Baggage

I’ve been traveling a good bit lately. Washington State to see Coy Pink a month ago; NYC back in March; a couple of weekends doing computer work for a friend a few states away and dropping in on Debauched Diva. Of course, certainly not as much traveling as Mollena, who has become an expert on packing. I tried to follow the packing guide on the link she gave (here) thinking that surely if other women can pack for 7-10 days in a *carry-on* I should be able to as well.

Right?

I blame my mother.

No, seriously. Hear me out.

As a kid, our vacations were usually these epic cross-country trips. West, south, northeast, Canada, etc….all done in an RV. Now, granted, we were going to be gone for 2-3 weeks and all but still. She packed everything possible. We almost never had to track down a Kmart to buy a necessary item. Every scenario was accounted for.

I’ve inherited this gene. It also comes from my grandmother who was a bit of a packrat. Upon the death of my grandparents and the estate yard sale to clear out items no one wanted, it became clear the level of packrattiness. She wasn’t a hoarder, per se, more likely a hold-over from the Depression. We found unused items from the 70’s that were kept in case a last-minute gift was needed. I tend to be this way in some regards with my own stuff…it’s law that I won’t need it till I get rid of it. I’m getting better, though.

So when I pack for short trips I try to think of everything. Hot, cold, rain, dressy, casual, lots of walking, an extra outfit, etc. And yes, I’m a bit high-maintenance so my cosmetics take up some space too……face & eye brushes, shadow primer, foundation primer, concealer, foundation, light eyeshadow, dark eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, eyeliner sealer, lip balm, lip gloss, lip stain, blush, bronzer, moisturizer, eye makeup remover, fash wash. Hair spray, brush, dryer, curling iron, molding paste. Nail care kit. Shower stuff. Lotion. “just in case I start spotting” supplies. Razors. Powder. Any meds I might need “in case”, plus regular ones. Might as well continue……1 planned outfit, 1 spare outfit, something to sleep in, dressy shoes, a book, my netbook + charger, my phone + charger, my ipod, my camera + spare batteries and uh….well….in case I have a “need”, I do need a couple sex toys, yanno. That’s simple – Pure Wand and either the Wahl or a bullet. Simple, sure…..but heavy (remember, the Pure Wand is 1.5 lbs!).

That’s just for a short weekend overnight.

No, seriously.

Back for the last calendar party, when I was going to be in NYC from Thursday-Sunday, I did my best to trim down and use travel bottles. I still barely fit everything and my bag was heavy as fuck. Then, my travel bottles have started leaking, so I just bought new ones (GoToob, they look pretty awesome but since they’re silicone I’ll have to be sure not to put certain cosmetics). I look at that list above and I can’t truly see anything on it that’s not “necessary”. Ok, perhaps the sex toys. Meh, maybe not. With the new bottles, and a resolve to make myself a travel kit for my makeup (small amounts in tiny jars, they’re all loose powders anyways), I hope to find a way to trim down. Both on space and weight. And of course saving time from making lists, running around packing, and then procrastinating for weeks on fully UNpacking. I basically just need to buy duplicates of everything, that’ll solve the packing & unpacking hehehe

7 Responses

  1. nitebyrd says:

    Packing is definitely a trial, no matter where you’re going. I sympathize with you ’cause I’m the same way – if I don’t pack it, I’m gonna need it!

  2. hubman says:

    I travel enough for work, I keep a toiletry bag packed and stocked with what I need. Add my toothbrush and glasses and it’s ready to go, some clothes in my baggage and away I go.

    It was comical when V and I met with Southern Vixen in Miami- SoVix’s bag dwarfed V’s, I suspect you and SoVix are similar ;-p

    ~ Yes, lol, we probably are similar. Hell for a 2-night trip last weekend I had a full size rolling suitcase!!! LOL

  3. frances says:

    I’m the same way. It’s gotten ridiculous with the new baggage rules for flying! Even when I try to pack light I just can’t. I wear it like a badge of honor. Diva’s don’t need to pack light. They just need boy toys to carry it. ;-) I jest, but I doubt I’ll ever be able to cut my list (that resembles yours completely!).

    ~ Sadly, my guy isn’t with me on these trips to carry it so I’m left to lug it myself. Was goddamn hard dragging a 75-pound suitcase up 2 flights of steps, lol.

  4. Soren says:

    I’m just getting the hang of packing, both for weekends and grand larks. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one in this boat, though I think you JUST MIGHT have a more difficult time than me…

    On another note, I hope you enjoyed your trip to Washington! Hope you didn’t get rained on… but then again, rain IS the Pacific Northwest, so in a way that would be experiencing our culture.

    ~Soren

  5. Tracer Bullet says:

    When I’m traveling for work, the company picks up all the costs so I never bother packing light. Three suits, four pairs of shoes and half-a-dozen shirts for a four day trip? Well, OBVIOUSLY.

  6. Bunny says:

    I’m so glad to hear somebody else has this problem! I always bring more stuff than I use, but you just never know what might happen. On a recent trip, I packed light & I ended up staying an extra week and didn’t have the things I needed. That was evidence enough that I should stick to my method.

  7. Vixen says:

    OMG I suck at packing ‘lightly’. Bc it never fails that I wished I had something I don’t. I couldn’t even go to Vegas for a night and pull off the whole ‘carry on’ bag. I’ve given up. I pack heavily. This is me. LOL