbara -- I just bought 2 Eddie Bauer white blouses and now feel 100% more organized. But I am taking a very small suitcase so don't think there will be room for even one baggie of Cafe Francaise.
ReplyDelete