Packing Lists....Who Else Loves to Make One???

[annemerrick]

I have to admit that I fall short in just about every area of organization, except when it comes to packing lists! I swear that I love them!! Making the list is almost as much fun as the trip (well....maybe not almost!). It depends on where and when I am going, but I will start up to a month in advance, and use and Excel spreadsheet. I do this to organize day/night outfits, and by the time I am ready to pack, it is honed to its bare minimum. I hate overpacking, and generally try to get myself and 3 kids in one suitcase. A very detailed and organized list helps me to pack exactly what I need, and see that I can wear the same thing a few times and in different ways. I will add everything on that I am going to take...makeup, hair stuff, etc....and then I pop the list in my suitcase to make sure that when I pack it all back up at the end of the trip....nothing has been forgotten. Anyone else do this??? How do you organize your packing list? Here is what I do:

First column= day (monday, Tuesday, etc), underneath the day, I break it up into day and night. 2nd column is shoes (I always put the shoes next to the outfit), 3rd column is accessories (scarves, jewelry, etc...), 4th column is "Extras" (pajamas, undies, makeup, etc...).

[bextasy]

OOO I love making packing lists! I like creating them online and then printing them. Even though I do this I still always over-pack!

[keya]

A lot of the time I'll travel on short notice, so there isn't much time to write a list (I went to Thailand on 10 hour notice in December. Once I went to London on just a couple of hours notice, but I usually prefer no more than a week to 10 days of planning. If I book a trip further ahead than that I go crazy trying to plan every detail ) Lists are fun, though, and when I have the time I'll write down everything that I need to bring, down to skin care products. Since I'm more of a spontaneous traveller, though, I have a section in my closet devoted to spare toothbrushes and travel sizes of all the products I need, so that when I'm in a jiffy I can just grab a pre packed case and be good to go. Clothing you can buy anywhere

[meganfm]

I used to, but the past year or so I've traveled more often than usual so I just dump it all in :P

[Necromancer]

I don't, but I think it's a good idea.

[RaeBelle]

I love packing lists! I used to be a compulsive over packer. I'd take way more items as I could logically need, like 12 pair of socks for a weekend. I starting making little lists first and now I make slightly obsessive lists. For business I've been traveling between 2 locations and I now have starter lists for both. I just add and subtract a few items as required. I can pack for my trips in under 30 minutes thanks to my lists, and I have what I really need for the trip.

[twigz]

Because I travel a lot for work, I make packing lists all the time! I have different spreadsheets for different cities/countries, just to make sure I've brought everything!

[chanel princess]

i used to always make lists and keep looking them over and revising it...
but lately, i travel so much for work, and spend my free time going on vacations that i haven't been able to make packing lists anymore...
hence i always forget something... lol

[bedhead]

I started doing this when I traveled weekly for work, but they were very simple - just a list of the # of days and the clothes that would fit that # of days. I never check bags so I would be creative with twinsets. I'd bring mix and match sets and coordinating trousers and that way I'd only have to bring a few pairs of pants and a handful of tops for the week.

Now that I travel primarily for leisure, I still make lists for trips longer than a few days. I use a spreadsheet now too, but I do it differently - I have a list of tops and bottoms, and then I make another column for each day and I write in which top and bottom I will wear. I don't always stick to the exact days, but it helps me figure out how many outfits I can make out of what I'm bringing. The last trip I was on was a combo of business, leisure, and evening for 2 weeks and making the list and editing it down really helped me ensure that I wasn't bringing too much.

[rockforlight]

A must. I only travel to see Morrissey when I get holiday. So being that I only stay in a hotel for one night, then I'm off to the next town the next morning, it gets easy to start loosing things on tour.

With a list, I just check my things in the morning and hop on the train with no worries.

[annemerrick]

Just printed out y list for this weekend. Love seeing the finished product!! I feel like Santa Claus!

[jpgoeth]

I love making packing lists! Whenever I don't take the time to make one, I end up having all these things in my bag that I don't wear/use and end up wearing the same three outfits over and over.

[canada's]

i don't make outfits for each day (i like to wake up and decide what i'm wearing), but i do make sure multiple pieces work for other pieces. i don't do an excel sheet, just write them down in my LV agenda.

this is just for myself though. if i had kids, i might pick their outfits to avoid stress/confusion.

[bipolarbear]

We don't travel too often, but when we go, we head out to places for 8 weeks or so, and we go places where we often can't pick up things, including medications or odd cooking items.

I know have a word file of my packing list from past years. I also go over it at the end of each trip an mark those items that were very important, used infrequently or unnecessary. I then also add any items we found we wished we had.

The next year, voila - I just pull out the list. For me, it helps in the fun buildup of anticipation in the weeks before leaving!

[Lv-nowwhat]

No I do not do lists but its a good idea. I just go day to day what to wear.