10 things I hate about packing
Once I make a decision, I’m really good at sticking to it. The problem is, making the decision is the hardest part. I find that coming into play when I’m packing for a trip. Making decisions on what you need, and ensuring you don’t forget anything can be a pain. Even with all my tips and tricks for packing, there are still things I hate about it.
1. Trying to pack for unpredictable weather. The weather is always unpredictable. Plus, I tend to travel in shoulder months which make the weather even more unpredictable. April and November are some of the worst months to pack for. It could be hot, cold, snowy, rainy… I mean, it makes determining what to bring frustrating.
2. Trying to decide what mood I’ll be in NEXT week. Sometimes, I wear clothes based on my mood. (Every lady does this, right?) How do I know how I’m going to feel like NEXT week? I mean, what if I’m not in a flirty-dress mood, but I’m in a sweatpants and t-shirt mood? I have to know how I’ll feel next week so I know what to pack this week.
3. Trying to decide on only two pairs of shoes. I think I have PTSD about shoes because I’ve packed the wrong shoes so many times, I’m scared I’m going to do it again. When you’ve spent a week with bleeding, blister feet because you packed the wrong shoes, you try to make sure that does NOT happen this time. But, it could happen…
4. Consolidating my purse into another purse. My current purse is filled with so many things that I do need throughout the week. I just don’t need hardly any of that on the trip. So I have to go through each item and decide “Do I actually need this?” Then, it makes me want to reorganize my purse, which then distracts me from packing. So naturally, I hate this part.
5. Picking out shirts. Pants are usually the easy part, because I only have a few pairs I want to bring. Shirts, on the other hand, are the most frustrating part. I have so many shirts, and I don’t know which ones are the best, or which ones will match shoes/pants perfectly. So I spend a lot of time going back and forth about the shirt situation. I lay out a bunch of shirts. Then I put all the shirts back I don’t need. Then, I panic again and repeat the process. (I’m now starting to sound a little psychotic.)
6. Looking for that one thing. There’s that one thing I had last trip, but I’ve misplaced it. So now, I spend 45 minutes running around the house looking in every travel bin, suitcase and bag to find that one small item that is essential. But somehow, misplaced it. At this point, I like to blame whoever is around for misplacing it. (Sorry husband… and dog.)
7. Having to repack because you forgot something. You put everything in the bag, zip it up, and then look at the corner of the bed and see a pair of jeans and a raincoat. I have to unpack everything, get out my packing cubes and make room. Grr…
8. Trying to shake that “I know I forgot something” feeling. After you actually did forget to pack something and had to find room in your suitcase for it. You now sit there in panic mode trying to figure out what else you forgot. This feeling never goes away until I’m actually sitting on the plane or in the car on my way to the destination. It’s at this moment you can say “screw it.” But, until then, you get to sit and wonder what it is you forgot like the mom on Home Alone:
Kevin’s Mom: Did I turn off the coffee?
Kevin’s Dad: No… I did.
Kevin’s Mom: Did you lock up?
Kevin’s Dad: Yeah.
Kevin’s Mom: Did we set the timers on the lights?
Kevin’s Dad: Yeah.
Kevin’s Mom: Did you close the garage?
Kevin’s Dad: That’s it. I forgot to close the garage, that’s it.
Kevin’s Dad: No, that’s not it.
Kevin’s Mom: Well, what else could we be forgetting?
Kevin’s Mom: KEVIN!
9. Trying to stuff last-minute items into your perfectly packed bag. There’s always a few items that you want to pack last-minute. Not items that you forgot, ones you need, but you thought “I’ll put that in at the very end.” And then it ends up being at the top of your shoulder bag and then you have to dig through to find anything. There is usually no room left, but you have to make room. Then you have to rethink what you already packed to see if this is actually something you need. This part is just a back-and-forth annoyance.
10. How tired I feel at the end. I usually have restlessness after my bag is packed. When I pack the night before an early morning flight, and spend an hour anxiously trying to remember everything, it usually takes me awhile to relax and fall asleep. It’s at this point that I wished I just got up early and speedily packed last minute and gave no thought to anything. That usually works out better, right?
How about you? What do you hate about packing?
