Whether you choose to travel by car, bus, plane, or train for your next vacation, the one thing you can’t get away from is packing for the trip. If you find packing the most stressful part of going on vacation, take comfort in knowing you’re not alone. Once you’ve made your reservations, gone over your itinerary, and made arrangements for the house and pets while you’re away visiting canyons and trails, it’s time to pack, and that’s where some traveler’s minds go into overload.
They start wondering just what they should pack, what they should leave home, and whether they should bring a coat, a shawl, or something cooler. The best way to determine what you need to pack is by knowing where you’re going first, which should be the first thing you plan. In this article, you’ll find a few tips to help you pack for any vacation you might be embarking on.
1. Decide where you’re going first.
It’s much easier to decide what to pack if you know where you’re going to be vacationing. For example, if you’re taking your vacation in Zion National Park, you probably want to pack for hiking the trails in Springdale or staying warm in the campground at spots like Angels Landing. You wouldn’t want to wear heels and a dress when you’re visiting the Virgin River, so make sure that you pack accordingly. It’s a good idea to check the weather in the area you’ll be staying as well. Staying at a national park, especially in the campground, can get chilly, especially at night.
2. Don’t overpack.
You need to realize that you don’t need to pack every piece of clothing you own in order to go on vacation. Unless you’re vacationing somewhere that has no commercial shopping, then there are a lot of things you can pick up at the national park during your vacation. Of course, you’ll want to pack your ruanas and ponchos to ward off any chilly weather or a shawl if that makes you more comfortable. However, you don’t need to pack every garment you own to be prepared for your vacation.
There are things you don’t want to forget to pack, such as your undergarments, tee-shirts, and two extra pairs of shoes, but most stuff can be gotten at the national park you’re visiting on your vacation. Besides, visiting local stores and markets while you’re on vacation is the perfect way to interact with the locals and get the full experience of the area you’re vacationing in.
3. Pack your essentials two to three days before leaving.
In most cases, packing essential items is left to last since it’s easier to toss those items in a tote bag on your way out the door. The only bad thing about that packing method is that it tends to be easier to forget things than if you packed the essentials two to three days ahead of time. For example, if you vape, then you would want to pack your THC cartridge, vape pen, and any flavor of vapor you choose to take with you two to three days ahead of time so that you have them when you get to your destination. It’s highly possible that where you’re vacationing might be a place that doesn’t have these things readily available.
Whether it’s your pen, cannabis oil, or CBD products, you need to pack it ahead of time. It’s also a good idea to contact your primary health provider for an appointment anytime you start taking any CBD products to ensure they’re safe to take with any conditions or medications you might already be taking. Packing your essentials ahead of time is the best way to make sure you don’t forget anything before you leave for your vacation.
Make sure that you pack your essential electronics ahead of time as well. While you can’t pack your tablets, computers, phones, and chargers two to three days in advance, it is a good idea to make sure that you pack them the night before. After all, it’s really easy to get to your destination and find you’ve left the chargers for every one of your electronic devices behind at home.
4. Always separate your dirty clothes from your clean clothes.
By the end of your vacation, you’re sure to be tired and ready to just get back to your own home. It’ll be super tempting to just pack the dirty clothes with the clean clothes and sort it all out once you’re back home. That’s a mistake that you’ll regret pretty quickly once you’re back in your own house. Using a plastic bag to keep your dirty laundry separate from your clean laundry works great. There are other options for storing your dirty laundry as well, such as packing cubes and laundry bags designed for just this purpose. You can even use the shoe compartment of your suitcase if you’re not using it for anything else.
Another option is doing clothes before you get onto the plane or back into the car. There are many tips out there for keeping your laundry clean while on vacation, including bringing spot cleaners along for the ride and bringing along a clothing line so that you can handwash things and hang them around your hotel room or cabin too dry.
5. Stay organized throughout your trip.
It’s a little easier to be organized when you’re packing to go on vacation than it is to be organized during the trip, or even when you’re packing to come home. However, it’s much easier to enjoy your trip if you try to stay organized. For example, don’t just throw your dirty clothes in a hamper or rifle through your suitcase looking for clothes and then leave it a mess. Tidy up after yourself when pulling things out of your suitcase, and it’ll make it a lot easier to find things and enjoy your vacation as well.
These are just a few tips for helping you to pack for your next vacation. Following these tips will keep you organized and happy during the packing process, on your vacation, and when you get home as well.