Terminalcoffee discussion

So how are you and packing? My boys left yesterday (!!! doodad!) and this is the way Jake packs.

Wait til 11PM to start doing laundries.
15 minutes before departure time, throw the 2 loads into a suitcase.

Me? It's always hard for me to imagine the weather different than the one I am experiencing! So I end up packing, and unpacking, and packing, and.... I've gotten better tho.

Is packing a chore for you? And how long does it take to unpack after you get home? (For me, 1 week)

Yes, packing is a chore. I make a list with three headings: suitcase, smaller bag, and what I'm wearing on the plane. It usually takes me about six weeks to unpack after I get home.

You mean packing for a trip? I'm pretty good, really, having traveled enough to get into a rhythm. I know what I need. I bet the regular travelers for work, like Larry and Kevin, have this down to a science.

I'm moving offices at work and packed all my boxes last week. That was more or less a "throw my shit in boxes" strategy, since we're just moving to another building, but I used the packing as an opportunity to throw away crap I didn't need.

I am unpacked in less than a day, and it usually takes me less than an hour to pack. I will set clothes aside earlier that I want to take to make sure that I don't wear them ahead of time.

Lists are critical. As our holiday destinations tend to be very similar maintaining a list is easy. We give a copy of the list to the kids. They pack for themselves. It's very specific clothing wise, the number of undies, pj's t-shirts etc. I love it now the kids pack for themselves. It was a major chore when I had to do all the packing. I'm a last minute packer for myself. I take no notice of the list and never know quite what I have thrown in.

Unpacking is done the day of return. This has not always been the case, it used to take me weeks, but I read a book, just a trashy chick lit Handbags and Gladrags, it inspired me to unpack immediately. It is amazing how much better you feel when everything is returned to normal instantly.

Packing for business trips is much easier. They tend to be shorter trips and your wardrobe is more limited. Leisure trips for me tend to be at least a week, so I have to check the weather for the whole week and wonder if I'm going to be too hot or too cold. Should I only bring casual clothing, or will I get invited to something where I'll need to dress up a little? How many pairs of shoes? Will it be snowing, should I wear snow boots, because you can't cram them in a suitcase? Leisure trips for me involve all these sorts of decisions.

I don't mind packing. I do laundry the day before I leave and throw everying in a suitcase right before bed. If the trip is long or item specific (like needing sunscreen for a sunny vacation), I'll make out a list a day or two ahead of time. If the trip is short, I'll pack on the fly.

Unpacking though...hate it. My suitcase makes it in the door and stays untouched for at least 2 to 3 days, other than to grab toiletries or a brush.

I can pack in record time for a business trip. I never use a list (keep one in my head based on how long I'll be gone and where I'm going) but often I will forget something and have to buy it on the other end.

Why do we procrastinate unpacking? I find this interesting.

If my trip involves a place with laundry facilities, I'll try to do all my dirty laundry right before coming home so I can unpack it clean and folded.

Lobstergirl wrote: "Why do we procrastinate unpacking? I find this interesting."

Because packing involves anticipation, especially if you're going on a vacation. Plus, there comes a cutoff time where you are forced to have to finish packing by or you have nothing to take with you.

Unpacking is just a chore.

I love packing. I don't make lists, but I do run through visualizing all the days I will be there. I enjoy picking out the best of my clothes, arranging outfits and packing them carefully. I have a system and an order to which things go in my suitcase, so I rarely forget stuff.

Have you been on holidays with Leigh yet?

We've been to weekends in Denver with Sweeter's parents but never on an airplane or out of the state.

We are spending "Christmas" down there for a whole week starting on the first of Jan so that's the longest we'll be away from home with her.
Next summer we have three Kentucky weddings to attend so there will be that.

I pack the day I leave on the trip. I generally unpack within a couple of days.

I pack the night before I leave. I unpack the day after I come home. I try not to pack too much. I try to check the weather report for the area to which I am going so I can know what to pack. I have a list and I check it off as I pack it so I don't forget it .