Deb at RevGals is sending two daughters packing - one to a first apartment and one to her first dorm room. She says,
It made me realize that there are some elements to packing and moving that are learned, and some that are innate. So let's talk "packing or pack rat?" for this week's Friday Five.
1. Are you a sorter or a pack rat? What I mean by that is, do you select what you are taking with you (on a trip, a new assignment, a vacation), or do you pack with abandon (overweight suitcases be damned!) I select very carefully, because I have been on far too many trips with WAY too much weight to carry.
2. Who first helped you learn how to pack? Or did you just come into it by osmosis or natural gifting (and need)? Hmm. My mom, I guess. But I don't remember it. It was also partly self-taught. I used to do a packing demonstration for study abroad students, and I would say, "Everything I need for 5 weeks is in this bag" and then unpack the bag and show them. I figured I had to practice what I preached...! Note that I would put washcloths in a baggie to represent my underthings...no one needed to see my real underthings...!
3. What's your favorite kind of suitcase? Duffle? Soft-side? Wheels? (I am personally a fan of my "expanding zipper" wheelie suitcases. Saved my bacon on many a return trip home!) I love the wheels, and am planning for my next one to have the wheels that go all directions. Luxury.
4. Do you have that "packing gene" -- or do you pack and cram what you need into every available space? I do well on the way out, but on the way home it's always expanded somehow...even if it was only a work trip and I didn't gain anything new by shopping.
5. What's one thing you've learned in traveling, packing or storing your belongings that you think everyone should know? The natural look for hair is highly underrated, especially for travel. Give it a try, and stop hauling around hairdryers, flat irons, etc.!! This advice from someone with naturally curly hair, who straightened it every single day from jr. high through high school. When I went off to college, I said, "the heck with it" and never looked back.
It made me realize that there are some elements to packing and moving that are learned, and some that are innate. So let's talk "packing or pack rat?" for this week's Friday Five.
1. Are you a sorter or a pack rat? What I mean by that is, do you select what you are taking with you (on a trip, a new assignment, a vacation), or do you pack with abandon (overweight suitcases be damned!) I select very carefully, because I have been on far too many trips with WAY too much weight to carry.
2. Who first helped you learn how to pack? Or did you just come into it by osmosis or natural gifting (and need)? Hmm. My mom, I guess. But I don't remember it. It was also partly self-taught. I used to do a packing demonstration for study abroad students, and I would say, "Everything I need for 5 weeks is in this bag" and then unpack the bag and show them. I figured I had to practice what I preached...! Note that I would put washcloths in a baggie to represent my underthings...no one needed to see my real underthings...!
3. What's your favorite kind of suitcase? Duffle? Soft-side? Wheels? (I am personally a fan of my "expanding zipper" wheelie suitcases. Saved my bacon on many a return trip home!) I love the wheels, and am planning for my next one to have the wheels that go all directions. Luxury.
4. Do you have that "packing gene" -- or do you pack and cram what you need into every available space? I do well on the way out, but on the way home it's always expanded somehow...even if it was only a work trip and I didn't gain anything new by shopping.
5. What's one thing you've learned in traveling, packing or storing your belongings that you think everyone should know? The natural look for hair is highly underrated, especially for travel. Give it a try, and stop hauling around hairdryers, flat irons, etc.!! This advice from someone with naturally curly hair, who straightened it every single day from jr. high through high school. When I went off to college, I said, "the heck with it" and never looked back.
