The Art of Packing

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I never thought of packing as a skill requiring anything more than a large suitcase - or two - a carry on and lots of stuff to fill them up. Sure one figures out the weather for the location, the requisite guidebooks - passport and other necessities but isn't that all there is? Ask my daughter who ended up slumping MY stuff and her own through multiple Thai airports after I injured my shoulder. I am sure she will appreciate this next phase of my nomadic development......

I have discovered, much to the delight of my inner obsessive self, that packing can provide an opportunity for personal challenge - to pack the minimal amount of items in the least amount of space to provide the maximum number of options. If you want to expand the challenge you can toss in multiple climate changes or trip styles. Ever hear of a 'capsule wardrobe' or 'packing cubes' - the compressor types - well these concepts and items were embraced on my recent 1 month trip to Thailand and Myanmar where I ONLY took a carry on. So..... on to the current challenge ..... packing for the Baltics AND a hiking trip in Germany. A two week cruise with 3 Gala Nights is a stark contrast to a one week long distance hike through the mountains of Saxony Germany. I knew that I would need dress shoes AND hiking boots, wicking clothing AND dress jackets....... hmmmmmm.

I mulled it over and given we were in Northern colder climates but temps could range drastically I acquiesced and decided a small suitcase would be sufficient. However..... out came the packing cubes AND my new found planning app: Stylebook I know some eyebrows will raise ..... a couple of my friends asked if I didn't feel this was a bit obsessive - well THAT's the point!!! but this app is the best capsule wardrobe organizer I have come across. I took photos of individual clothing pieces, entered them into the app 'closet' and then I could mix/match and create outfits and automatically a packing list. Having it on my iPad meant I could plan packing ANYWHERE!! Once I had the virtual items figure out I started the reality check. I always start this process well in advance of my trip. It involves laying out the items on a preferably clean rug - mulling it over - switching things out - based on weight and how many other items they match. My rule is that any item of clothing has to go with at least 3 other items of clothing. Then I pack, unpack, pack, toss/replace/weigh, repack. Wait a few days to discover the things that I forgot to pack - better now than on the plane.......So, in my suitcase I have 21 pieces of clothing, 1 pair hiking boots, 1 pair dress shoes, dress sandals, hiking poles and am wearing my walking shoes. Camera and travel books ......Total weight 17kg. It was important that my luggage be UNDER 20kg as that is the max weight allowed for our luggage transfer service during our hike. I am sure I could have whittled this down further but for a cruise/hike combo trip in Europe I feel that I have done well.

So...... we depart at 5pm for the airport and our flight leaves at 8pm. If you are taking a trip of your own this summer - try the packing challenge - how few items can you get by with???

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