You’re excited about taking that vacation. It’s just around the corner and you have to decide what to take with you. Having the right clothes for the activities and local you are going to will help you enjoy your time away from home. But taking only what is needed is not always easy to determine. So you tend to pack a lot of extras “just in case” you may need it.
At home we have many choices of what clothes to wear, what jewelry to put on, which purse or scarves goes best, and even which shoes will look good. When packing for vacation we have to whittle it down to the number of days we will be gone and the number of outfits we need for those days. We can’t pack our whole wardrobe so we need to make those decisions before hand.
There is an easy way to plan out what is needed for your vacation. You usually plan an itinerary for your trip. This is the starting point for determining what you need to pack. You want to create a master list of what you are packing. To do this all you need is a pen, paper, and some time, preferably a week or two before you leave on vacation. This gives you time to purchase any items needed. Below is a list of steps to take to create this master list.
1. List on the paper each day you will be on vacation including the travel days. Put the day of the week and the date. Leave a few lines in between each day.
2. Now list next to each day what your itinerary is such as, travel day, swimming, touring, etc.
3. Now go through your clothes and write down everything you will want to wear for each day. This includes undergarments, shoes, socks, jewelry, etc. You will probably have both daytime outfits and evening outfits. You may want to put an check mark next to any item listed on more than one day. Many items can and should be worn more than once. The more items that can do double duty will make your suitcase a lot lighter.
4. Once you have completed the daily list of clothes you will need to take another piece of paper to create your master list. On this master list you will write down all the clothes, accessories, toiletries, and other misc. items you plan on taking with you. Once this list is completed you will know what items you have to purchase and what clothes need to be clean and ready to go. Under the misc. list if you are taking a camera be sure to list the battery chargers, digital photo card or film and any other accessories you may need. Once it is on the master list there is a better chance you won’t forget anything at home. This goes for the cell phone and charger and any other electronic things you may be taking.
5. After the you have completed the master list look at it again in a day or two. Then see if there is anything you can leave at home.
The dictionary defines “vacation” as a period of rest and freedom from work. That includes all the work that is done at home. Limit what you take with you and you will be able to have that rest and freedom from your daily activities.