Pack my suitcase with me!
It'll be fun. No really. Where are you going? Come back here.
My husband and I have an international trip coming up (Amsterdam!) which I’m very excited about. We travel a fair amount and by now you’d think I was an expert packer. You would be wrong. In fact, I’m actually getting worse at it.
First of all, I’m going to start with this polarizing statement: I always check a bag. That’s right, you heard me. For a trip of more than a few days, I ALWAYS CHECK A BAG. I don’t care. Stop, no. I don’t care. I am not going to wash my underwear in a sink. I don’t care if you packed for a month-long trip using just a backpack. I’m not dragging all my crap through three airports. Yes, I know about the cobblestones. I DO NOT CARE. I need options, I need room to shop, I need to not stress out about trying to tiny-size all my toiletries into oblivion. I’m not a minimalist and don’t plan to start now. I’d bring a goddamn steamer trunk if I could.
Okay, with that out of the way, I will say that I have a fairly normal-sized suitcase which I bought after my beloved Calpak came back from Hawaii cracked in several places. That suitcase has really been through some shit and served me well for five years. I replaced it with this one by Monos that is very light, has a cool internal compression system and very spin-y wheels but is otherwise not life-changing.
Here’s how I pack (this is a projection. I’m currently on part two):
One month out: The summer weather in Amsterdam is very similar to where we live. I am good, I don’t need to buy anything. I should save my money for Amsterdam shopping! I’m feeling very smug and saint-like about this.
Two and a half weeks out: Oh my god how do I not have the right pants for this trip? Nothing I have is appropriate! Also! How do I not have a dress like this that is both breezy and casual for day but can be dressed up for an evening out and also looks good with Birkenstocks and sneakers and won’t require ironing and doesn’t cost $300? I AM SO FUCKED.
Two weeks out: I’m sure one of the eight dresses I ordered will work. I hope they show up in time. The pants I have are fine. Maybe I should just order two pairs of those odd new Madewell jeans just in case they’re perfect. They’ll make me look fashiony and effortless and European, I’m pretty sure.
A week out: Feeling very smug about returning everything I ordered and just going with the clothes I have.
The Day Before: Oh my god, why did I return that stuff. I hate all my clothes.
I then proceed to pack all my favorite “nice” t-shirts, my linen long sleeve blouse, my usual travel pants (Athleta Brooklyn Ankle), a couple of light jackets, two pretty tops, the jeans I wear all the time, a dress I’ve owned for a year and every single pair of underwear in my drawer. Done.
Hmm. Maybe this slightly itchy linen shift dress from Quince that I’ve owned for more than a year but have never actually worn is just the thing. I should pack it. *packs it*
*unpacks it* No! We do not travel with untested items.
*packs it again*
Oooh, maybe I need a third jacket. Maybe I need my leather jacket. Maybe I need another pair of pants. Maybe I need another dress even though I mostly wear pants. Maybe I need a sweater. Maybe I need a caftan. Maybe I need a raincoat. How many pairs of Birkenstocks are too many??? Two? Three? Eight?
And hour before we leave for the airport: My husband packs his suitcase. I weep.
You have described my packing process EXACTLY (and my husband's, annoyingly). I wait with bated breath for your part two, I have a trip coming up that I am going through this identical process for and it's not until November so I just stretch it out like a glutton for punishment. Share your successes!
We are going to Vietnam this fall and while I know I can get anything made there I want, I can't just go to a store and get anything since I am basically a giant over there (I'm big/tall in America, which makes me HUGE there). So I will check a bag and try not to fill it too full, and then panic stuff multiple extra pairs of underwear and an entire backup outfit including shoes in my laptop backpack to carry on with me.
I laughed so hard, you are all of us. Sometimes I check a bag, sometimes I don't. Sometimes they make me check my bag at the gate, and that is just fine with me. When I went to Amsterdam, I did not check a bag, and was glad. Everywhere I went, folks were quite casual. This is a nation that does everything on a bicycle, including getting married, so they're not so much into the high heels.