My different packing styles

In the last month and a half, I have packed for four different places that weren’t my own bed (and were all sadly lacking in cats): a local convention, a brief work trip to Tennesee, a conference for work in Boston padded with an extra night to see friends, and a Caribbean cruise. As I packed and unpacked yet again, I reflected on the differences inherent in packing for very different trips, both in the duration and the nature of the trips.

For three of the four trips, I packed my Temperature Tree embroidery project; I didn’t take it on the 2-night work trip, and by the trip to Boston, I had moved it into a smaller bag that fits in my carry-on. At Capricon, I worked on it during my Friday morning Stitch & Bitch, then didn’t touch it for the rest of the trip; in Boston, I kept up on it until the morning I was packing out. (Yes, I had enough time at the airport after the conference to catch up if I had felt so inclined. I was busy reading.)

Capricon was the only driving trip, which gave me a lot of leeway in how many bags I packed and the possibility of loose items. (Not to mention boxes to build a Box Fort.) On the shorter work trip, I checked what’s effectively a carry-on bag (not to be confused with my actual carry-on, a backpack that includes my laptop) with some space to spare. Heading to Boston, I knew I was spending an afternoon “book and yarn shopping” with friends, so I gave myself the extra space of a larger suitcase, and I did in fact use it. (Among other things, I found a used copy of Elphie: A Wicked Childhood, a recent prequel to Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. Score!)

For our longer trips over the last couple years – to the UK, Canary Islands, or even to Portland (which was only a week) – I’ve packed knowing I’d want to wash laundry during the trip. In Glasgow a couple years ago, it was easier to find a laundry service than time to use a laundromat. Similarly, on a longer cruise, there isn’t a really good laundry option… handwash everything in the tiny bathroom, pack an extra suitcase and have to store it in the equally tiny room, or pay for the laundry service per bag. I lean towards a mix of those, handwashing smaller items, and paying to wash larger items, so I can pack for half the duration of the trip and reuse items. Of course, part of that is because some delicate items like bras really shouldn’t run through the dryer if you can help it. On our cruise, that plan lasted until we realized how small the laundry service bags are; then we decided to use some of our promotional credit to pay for ongoing laundry service instead of on a per bag basis. As it turns out, coming home with only a couple days of dirty laundry from a long trip is a fabulous experience.

For everything except the cruise (for both Customs and profitability reasons, they don’t want you bringing your own), I packed some nicer teas, though I was so tired one morning at Capricon that I completely forgot I had and asked housekeeping for some spare tea. (My roommate slept in the first morning, so our room wasn’t reset.) For Capricon, we packed a couple meals, knowing that we’d have a fridge in the room, and for my trip to Tennessee, I packed some snack foods, mainly because I didn’t know what time the included breakfast would be available compared to when my work day needed to start.

Overall, it’s an interesting study of what becomes important for each trip, including the never-ending dilemma of “can I fit another craft project?”