Packing Light(er)

When I was fourteen, my brother and I went on an unforgettable trip to Italy with our grandparents, Dr. and Mrs. Cook.  For me, it marked the beginning of a lifetime love affair with carbohydrates.  For my family, it marked the beginning of a lifetime of ridiculing me for overpacking.  To be fair, I stuffed a colossal suitcase with over 20 shirts, 10 pairs of footwear, 7 sets of pajamas, and other useless sundry.  

Length of 2002 Italy trip: 7 days

Days our luggage was lost:  3

Years I've been reminded of this: 12 and counting

Check out my très-chic center part and fashionable capris (which were actually pants that my mom shortened, due to a recent growth spurt).

Here we are in 2002 on Day 6 of the trip.  I look happy, but my nana and brother don’t look too pleased. Possibly because they had to help schlep my gargantuan suitcase around.  Or maybe it’s because this picture predates the ubiquity of digital cameras, back when every photo you took was deemed “good enough”. I'm hoping for the latter.

Whenever I’m about to embark on a new trip (however long), my family happily reminds me of my packing habits from a dozen years ago.  Now, it’s time for me redeem myself and prove that I’m fully capable of packing light.  Prepare to be amazed, Nana and Grandpa! 

Packed and ready to go! 

In August, I went on a weeklong trip to Romania and I challenged myself to pack everything in my purse and a standard sized backpack with some space left over for souvenirs.  In part, because I didn't want to pay for any checked luggage, but also to laugh triumphantly in my family's faces.  It went pretty damn well.  Actually, there were a few hiccups, but it mostly went pretty damn well.

While brainstorming on how to pack as lightly as possible, I realized that my deodorant was my bulkiest toiletry and I would be using very little of it while I was away. I also noticed that the lip-balm my Aunt Becky had made was almost out.

This photo was taken post-Romania

Meet Chapstick-Deodorant*, an invention of my own design!  At least I thought it was, until a Google search revealed that BackpackingLight.Com user CkRusor came up with it first.  If you make your very own Chapstick-Deodorant, I recommend giving it a test run for the duration of your trip first, to be sure that you won’t run out.

*patent pending

My unmentionables are discretely wrapped in each outfit.
I brought multiple pairs of underwear, I promise!

During the 2002 Italy trip, to make up for losing our luggage, Alitalia gave each of us a bag of single-use toiletries and a 3XL white t-shirt.  It was a very humbling and very smelly three days.

Luckily, my trip to Romania was in the middle of summer, so I was able to pack very light outfits.  Before leaving, I checked that my hostel did laundry for a very reasonable price.  They washed and dried everything for just 5 USD.  When my dad and I were in Germany at a mid-range hotel, they asked for FIVE EUROS for one pair of boxers!  Ridiculous.

I also wore my heaviest outfit during my two days of travel, as I knew that I'd mostly be in air conditioned airports, buses, and planes.  I only packed one set of PJs and it was fine.

Yes, the body wash bottle was first an airplane bottle of gin.  
Thanks for the free booze, British Airways!

Another way I saved some weight was by only packing exactly a week's worth of toiletries (plus two days, in case of a missed flight).  After an unfortunate mix-up between my contact solution and some facial toner on a previous trip, I very carefully label all of my toiletries.

 

Like most people, I have an important medication that I take daily, so I'm always careful about my medicine when I travel.  I like to keep it divided into two places, just in case something happens to my belongings. (Never forgive, never forget, Alitalia!)  

A great trick is to put pills and small amounts of toiletries into contact cases.  They're waterproof and easy to keep in your purse or pocket.  I don't recommend trying to squeeze the floss into the contact case though.  I mostly did it for show anyway, as I pretty much only floss on an 'as needed' basis.  (Sorry, Lisa.)

The only electronics I brought were my phone, iPod, and e-reader.  Luckily, the electrical sockets in Romania are the same as in Turkey.

Speaking of electronics, I should mention that on the 2002 Italy trip, I brought a monstrous 2x2 CD carrying case in my carry-on.   It held about 50 discs, because, you know, I couldn't possibly narrow it down for the 7-hour flight.  In the end, the Alitalia flight attendant politely told me that I couldn't listen to my CD player at all for the duration of the flight, so all of those expertly crafted mix CDs were for naught.

I think everyone can guess my favorite color.

Since then, I think I've gotten pretty good at just bringing the essentials on the flight.  Of course, having an iPod and an e-reader reduces the load considerably.

And now for some of the grievous packing mistakes I made.

1. The tiny toiletry tower seemed cool when I bought it, but all the runny liquids leaked during my flight to Bucharest and the moisturizer was sealed shut by the second day of my trip.  Fortunately, this only resulted in dry skin and frizzy hair for several days.

2. I was an absolute moron to wear the shoes that I did.  They do the trick when I’m sitting in front of a computer for nine hours a day, but they are not the best idea for an entire week of walking.  The blisters were the stuff of nightmares.  

I'm normally an irritatingly fast walker, scowling at people looking at their phones, weaving in and out of crowds, and leaving my short-legged companions in the dust.  But the gruesome state of my feet in Romania reduced my stride to a lethargic waddle.  I repeatedly swore to myself that I’d never scoff at a slow walker again. 

However, after taking some aspirin and using overnight sanitary napkins as shoe inserts (another invention of my own design), I was back to my fast-walking judgmental ways.

3. I already had some travel-size toiletry bottles that needed to be cleaned from a previous trip.  I put them in the dishwasher, because I’m lazy.  I ended up with some warped unusable bottles that I’m certain could pass as art at MoMA.

Well, Mom, Dad, Kyle, Aunt Becky, Grandma, and Grandpa, are you convinced that I've changed my ways? :)