I love traveling. I love going to new places, seeing new things and meeting new people. I love traveling by train, plane and automobile. I enjoy watching the hustle and bustle of people – the controlled chaos of bus depots, train platforms and airports. I love clean hotel rooms with their turned down crisp sheets and perfect catalog pristineness.
But I hate…No I DREAD, packing for any trip. Even packing an overnight bag fills me with extreme anxiety. There is something about having to anticipate and plan for all my needs and desires for a set amount of time that causes me to become paralyzed by fear. How will I know what I want to wear in 3 days? What will the weather be like? What if I somehow gain or lose 10 pounds overnight and nothing fits me? As a result I procrastinate packing and thus prolong the agony. Actually right now I should be packing for the road trip I am leaving on in less than 24 hours but instead here I am blogging about packing and not actually packing. It’s a sick, sick cycle of dysfunction that I can’t seem to break.
I know all the tricks. Make lists. Pack outfits that can multitask. Pack clothes in colors that all compliment each other. Actually put these things in your bag/carry-on/suitcase. It’s just that I am not very organized. Nor am I good at planning ahead. I tend to float through my days. What am I doing tomorrow? Oh I don’t know…whatever comes my way. I like having options. I like having all of my stuff available at my fingertips so that I can change my mind on a whim or when opportunity arises. It is extremely difficult for me to anticipate what I will want to wear, do or eat in the future.
And so packing usually goes one of two ways for me. I either:
A) Procrastinate until the very last minute and then pack every last thing I own in a frenzy because hey, you never know… I might need that winter coat in Miami in July! I am then stuck lugging around a bag that weighs more than me and is filled with clothes and products and gadgets that I don’t even use when I’m home.
OR….
B) Procrastinate until the very last minute and then stressed out and exhausted say FUCK IT and pack a total of 10 items rationalizing that many people pack light…only to get to my destination with a hodgepodge of completely unrelated crap in my suitcase. Like one sock, a pair of heels, a t-shirt with a huge stain across the front that I meant to throw out, a jeweled cashmere sweater, biking shorts, toothpaste no toothbrush, goggles, camera charger sans camera, and hair gel.
Does anyone else suffer from packing paralysis? If so, what do you do to make sure you get to your destination with a reasonably sized bag full of things you will actually need/want?
Sweatpants N Pearls 