The Three P’s Part Two

- The Art of Packing- 

Alright so it’s still the day before departure (yes this is the second blog post for this specific day). My parents have decided to take the day off to help send me on my way and pack my life. My mother the heavenly saint that she is, has already helped me move out of my apartment this summer (dad doing the heavy work) and organized my clothes into categories based upon what us New-Englanders know as the four seasons. Of course In Thailand I’ll be withstanding 115 degree weather and 90 percent humidity which automatically disqualifies my fall and winter wardrobes from the packing list. What is best about this is that I won’t have to carry with me massive piles of bulky clothing thank goodness. However I must say this was a sad moment as I am in some very serious relationships with my favorite sweaters and fall boots. My mother told me they would be for me when I get home, but the thought of them collecting dust or not seeing the daylight for a year made me feel as though I was neglecting a pet or a small cousin. 

Anyways back to the point, I had to pack for sweltering sticky, damp conditions. As we all know, there really is no good clothes for this kind of situation. This immediately disqualifies any nice clothes that I care about because not many materials can withstand the amount of sweat I would endure. Since I’m a Pinterest extraordinaire, (if you a visual person like me and don’t yet have a profile, I want you to open a new webpage and download, right meow) I immediately began my journey of virtual packing. So when you search any destination you will go and these beautifully designed boards will show you physical interchangeable outfits suitable for that environment.

I actually became excited to pack after saving two or three lists that matched my closet. After pinning for what felt like weeks, the exact clothing that my online profile contained, I felt like I had organized sense of pride. Had I realized that my real life packing would not whatsoever match my beautifully polished pinterest profile virtual packing list? No. No I did not. 

Flash forward to me sitting surrounded by what used to be my closet, close to a minor panic attack. The problem had been that I tried to start packing on my own, I didn’t have my mom or a friend rating the importance of the items I had convinced myself were going to fit in my luggage. SOS. A week prior I had messaged a few friends who were traveling to Thailand with me or had in fact been there before and fully formulated a categorized list containing every single thing I needed for my trip. I even incorporated a legend with color coated labels for things I had, things I needed to find, and things I would have to buy. It was spectacularly beautiful, and it would soon become my worst nightmare. 

Although the piles I was now lying in despair upon were organized by category, tank tops, long sleeves, shorts sleeves, shorts, pants , underwear, running clothes, toiletries, tech stuff, shoes, shoes and oh more shoes. I had already begun to realize that I was going to need a packing intervention, pronto. My mom kindly stayed up until 2 in the morning helping me finalize my list and polish it until I was actually breathing and in fact almost confident in my packing abilities once again. 

She’s got that look down, you know the the one where she asks, “Sam, can you live without this item?”, as I respond, “YES” clutching onto my favorite yet unnecessary sweatshirt, wool socks, or favorite pair of heels as if she was trying to steal them from me. It’s the face that looks at me dead on, chin cocked slightly to the left, eyebrows almost at her hairline, that “you’re better than this” face. We all know it. I would bow my head to the ground and in a shameful manner toss the item at the “leave bin” or at my moms general direction with added dramatics. I got really good at that. 

I survived the gruesome night of organizing bins, boxes and vacuuming packing cubes as my mother and I sit on them to create more space in my luggage, which happens to be packed to the brim. I packed two carry ons, a duffle bag, and a backpack full of clothes, medications, toiletries, a computer, a camera, and yoga matt for my 9 month or longer journey. We sat back in disbelief before realizing we had to leave in five minutes for me to catch my flight at Logan international Airport. (Flight was made).

Thanks again mom, and dad, for the heavy lifting. 

Okay for the fun part: 

-tips for packing for an indefinite amount of time-

• Make a packing list excel document. Use color coding. Be realistic, don’t get mad at the list if you can’t fit everything, it’s an inanimate object and it doesn’t have a vendetta against you. 

• Ask questions from the people who have been to this part of world. Don’t feel worried that You’re asking too many questions. Ask what things you can obtain at your destination, save yourself some regret. 

• Never pack alone or without the guidance of a responsible adult 

• Allow your responsible adult to pry “the things you cannot live without” out of your hands and into the leave bin. Try not cry, it doesn’t change the size of your luggage or the weather.

• Weigh your bags at home before going to the airport and having to frantically dismantle your artfully organized luggage causing perspiration before you even get to your gate. 

• Breath, never lose your breathe and if you’re not breathing have your responsible adult teach you how to again. 

• Refer to my extensive packing list labeled in the main menu on my blog profile for any specifics for the country of Thailand, you may call it my survival pack, or that was exactly my mindset when packing. 

• Lastly, Thank your packing buddy for quite literally saving your life. Keep that person in your life forever. (Mom, think I’ll keep ya).

If you’re still with me, stay tuned for the third of the 3 Ps, Planning blog post coming to you soon. 

Until next time, 

xx

Samantha Jane