travelfriend

How many really put a lot of thought into packing? I notice people just dumping everything but the kitchen sink into carry on ending up in plane side check in. Wouldn't it be better to check in and carry the right things by planning and packing your bag a day ahead?

abmj-jr

Everyone has their own style. I have to plan ahead and pack with care because I carry a fair amount of photo gear plus laptop and everything I will need for the trip - all in my carry-on bag(s) as I refuse to check cameras or lenses and generally don't check anything. Others pack differently.

Whatever works for you. It doesn't matter what anyone else does.

Tchiowa

I typically start packing 3-4 days ahead of time. I put in the essentials (clothes, hygiene) then over the next few days I add one or two other things a day that I remember I need to take. With status and class of service my wife and I typically 6 get free bags on an international flight so if there is any doubt, pack it.

The only things I carry on are a shoulder bag with wallet, ID, passport, laptop, etc. and one small roll around that is mostly empty except for a couple of back up drives. I carry one set of backups when I travel and leave another set at home.

shuigao

My wife does all the packing in my family - even for me when I go on solo biz trips. She's one of the most uber over-organized, borderline OCD people I know - she has an excel spreadsheet where she plugs in who in the family is traveling, and for how long, and then that gives her a checklist printout of exactly how many socks, shirts, etc to pack. It's amusingly insane to me (I'm the que sera sera, pack the morning of the flight and if I miss out anything I'll just buy it later on).

SwissBritMiss

I'm generally a late packer, but you wouldn't know it - I typically have a carry-on size that is full of neatly rolled items in colour coded cubes - put together an hour or two before I leave for the airport.

I suppose by now I pretty much know exactly what I need for any kind of trip, so can gather everything and organise on autopilot. If I've missed out on anything, it's because I don't own it and haven't gone to the shops in time. In which case, I might as well get at my destination!

mmff

[OT]

Interesting.

I keep two sets of weekly updated backups, one at work and one at home (both encrypted). I also store partial backups on the cloud. I never bring any data when I travel unless I need to access them during my trip, though.

[/OT]

farci

This is a genuine question and not in any way disrespectful - but what sort of things do you fill six bags with that you can't buy at destination?

Non-NonRev

I used to keep a pre-packed bag in the office - the nature of my job sometimespecially required traveling with little or no advance notice.

Tchiowa

Usually 1 bag for each of us for real things and the third is a guitar. The other 3 bags: US to Thailand, all kinds of things that my wife bought for her family. Thailand to US, empty bags.

psychokilla

As most of my holidays begin early in the morning (up at 5am to catch a flight to LHR as my nearest hub), I tend to pack the weekend before I go, which could be up to a week depending on the day I travel. I have a master list I've honed over the years, and I remove from that list everything I know I won't need while I'm doing my planning (no hiking, don't need the hiking poles). This means I can pack nearly everything the weekend before without revisting. This also gives me the time to plan it out and see if I can one bag it, or do I really need to be looking at checking in.

However, it also means that things I'm still using for the next week (phone, iPad, toiletries etc) have to be left out until the morning of. Which is why I'm often found in Boots at the airport buying deodorant and toothpaste

schmoove

I pack the night before or the morning of depending on what time I'm leaving. I never pack anything that won't fit in a carry on. Wife packs a week before so she can figure out how to fit everything in the house into one bag.

rob0225

I have a separate toiletry bag with everything required just for travel.

adamsfo

Me too - much easier that way!

I have a detailed master packing list that I go through a day or two before leaving, checking off everything I've already packed, X'ing out anything not needed for the upcoming trip, and circling things that I need to remember to pack day-of (mostly gadgetry).

psychokilla

Oh, I used to. But I travel so infrequently I would wind up 'borrowing' stuff from my travel kit, and I'd end up flying without. Now I just have it in mind to bring whatever's in my bathroom. Often though, it's not carry-on friendly, so I have to get stuff in the airport or destination, and then that stays in my carry on toiletries until I 'borrow' again

Lost

I pack within 20 minutes of leaving for the airport, even for a 5am flight

I usually only need 2-3 days of stuff, and all my flights are leisure so I don't need to put much thought into it. If I can't fit it in a backpack, I don't need it