Anyone who knows me knows that my walk in closet on Northampton Street was one of my favorite spaces… of all time. And thanks to my, er, excessive nature, it was always kept full, regardless of how many Goodwill donations I made.
Putting my life into storage was hard enough. (Ask my friends who sat with me for hours as I hemmed and hawed about what I had to leave behind) And don’t doubt that I miss every item in that storage unite — every day I look at my sparsly populated closet in my parents house and wish, desperately, that I had this shirt or that dress or another necklace. I am obsessed with my clothing collection, and more than happy to admit it.
But I learned my lesson about overpacking the hard way — bringing too much when you’re moving hostels every other night is a horribly frustrating experience. Sitting on your bag to get it to zip? Not buying a gorgeous souvenir because you can’t fit it in your bag? Cursing your sore back after carrying your bag for a mile because you couldn’t get a taxi? I’ve been there. I’m lucky enough to say I had a test run. Six weeks in South America at the beginning of the summer served me well, and I could make mistakes that I don’t have to make on this coming trip.
But I’m still cringing at the idea of bringing less tops than I have fingers. One site I read even suggested three t-shirts. Three. I think this constitutes as one of the many “first world problems” I call my mother out for complaining about all too frequently, but in a better effort to document my pre-trip thoughts and preparations, I’ve decided to rant anyways. That, and I wanted to put my packing list somewhere where I could be held accountable. So here it is.
Clothing*:
- 14 pairs of underwear
- 3 sports bras
- 3 regular bras
- 14 pairs of socks
- 2 pairs of knee high/thick socks
- 1 pairs of jeans
- Leggings (1 long, 1 crop)
- 1 pair of shorts
- Sweats/yoga pants
- 3 tank tops
- 4 tshirts
- 4 long sleeves
- Cotton pullover
- Long skirt
- 2 dresses
- Llama sweater
- Black fleece
- Windbreaker
- Scarf
- Bathing suit
* With a plan to do laundry about every two weeks.
Shoes:
- Running shoes
- Flip flops
- Moccasins
- Boots? [Do I want these? They’re my only warm option, but they’re big and bulky…]
Cosmetics:
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Floss
- Face wash
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Body wash
- Disposable razor
- Sunscreen
- Body lotion
- Qtips
- Neosporin
- Band aids
- Ibuprofen, benadryl, immodium and cough drops
- Birth control pills
- Emergency prescription of Cipro
- Bug spray
- Cortisone ointment
- Tweezers
- Nail clippers
- Hair ties & clips
Electronics:
- DSLR + extra battery + charger
- Reader + charger
- Nano + charger
- Laptop + charger
- International phone + charger ?? [Dad is talking about buying me one because he’s neurotic. We’ll see if he does or not]
- Bose headphones + charger ?? [These could be incredible to have considering I’ll be on 20+ bus rides, but they’re another electronic to shlep/add to the list.]
- Converters
- Mini surge protector
Other:
- Guidebooks
- Notebook
- Pens
- Earbuds
- Inflatable travel pillow
- Sleep mask
- Ear plugs
- Lock + keys
- Over the shoulder purse
- Kleenex packs
- Chapsticks
- Headlamp
- Travel blanket ?? [I have a thin one that isn’t too bulky, can’t decide if it’s worth carrying]
- Quick dry travel towel
- Plastic bags
- Laundry bag
- Watch
- Alarm clock [if I don’t have a cell phone]
- Copies of passport & CCs
- Travel wallet
… and of course, my passport!
Did I forget anything? Am I being excessive? It looks like a lot all listed out, but in terms of bulk, I don’t think it’ll be too heavy… Then again, I’m excellent at underestimating.