packing for a foreign country – no matter how long you’re going for – can be is a challenge. if it’s a place you’re unfamiliar with, the weather can be fickle, you may have a lot of things to plan for (nights out versus hiking versus city walking,) you may not know where you can go upon arrival to buy certain things, so its no wonder we overpack. i chronicled my big backpack packing the other week, and here is my take on how i packed my carry on. i had two – one larger-than-day-pack backpack and a computer bag. in the end, it worked really well to have the super small one and the bigger one. (i had been worried, of course.)
i started by determining what i would want in my layover in los angeles. i didn’t know the weather, so i made sure i had a long sleeved shirt and a tee. then i knew i’d want a maxi skirt and leggings for the plane ride. i set all that aside and packed my big backpack. once that was done, i got down to business (ok, a few days later) with packing my carry-ons. i had two packing cubes left over, and into those went a mini packing cube with panties and socks (my feet get cold on planes, don’t yours?), the shirts and the leggings. i set aside what i was going to wear on the plane to la, and finished. i tucked my fleece at the very bottom of the bag and slid the compression cube in the front. that left a solid spot for my camera to rest, and i padded that with my empty water bottle and toiletries bag. i’m a firm believer in bags/containers for everything – that way something tiny never gets lost (except i can’t find my flashdrive now.)
my liquids bag went into the top of the backpack – mine has a little zippered pouch at the very top which is easily accessible. once i got to la, i actually rearranged just a little and tucked my new zealand book up there as well. my makeup bag went right on top of my camera. i also had a scarf tucked into a front pouch and my flip flops as well.
in my computer bag, i needed to make sure i could fit my travel wallet as well as everything else. my documents folder went in with my computer and my ipad and wallet went in the front pocket. sunglasses and phone fit into the tiny front pocket, along with headphones.
i’m sure i could have really pared my stuff down, maybe even to one bag, but i knew that if i did that, i’d get down here and wish i had something. as it is, i’ve lost my flash drive (it’s even in one of the pictures – so i know i at least had it when i was PACKING) and had turned out all pockets looking for it. i’m sure i’ll find it.. at least i hope i do!
