When To Pack
People who do stuff on the internet for money come at it from different angles. Some make it a race to the bottom. Others take a different route, idealizing possessions, experiences, and certainly travel. But in my firmly-middle age, travel immediately connotes all the tasks I’d rather not do related to it. Unsurprisingly, I routinely talk myself out of traveling. Naturally, packing is something that excites many travelers anticipating an upcoming jaunt. Not this guy. At least, not that I can recently remember. Nonetheless, when to pack is a matter that’s changed over time with me. I reflect today on where I’ve been and where I am with this task.
That Was Then
As a child and young adult, I enjoyed an early start to packing. I’d routinely begin as much as a week ahead of time. Of course, part of this had to do with my enthusiasm for a given destination. But I also preferred a more deliberate approach. This led to two unsurprising outcomes:
- I rarely forgot anything.
- I often packed way too much stuff.
As I grew, I continued packing early but noticed a new development taking over. Preparing and packing for vacations was negatively affecting my mindfulness. I would allow the focus on that future trip to overtake the moment I was currently in. Instead of cherishing the present, I was overly distracted by the future. The process of packing a few minutes each day before a trip exponentially consumed time upstairs.
Of course, this reality isn’t unique to packing. I can easily lose my sense of the present while looking at my computer screen or phone – and have. But years ago, I realized how I can adapt to quickly center myself back to the current.
This Is Now
Procrastinate! That’s right, for the last several years up to present day, I generally wait until the day or night before a trip to pack. The irony here is that putting things off is otherwise against my nature. I generally prefer to completely resolve a matter and move on to the next one.
But now, I more consciously categorize the preparation for the vacation as part of the actual trip itself. By putting this prep off, I’m more available for my family and friends in the several days before the trip. I mentally depart on my trip the day or night before actually doing so, packing later than I previously did.
But choosing this path can lead to outcomes that rarely happened before, such as:
- Forgetting stuff
- Staying up too late
- Oversleeping the morning of departure
- A rough morning, in general
I’m opting into the above risks in return for a more satisfying several days before the trip. Of course, I’m talking about two extremes here – packing a week in advance or packing just before. I could settle for something in between, but I know that would be futile. Once I mentally turn on travel mode, it’s close to impossible to turn off until after the trip.
Prioritizing
With that in mind (pardon the pun), perhaps my happy medium is how I currently run my day or night before the trip. I place primary focus on packing the following items:
- Necessary credit cards
- Third-party gift cards customized for the trip
- Plenty of small bills for gratuities
- Airline, hotel, and activity reservation info (physical copies or accessible on my phone)
Clothes and toiletries are an afterthought compared to above. That’s because I’ve orchestrated these items to be relatively universal on each trip. I generally take one pair of dark running shoes, flip-flops, and drab clothing befitting a variety of social and environmental settings. My mental muscle memory is more built-in here.
If I forget something, I’d rather it be an easily-replaceable tube of toothpaste or pair of socks than a credit card granting access to an airport lounge. But that’s me.
When To Pack – Conclusion
I’m certainly not encouraging everyone to put off packing. For my situation, though, it’s working out better. And, of course, I might go off script a bit for a unique trip here or there, where more planning or packing is required. I’ll keep making minor tweaks along the way, but I must say my everyday life is simpler when I’ve put off packing. That night before may suck, but I’m okay with that deal.
When do you prefer to pack for a trip and why?
