As much as I love traveling, packing had never been my favorite thing to do. Even if I have a packing list I’ve referred to since my first solo trip, I could never be done in a few minutes. I would procrastinate and finally end up sleepless the night before my trip. It’s really bad if it’s a scuba trip with early dives scheduled the next day.
The thing is I’m not a very organized person and I struggle to carry minimal items. I used to just pile everything on top of each other when I pack. So needless to say, it was chaos every time I needed to take something out. I was very enlightened a few years ago when a travel mate taught me to organize my stuff using plastic bags. Shirts in one bag, bottoms in another, and so on. Wow, that was definitely a light bulb moment for me.
Packing had become easier since but surely plastic bag has its limitation, specially if one has bad memory and can’t remember which color plastic holds which item. That’s why I didn’t waste time when I first learned of mesh type packing cubes revolutionized by Eagle Creek. It remains one of my best travel companion keeping everything in order and even packing has become easier. So even if I procrastinate and start late, I can do it faster.
How about you? I know there are those people who love packing and do it way ahead of time. Please share your tried and tested solution and have a chance to win one Eagle Creek Organized Traveler Cube Set still courtesy of our favorite store R.O.X. Philippines.
Eagle Creek Organized Traveler Cube Set:
- Pack-It™ Cube
- Pack-It™ Half-Cube
- Pack-It™ Quarter-Cube
THE CONTEST is CLOSED!
Wanderlass Adventure Partners Contest Series, Part 2 is open to ALL CITIZEN OF THE WORLD (terms & conditions apply, please read The Fine Print* below). This is part of a 3 contest series, each of which will run for one week. The mechanics and prizes will be different every time and I can promise you that it gets better every week.
Part 2 – The Packing Solution
Contest Period: March 10 – 16, 2011
Mechanics:
- Participant should be facebook follower of both Wanderlass and R.O.X. pages to be eligible.
- Simply give your personal packing solution by commenting on this post. And there you have an entry.
- A person can comment unlimited number of times, but only one entry will be considered per day.
- A person can have up to 7 entries by the end of the contest period. More comments, more chances.
- Winner will be randomly selected using List Randomizer from www.random.org
Winning:
- The winner will be notified by email and given instructions on how to claim the prize, so be sure to provide a valid one when leaving comments. The winner is then given 7 days to respond to this email.
- Announcement will also be made on this website, wanderlass facebook page, and R.O.X. facebook page the following day.
THE FINE PRINT:
All information detailing how to enter the competition forms part of the terms and conditions. It is a condition of entry that all rules and results are accepted as final and that the participant agrees to abide by the rules. Submission of entries will be taken as acceptance of these terms and conditions.
*In the event that contest winner resides outside of the Philippines, the cost of shipping is to be shouldered by the winner. Depending on the country of residence, it should be about $5-8. If the winner forfeit the prize or failed to respond within 7 days, the prize will carry-over to the next contest.
With toiletries, i prefer having sachets when traveling.. easier to pack and lesser space is consumed.
I have a really big closet as big as my bed and airline baggage weight limits are the bane of my existence. Instead of packing bulky jeans, i pack shorts.. and bigger isnt always better! for my toiletries, instead of bringing bottles of shampoo,lotion etc, i bring sachets of two-in-one shampoo and conditioner, sachet of everything preferably squeezed into a small travel sized bag so it wont get messed up with my clothes. So beyond the basics like shampoo,soap, toothpaste, Band-Aids and sunscreen, I keep my toiletries to a minimum.
when it comes to packing, i believe simple is best. And the less you pack, the simpler it will be. i always make sure to pack light with just 1 bag and avoiding the folly of lugging around too much stuff inside my bag!
i love traveling and one of my personal packing solutions is to choose the right bag, first of all! depends on how long or short is my trip and I do rolling or bundle-wrapping my clothes to cut down on bulk and keep my stuff organized in small spaces. the key here is to maximize..hihi
I reduce everything I think I need to half and place the ones I will use for later in sets at the bottom so I wouldn’t make a mess when I open my luggage or bag twice a day (when I leave in the morning and when I change at night). The used clothes go to the other side.half of the space is for the clothes i will buy in case I run out.
Everytime I go out of the country, liesure or work related, I make sure that I have my original, if not, photocopy of my NBI clearance and Police clearance. I have someone of the same name that have criminal record and this piece of document is as important to me as my passport and visa. It prevents me from being held in the immigration. I make sure that it is included in my carry on.
i purposely bring a small backpack – no choice but to pack light!!!!! :-)
it’s why i struggle! i can’t fit my stuff in the small bag that i want to bring. my dream is to be a carry-on traveler. :)
Never pack things that you think you “might” need. Most of the time, you won’t really need them. Just go with the essentials and you’ll be fine.
Another personal packing solution: If I need to bring toiletries with me, I have this special kikay kit equipped with small bottles of everything I might need, placed in clear watertight bottles, properly labeled. It’s inside a resealable plastic bag and I place it on top of my stuff, so there’s no danger of bottles getting squished and leaking inside my luggage.
Like some of the travelers here, I also roll my clothes before I put them inside a packing cube or resealable plastic bag. I usually bring dri fit apparel so I wouldn’t have to worry about creases.
dryfit, dry fast. i plan to bring them mostly on my rtw. :)