The Mistake that Forever Changed How I Pack And My Top 5 Packing Rules

The Mistake

Many years ago I was travelling with my sister to Europe. We fly into London, spent a few days there and then took the Chunnel into Paris and stayed in Paris for a little over a week. This wasn’t my first trip to Europe and by this point I knew that travelling with big bags was ill suited for European trains. With this in mind I kept to a carry-on. However, I made one crucial mistake, I checked my bag. Why did I do this? Why indeed!?! And why was this a crucial mistake?

Well and I didn’t need to. I was not over my liquid count and there was no other reason to do so. I checked my bag because I am short and it can be difficult for me to lift my bag into the overbin spaces. Why was this a mistake?

It was a mistake because the airline misplaced my bag. As I said we started in London and then went to Paris. By the time my bag got to London I was already in transit to Paris. This meant my bag was delayed even further because they needed to arrange for it to get to Paris and be delivered to the apartment we were staying in. So, by the time my bag arrived it had been 4 days.

While I did get to do a bit of shopping at the airlines expense, having to find all my immediate essentials and at least a single change of clothes immediately upon landing was a smidge stressful. I could have avoided this by not checking my bag. As a result I no longer check my bag on the wat to a destination. As a side note: I usually check a bag on the way back as I usually bring liquids back.

My Top 5 Packing Rules

Here is a list of my top 5 rules I stick to when packing.

1. I bring a foldable duffle bag.
2. Everything in my bag must be wearable at least twice with the exception of any special occasion wear I have to bring.
3. I keep my main clothing pieces to a capsule of three colors.
   • I try to limit my shoes to two.
   • Keep toiletries to a minimum.

First on my list is to bring a foldable duffle bag.I always bring stuff back with me. Lots of stuff. I shop for myself, my family and my coworkers. Travelling is a great time to buy unique/special holiday and birthday gifts. The duffle bag doesn’t take much room on the way to my destination and I can fill with with non breakables (generally clothing) on the way back and save my hard suitcase for items that need to be protected in transit like art, wine, oils, etc.

When it comes to my clothing, everything in my bag must earn its space. Not only does everything need to be wearable at least twice, I keep the colors to a minimum. Keeping the colors to three (usually three neutrals) helps with the wear it twice requirement but also makes it easy to put an outfit together because almost everything can mix and match. I generally already have my outfits picked when I pack but sometimes a girl has to change things up. If I add another color into the mix it is usually with an accessory (usually my scarf).

Keeping shoes to two can be hard. Generally you need walking shoes, a sleeker day shoe and sometimes a nice night out shoe. However, when space is limited (particularly in winter because sweaters naturally take up more room) hard choices have to be made. I usually go for a more formal loafer/boot that can transition into evening as heels are not suitable for walking and that is the best way to explore a new environment.

I keep my toiletries to a minimum so I don’t have to check because of liquids. On a flight between London and Lisbon I had to check my bag because my deodorant counted as a liquid. I never had that happen before and as a result I accidentally went over the liquid limit.

I hope you learn from my mistakes and that my packing rules help in your next adventure. You can find the main page here.