Packing !

Collared shirts are hard work to keep crease free although you can buy special shirt packing things for single shirts but, IMHO, look expensive and a faff - iron at destination or hand over to hotel laundry service! Packing cubes (I use the eBags ones) are like mini, soft-sided compartments in your suitcase so you can pack say, t-shirts in one, underwear in another etc rather than stuffing items into corners, but the real saving grace is when overseas customs select you for the random search...no blushes and no trying to cram everything back in to the case under supervision! Great for backpacking too so you don't have to empty the whole pack trying to find one item (which will be at the bottom). Once you start using them, you won't pack any other way again. OCDers of the world unite!

Thanks LizzieP
I reckon I am gonna get me some packing cubes.

This thread is like a breath of fresh air!


Having a few pets in the house means that setting things out early would just mean they would be trampled and used as bedding so tend not to bother. They start to sulk when they see the suitcases come out of the spare room and have been know to have a protest in one - new suitcase for me please!

Haha my Dog absolutely hates my packing my Snowboard bag in particular and has even put some of his toys in it and then lay down in it himself

Don't know if anyone else has tried it but I use the 'pack my bag' app. You can load several itineraries and packing lists to suit each trip.

You can use the preset lists or make your own.

I find it particularly useful to refer back to the lists after the holiday or trip to see what I used / didn't use / had to buy so I can adjust the list for next time.

Don't know if anyone else has tried it but I use the 'pack my bag' app. You can load several itineraries and packing lists to suit each trip.

You can use the preset lists or make your own.

I find it particularly useful to refer back to the lists after the holiday or trip to see what I used / didn't use / had to buy so I can adjust the list for next time.

:0 now that is a whole different ball game lol like it.

Does anyone always print boarding passes even though you know there is no need to ?

I print 2 copies in case I lose one, and save them as a PDF and email to my phone in case I lose both!

First, apologies to L2H for asking a question on her thread. But actually - on the subject of packing, does anyone have any good tips for packing a shirt so that it minimises creases? or are creases inevitable?

I use the bundling method to avoid creasing
here's a quick vid http://youtu.be/PlLxQzR8axM

Good tip for collars is if u have some stiff card use it in the collar to keep it in shape or failing that a few pairs of socks in the neck when its folded to stop it getting flattened.

For t-shirts i use the burrito rolling method.I combine this with Ziploc big bags [Poor mans packing cube] this also means my stuff is kept dry and bug free.

I'v had my USA trip planed out for months, 2500miles
click for larger version

All routes on my GPS inc POI's and the cheapest petrol stations ect
I have hard and soft back ups of everything.
I will start packing 2 weeks before i leave.
I even have a handy DIY charge station i made up for charging gadgets and storing there cables

...currently searching App Store for pack my bag app and Amazon for packing cubes lol

I also have vacuum bags to hand if needed. They either get used in both directions if I want to take smaller case, or get thrown in to be used for making more space if I shop at my destination!

I always pack more than I need, and always come back with clothes not worn. On our last trip to Canada we decided to use hotel laundry service which was surprisingly cheap and I had a lot more stuff I didn't use, but it was also lovely because very little laundry to do when we got back ):

This has me thinking about our trip to Japan next year as we'll need to pack light as we're changing location every couple of days (and spending some of that time lounging around Onsen in yukatas). Only thing is, travelling light is alien to me.

First aid kits... One in my back pack with plasters, blister plasters and treatments, stuff for insect bites, plus various pills for what ails you, chapstick, hand sanitiser, and same in my Dopp kit in the case.

What else.. Spare credit card and £50 tucked into my Dopp kit in case I'm robbed or lose stuff, foreign currency split into bundles and hidden, some in my case and some in hand luggage. That way if one is lost or stolen, I've got backup!

...currently searching App Store for pack my bag app and Amazon for packing cubes lol

I also have vacuum bags to hand if needed. They either get used in both directions if I want to take smaller case, or get thrown in to be used for making more space if I shop at my destination!

I always pack more than I need, and always come back with clothes not worn. On our last trip to Canada we decided to use hotel laundry service which was surprisingly cheap and I had a lot more stuff I didn't use, but it was also lovely because very little laundry to do when we got back ):

This has me thinking about our trip to Japan next year as we'll need to pack light as we're changing location every couple of days (and spending some of that time lounging around Onsen in yukatas). Only thing is, travelling light is alien to me.

First aid kits... One in my back pack with plasters, blister plasters and treatments, stuff for insect bites, plus various pills for what ails you, chapstick, hand sanitiser, and same in my Dopp kit in the case.

What else.. Spare credit card and £50 tucked into my Dopp kit in case I'm robbed or lose stuff, foreign currency split into bundles and hidden, some in my case and some in hand luggage. That way if one is lost or stolen, I've got backup!

wow wow and wow
how organised is that.
I think I gotta up my game here to lol
we usually go to japan with a few cases, one stuffed with gifts for friends and family. Once that is empty its time to fill it up with the goodstuff - SHOPPING!!! lol
granted it is easier to travel japan light but soooo much fun not lol

Bretty
When I went to ny in may with my two eldest daughters I was using the hotel facilities to check in for the flight coming home , I don't know how I done it but I ended up with 8 copies for each of us and each copy is actually 2 pages so I ended up with 48 bits of paper which I still have to this day , how sad is that !

Bretty
When I went to ny in may with my two eldest daughters I was using the hotel facilities to check in for the flight coming home , I don't know how I done it but I ended up with 8 copies for each of us and each copy is actually 2 pages so I ended up with 48 bits of paper which I still have to this day , how sad is that !

PMSL

I'm gonna get some packing cubes, they look ace

Like LizzieP, I use the eBags ones. Highly recommend. They wash well too. Strong enough to use for travel adapters, chargers etc without tearing through but soft enough to adapt to contours of toiletry bottles. Different colours for different members of your travelling party if sharing a suitcase too!

This thread is like a breath of fresh air!


Having a few pets in the house means that setting things out early would just mean they would be trampled and used as bedding so tend not to bother. They start to sulk when they see the suitcases come out of the spare room and have been know to have a protest in one - new suitcase for me please!

Haha my Dog absolutely hates my packing my Snowboard bag in particular and has even put some of his toys in it and then lay down in it himself

Awww, he wants to come too!

I started getting an old suitcase out for his Lordship (cat) to attack, scratch at and throw up on. Seems to be doing the trick!

One of my friends had two cats and they made their disgust known whenever the suitcase came out.

One cat would sleep in or on the case then put up a fight when my friend tried to move the cat out. Made worse when his partner tried to help!

Meanwhile the other cat was ready to pounce to take the space of the first cat once that one was extracted - sort of like tag team wrestling.

Unfortunately those two cats are now deceased (natural causes!) but the two replacements behave in the same way. It must be genetic.

And of course this does mean another outing for Simon's Cat

[honey lamb]

Packing cubes? Oh my what are they? Sounds like whatever they are they're gona take my packing OCD to the next level lol

Packing cubes are great. They're made of fabric and are zipped. They come in various sizes and can be organised to make the maximum use of the space in your case. My travel buddy uses them all the time but I haven't yet got round to purchasing mine ii)

Packing cubes? Oh my what are they? Sounds like whatever they are they're gona take my packing OCD to the next level lol

Packing cubes are great. They're made of fabric and are zipped. They come in various sizes and can be organised to make the maximum use of the space in your case. My travel buddy uses them all the time but I haven't yet got round to purchasing mine ii)

after reading this thread:
1. I realised that I am not too OCD lol infact reckon I need to up my game.
2. I am going to look at buying some packing cubes-already checked out on t'interweb.

Great thread. Just to add to the packing systems, I like the 'spare room' approach and start a week before. There are 3 of us so I have 9 piles. I take the 3 people and divvy the clothes up into the 3 cases, so each case has 1/3 of each persons clothes/shoes/toiletries/suntan lotion etc.

If I lose a case, we can manage. If we lose 2 we can cope and if we lose 3 it means more shopping!

Always pack the swimmies and suntan lotion last on top as then you can whip them out quickly when you arrive.

Oh yes ALWAYS split the packing in case a suitcase goes missing

What a marvelous thread! We're off two weeks tomorrow so I was just having a quick update of my packing list and itinerary...

You've reminded me that I really need to start printing stuff off and it never occurred to me to put bank notes facing the same way (but always in denomination order of course!)

We're going to NYC with my husband's parents and whenever we asked what they wanted to do, they'd say "whatever you want to do is fine". Knowing that I'd want to make restaurant reservations in plenty of time, book theatre tickets etc, I prepared a PowerPoint presentation outlining our itinerary for their approval...

We're going to NYC with my husband's parents and whenever we asked what they wanted to do, they'd say "whatever you want to do is fine". Knowing that I'd want to make restaurant reservations in plenty of time, book theatre tickets etc, I prepared a PowerPoint presentation outlining our itinerary for their approval...

Roflmao! Now that has got to be the geekiest OCD thing I've read so far, but also kinda cool. Kudos. oo) oo) we're not worthy, we're not worthy.

Buttercup kitty!!!! Amazing!!!

Does anyone always print boarding passes even though you know there is no need to ?

Afraid I do. It's all part of the fun. Isn't it???

Does anyone always print boarding passes even though you know there is no need to ?

Afraid I do. It's all part of the fun. Isn't it???

Defo
I don't have a printer so always collect at the airport
I still have my one and only UC boarding pass in my wallet
Actually I have some other memorable boarding passes somewhere too

[honey lamb]

My packing planning starts with deciding what I am going to wear on the flight. The criteria is that it must be comfortable, crease-resistant (no linen) and, when crossing the equator, adaptable from one season to another. For the purposeof this thread I am talking about a typical 2 weeks holiday as opposed to a quick trip across the Channel to the continent.

After that, like others, a spare room is requisitioned and clothes laid on the bed. Underwear for the number of days is counted out plus a few extra in case of accidents/change of clothes from skin out because of heat or other factors*, a variety of mix and match tops and bottoms is gauged as well as a couple of outfits for "posh" occasions - generally the number of tops is greater than the bottoms, shoes are decided upon and finally toiletries.

Generally speaking, the toiletries are the easiest to deal with and the wash bag is rapidly filled and closed. After that, the pile of clothes is perused; some are discarded and some added. It should be said that while this is going on all I am wearing is what could generally be called as "shreddies" - clothes, I wouldn't be seen dead in except on the run up to a holiday. :0

Finally, a couple of days beforehand I start packing. Some things get discarded, others discarded and then reinstated and others introduced. Sometimes there are items that can only introduced at that late stage and the case can then be closed.

Money is sorted in order of denominations, but then it is for the rest of the year.

Do I print off itineraries, bookings etc? No! That's what my iPhone, iPad and MacBook are for and I've never been asked to produce a hard copy

A whole post and no mention of packing any gin !

There will be words about this shocking lapse !!!!