Packing in purple
Last time I traveled I packed an overabundance of workout clothes. This time, it’s all about an overabundance of purple.
Oops?
I am going to make a wild guess that I like wearing the color purple.
This is where I would ask you guys if there is a color you wear more often than others, or what your packing methodology is, but since I have already written posts about both, I will skip it. Geez, I feel like I am really running out of material!
Oh! Here is something to ask that I really do need help with – how do you keep your things organized while you travel?
When I am in a hotel room, it’s really easy to keep my things organized because I have so much space. But when I stay in someones homes, I feel like my things explode all over… and it makes me crazy having my stuff everywhere! I usually wear two outfits a day (exercise + street clothes) when I travel, so I just have so much extra clothes. And all the other stuff that comes along with being a runner.
Do I just need to take the time to repack my suitcase each time I use it, to keep the mess contained? Or should I stack things up around it (like I started to in the picture above)? Or should I just shove everything back in it?
Also… how am I going to fit all of this stuff I bought at HyVee in to my suitcase?! Damn you HyVee and your awesome food selection!!!
Themocracy
I love HyVee too. One day V and I drove to DeKalb and to grocery shop at HyVee. 🙂
It is hard in someone’s home, because usually you have a tiny section of a closet and then the floor. I like you in purple! I have been wearing more purple this year myself.
My packing keys:
– wear your biggest things on the plane (I’m usually cold on planes anyway, so this is kind of natural),
– re-wearing things,
– trying to take only black based outfits or brown based outfits on a trip, and
– rolling clothes. (I usually do one pants roll and one shirt roll, two shirt rolls if I have winter weight shirts as well. I used to think that rolling was stupid and didn’t actually save any space, but it’s awesome. Keeps everything sorted together, less wrinkled, and less space.)
I tend to keep my work travel bag packed with the same things all the time, so that I don’t have to think about it. This is easier because I almost never see the same people when I travel, so it doesn’t matter if I reuse the same outfits. I have a set “dirty fieldwork” outfit that I just wash and repack, just a few rotating “nicer work” outfits that I replace, and one or two standard workout outfits. Every time I pack the same electronics chargers (I put them all in an underwear bag that came with my luggage set, and it keeps them all together), paperwork, raincoat, toiletry bag, etc so that it’s no thinking and automatic. 🙂
Ugh. what a novel of a post. happy weekend!
Such good tips! Especially keeping your work bag packed.
What is the black/brown benefit?
Also – what do you mean with one roll for pants/shirts? You don’t roll each thing up individually?
I do already wear the big things on the plane and re-wear stuff (I wore the same jeans for over 7 days in NYC in Nov… oops?) so I am happy to hear that those things were intuitive to me 🙂
They had PB2 at Hyvee???? Jealous! I’ve been wanting to try that stuff in smoothies. Dear Hyvee, please come to Chicago and give Jewel a run for its money.
As for the whole being-unpacked-while-traveling debacle, I have the same issue you do. It ends up all over!
When I saw the chocolate PB2 I sent a text to Carolyn because she talked about it last year – how she wanted some but could not find it. She text me back to bring her home two! So I thought I better try one for myself too. I picked up the regular one for you 🙂
My stuff usually ends up all over. I usually try to select a drawer or shelf that’s empty to corral most of my items, just so it doesn’t look too crazy just in case the hosts check in on the room.
Patterns in my packing are also present: too many “cozy” clothes, or only clothes that were warmer than planned, have been recent trends!
YES – I totally suffer from packing explosion when I get somewhere. I have zero suggestions for you because I feel that my stuff just does that. I do agree with the re-wearing items, mainly pants/jeans/skirts. I pit out my shirts, so there is zero possibility of reusing a shirt or sometimes even a sweater after I’ve worn it once, but that’s just if it’s work-related travel. If it isn’t, then who cares?! I can be sort of stinky all I want!
I guess I haven’t done much travelling. When I stay at my parent’s house I keep everything in my old bedroom or basement (depending on where I am sleeping) and keep things mostly in my bag or folded next to it or on the floor. When at my brother’s house I keep everything in my overnight bag because I don’t want the kids to go through my stuff (or lose it).
Oh, and as for purple… I think I own three purple shirts – only one of which I ever really wear to work. Funny thing though, I’m not a Baltimore Ravens fan (far, far from it!) and they do this thing during the season, especially the playoffs where they wear purple on the Friday before a big game. I think they call it purple Friday. Anyway, two years in a row I’ve accidentally worn my purple shirt on the Friday before their biggest playoff game and wanted to kick myself. haha. Although maybe I should make it a trend I should keep doing since they always lose the game after I wear my purple to work.