Packing tips for an indecisive traveler

You guys know by now that I STRUGGLE with packing. I have felt like in the last couple of years I’ve actually gotten worse with it, not better, too.

Due to both cost increases and space reasons, we’ve shifted to being pretty much exclusively carry-on only travelers now. We also frequently take fairly long trips, often in the 10-14 night range. We usually do a wide range of activities on our trips. I also take a million photos, and I don’t really like wearing the same thing over and over.

Space is obviously limited in a carry-on. I am also, by nature, highly indecisive and am a bit of a “what if’er”. My itineraries are often quite loose, too, meaning I don’t necessarily know exactly what we’ll be doing on each day.

Somehow over time, I developed a habit of making quite the production out of packing. I feel like I USED to just open my drawers and closet, select some items, and put them in my suitcase.

Well, more recently it’s looked more like: pull every possible option out, lay them all over my bed, TRY ON a million different combinations in an effort to see “which I like best”, and then try to narrow down the million options to fit in the suitcase.

Not only does this take a ridiculous amount of time, it’s also mentally stressful (so many decisions…) and it inevitably leads to overpacking. I have also begun dreading the whole drawn out packing process!!

So, as one does these days, I decided to consult my buddy Chat. I know there are lots of good articles and tips out in the interwebs about this topic; let’s let him round up some tips! 😉

I explained my general packing dilemmas and, not surprisingly, he had some very insightful advice. He’s so good. 😜

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Packing Tips for an Indecisive Traveler!

1. “Pack outfits, not clothes.” I have obviously heard this advice before, but have dismissed it sometimes thinking, well, I don’t know exactly what I’m doing each day! But in reality, I usually have a pretty good idea, or at least I know more or less the TYPE of activity I’m doing most days.

He said, don’t ask yourself: “Should I bring this tank top?”. Ask: “Is this going to be my Zion bike-riding outfit?” “Is this my Vegas dinner outfit?”

2. “Make a capsule for each part of the trip.” Decide how many outfits of each type you actually need for each part, and focus there. For example, we have 3 nights in Zion (basically 4 days of “hiking attire”). This means I do not need TEN hiking tank tops! Decide how many “evening” outfits are needed and actually decide what outfits these will be- do not just pack a bunch of “options”.

3. “Look back at past successful trips.” Scroll through past photos. If you had outfits you liked and felt good in, reuse those!

4. “Set a hard packing limit.” For example, decide once how many “hiking outfits” you need. Literally say, ok, blue tank, beige tank, red tank, green tank. These are my hiking tops. Pick 2 shorts. Once those are determined, you’re done! No adding a bunch of “just in case” outfits.

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He then went on to analyze my behavior a bit, lol.

He noted that my problem is not fashion, it’s optimization.

I actually found the bolded rule very helpful. “Once I have one outfit for every planned activity, packing is complete. Not perfect. Complete.”

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Another great insight was this:

Yes, this IS what I do!! (Fill in the blank- it’s not always a tank top, lol.) I often have a million different options (because I have too many clothes…), and honestly any of them would probably work fine. But then I start going around and around trying to see which would work best and which would be cutest and well this one doesn’t work with these other shorts so then I should also bring those shorts….. etc.

Instead of just realizing, ANY of these will work, just go ahead and pick a couple!, I turn it into an optimization project. Which is exhausting and a waste of time.

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He went on to suggest that I build in a couple of extra options, but create boundaries. For example, once I have determined, okay, these are my “planned” outfits for the week, I can select, say, up to TWO “bonus” shirts that are not currently planned in, but will function as my “what if” items. But the key is to identify them as such. (i.e. there cannot be 15 “bonus items”!)

This allows that feeling of freedom and flexibility and having options, without going overboard.

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Another great tip was that when considering adding an item, ask yourself: “What specific day would I wear this?”

If the answer is, “Well, maybe Wednesday. Or maybe Thursday. Or maybe if I change after hiking the Narrows…”, it stays home.

If the answer is: “This is what I’m going to wear on Saturday when we go to Valley of Fire”, it can go.

It reminded me that the goal is not to eliminate options entirely, it’s just to reduce the options.

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Re: the optimization piece, it called me out on some of the reasons I add extra pieces. It said, “You’re not thinking, “I need this tank top along.” You’re thinking, “What if this tank top ends up being the better choice once I’m there?”

It recommended the mantra “I am packing for the trip I’m taking, not the trip I might take.” In reality, yes, there could be some unexpected needs that come up, but most likely, I will be perfectly happy with whatever I have along. I already know generally what we’ll be doing.

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He said I could consider reminding myself “Cute enough beats perfect.”

For example, if I’m deciding between 3 different tank tops to bring, if all 3 are:

• comfortable
• flattering
• weather-appropriate
• photo-worthy

then they’re all successful choices. NO NEED TO DELIBERATE. Just pick one and move on! The “perfect” tank top does not exist!

I found this really helpful when I actually went to pack. If I tried something and it worked fine, I stopped considering yet another option. This was probably my biggest takeaway.

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Once you’re mostly packed, if you’re tempted to add something else in, ask yourself: “Which tank top would this replace?” NOT, “Can I fit this in too??” But “If this comes, which one stays home?”

This forces a decision. If Tank top #12 is not clearly better than Tank top #5, it doesn’t deserve suitcase space.

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It suggested writing on a sticky note: “I only need enough outfits for my itinerary, not enough outfits to eliminate all uncertainty.”

He said, “You’re not actually searching for clothes; you’re searching for certainty. How many times have you been on a trip and thought, Wow, I really made a terrible packing mistake. Likely almost never. More likely, you thought, this outfit is fine. And then you go and enjoy your day. The “fine” outfit would have been identified in 30 seconds without the two-hour fashion show.” 😆

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I asked if trying on outfits is generally a help, or a hinderance. This next bit HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD. This is exactly what I do:

But seriously, YES!!! This is literally what I do. Instead of just being like, ok, purple shorts + white tank, that would work for Saturday, I start analyzing every color combination known to man. “Now you’re comparing 20 outfits instead of 2.” Yep.

WHY?!?!

Keeping this in mind when I went to pack truly, honestly helped me to nip this in the bud.

It said if I do really want to try a few things on, try this:

I liked the concept of determining if something “qualifies”, then packing it and moving on.

Packing Rules:

Finally, it ended our session (lol) with a prescription for how I should go approach my packing:

1. Start with the itinerary, not the closet. (Write down each day of the trip and the general plan.) Assign ONE outfit to each day (note if another outfit needed (i.e. a clean dinner outfit after hiking outfit).

2. First outfit wins.

3. No tank tournaments.

4. Leave some uncertainty.

Yes to the goal being “pack quickly enough that I don’t dread the trip preparation”!!!

Final words of wisdom:

Ooooh, he wants post-trip feedback! 🤣🤣 (Oh wait, he’s not a real person….he doesn’t actually care….hahahahaha.)

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Okay, sorry, that was a LOT. But maybe this will help someone else (or am I the only neurotic person who packs like this 😬😬😬). I will bookmark this post to remind myself of these tips before my next trip, too.

I know, some of you are probably rolling your eyes or gagging at the Chat responses, or find this completely ridiculous. But seriously, my packing situation was getting out of hand and I just needed some advice! There are already blog posts and podcasts and articles about these same topics- Chat just saved me all the searching. 😉

Oh, and utilizing these tips, I got all packed in about an hour and a half, AND I was much more ruthless with pulling out extra “options”. I really kept in mind the advice of “Would I be happy wearing this on X day??” If yes, I forced myself to stop considering additional options. That truly helped SO MUCH.

The reality is, there is no one right thing to wear, ever!! So just PICK SOMETHING and move on. I mean, I knew this, but for whatever reason, hearing it like this really helped. 🤷‍♀️

We fly this afternoon!!! 🤩🤩

Talk to you again soon hopefully! Not sure what blogging will look like. Our Zion days will be probably be pretty full as we don’t have endless time there and I want to get out and enjoy it. Will touch base when I can! We have a super fun itinerary planned in both Zion and Vegas!!!!!! I’M EXCITED!!!!

Daily Gratitude:

I am grateful for a big Mexico win last night!! Woohoo, clinched the Group A win! Hoping to catch the U.S. game today from the airport…