When do you pack? Curious!

[pezhead]

A week before everything folded starts going into a collapsible hamper and the hanging stuff moves to the front of the closet. I can usually get everything in packing cubes and the suitcase in under an hour the night before I leave.

 

My toiletry bag gets refilled when I get home from every trip. The makeup goes in that morning, no one needs to see my bare face that early.😉.

 

I actually bought a grid-it board a few years ago, a camera charger, both a 220 and a 110 usb chargers, and all the cables permanently stay on it. It goes right back into its same spot every time I'm home. I never seemed to remember all the right paraphernalia, the $40 or so on all the duplicates was just money well spent.

[port msp]

Some time ago we got into the habit of checking what we packed when we returned home. We did it with an eye to reducing the amount of items we took. Each time we unpacked we came across items that we either did not wear or wore only once. We took note not to include them next time. Doing this after several trips made us realize that we packed far too much. Extra shoes were the first to go.

So now we are doing carry on only. It is ideal for us. We can physically handle it up and down stairs, don't have to check it and be concerned about it going missing. This is not for everyone however the more we travel the more we appreciate the freedom and the less we tend to even consider packing.

 

I'm right there with you on this. I try to pare it down a bit each trip.

We've gone from multiple checked bags, to each having a checked bag, a carryon and a personal item, to a carryon and personal item. I repacked when we returned from the last cruise, took out what I didn't wear or only wore once, and got everything down to a carryon. It has been very liberating. On our first cruise, we met a couple whose bags hadn't made it. They didn't have carryon bags with clothing, so they ended up wearing Celebrity t-shirts and gym shorts the first couple days.

 

As to when we pack, she starts a few weeks before, setting stuff out on the bed in the spare bedroom. I generally don't start until the night before, after she goes to bed. I don't need much, so it doesn't take long. My packing for any trip starts at the feet and moves up. I figure out what we'll be doing, and decide hat shoes and sox I'll need, pants/shorts/shirts/etc. That way, I don't forget anything. I lay everything out on a folding table, think through it again, put it in packing cubes, load the roll aboard, and I'm done.

I have been experimenting with other packing "styles" . I tried bundle wrapping once but didn't like it. If TSA wants to go through your bag, you have to repack on that stainless steel table. I've had some success with leaving shirts and pants on hangers. The cubes and folders have worked pretty well. I keep most items in the cubes and transfer them to a drawer or shelf. I hang up all the shirts and pants when we get to the cabin, and any wrinkles fall out by the next day. Caribbean cruises don't require much, especially since formal nights are no more on our favorite lines. Alaska takes a bit more, clothing wise, but still pretty easy.

[GUT2407]

Some things just prett much stay packed.

 

A few weeks before w start laying clothes out in a spare room, after ensuring they're still a Goid fit and in good nick.

 

Usually only pack the day, or two before we leave.

[jocap]

I have managed to pack for a last minute 14 night cruise in just 5 days, and found that I had enough of everything. ;)

The next cruise is 28 days, so all the formal clothes have been in a spare room for weeks...and we've had to plan for very cold followed by hot followed by cold again, so I'm still washing favourite fleeces...I also have lots of washing tablets, as I mean to use the launderettes for cold clothes as we reach the warm, ready for our sail back to cold... :(

[clairebearinaus]

My next cruise is 70 odd days away and I already have a packing list ready to go :)

 

I'll put it all together the weekend before we leave.

 

I pack my own stuff, and my kids'. DH insists on packing his own but being very forgetful, we often waste time on holidays hunting down replacements of the things he didn't pack. And he's a cruise novice (I pretty much am too, but have at least researched and thought about it)

 

We have reached a compromise for the next cruise where I will give him the pack list I prepared for our boys, and he can use that so he will at least have the basics covered.

 

Thanks for the idea of cross packing, we will use this one in future!

[soozles]

I am such a last minute packer. I work insane long hours, and so I will usually get home from work on Friday, was everything that needs to be washed, pack everything for me and my husband, and put it in the suitcase, and leave Saturday morning. We don't have a guest room or spare closets (downside of city living) and I can't leave piles of clothes around my living room, so the last minute mad dash it is. And if I didn't pack for my husband, he would very well just wear the same thing all week and not even bat an eye.

[searoses]

I'very gone from packing weeks in advance to a few days before and carry on only....I use a master list I can scratch off so I know what is in the bag....the older I get the more quickly I forget what I have already packed!....my husband makes his own pile but I am the actual packer....when I put my summer clothes away I fill my suitcase with stuff i'll likely take and then don't have to remember where that bin went to...l keep our personal items filled with the stuff they need and add paperwork and meds at the last minute...traveling regularly really helps to streamline the process....I have a bin in my closet with all the stuff like snorkel equipment,water shoes,maps,etc so I don't have to hunt it down....my next trip is in 3 weeks to sju and I have barely thought about packing yet...

[Langley Cruisers]

DH packs days or weeks beforehand, slowly adding things to the open suitcase in the spare room. I pack 45 minutes before we leave. This is what works for me - otherwise, I honestly forget what I have already put in. Plus, I leave my clothes on the hangers as long as possible! :p

 

We then weigh the suitcases and make the necessary adjustments.

[Bookish Angel]

I travel light and like the flexibility it provides such as taking a different flight when mine was delayed for over 3 hours. Because I had no checked bags, I was able to switch to a flight that left sooner and arrived a bit earlier than my original flight.

 

I pack only what I need, take no formal clothes or electronics but bring a few books to read and leave for others.

Edited January 14, 2016 by Bookish Angel

[iancal]

Bookish Angel...we have been doing exactly that for the past few years. We travel twice a year for 8-12 weeks at a time. Carry on only. No need to cross pack.

 

We find it so much easier to travel with a bag that we can each easily physically handle. Up and down stairs, on to trains, ferries, etc.

 

The big plus for us is twofold. The bag arrives when we do. And in good condition-nothing missing.

 

There have been a few times where we were able to change connecting flights quickly because of delay simply because we had carry on and did not have to wait for luggage to be off loaded. The worst was in the US coming home from P. Rico in the winter. Missed our connection because of snow, airline scheduled us for the following day. Because we had our bags with us we were able to jump on a westbound flight within an hour...last two seats. Had similar experiences in Houston and in London on a trip two years ago.

 

Yet, we still see the comment on this forum from time to time about remaining in our cabins on formal evenings, suggesting we rent formal wear, if we can afford to cruise we can afford to pay the airline for bags (we actually get free baggage) and once in a while a suggestion that if we cannot afford the clothes we should go to a charity shop and buy some used ones. Go figure!

Edited January 14, 2016 by iancal

[Nanobot]

I travelled so much while I was working, I can pack what I need in about 15-20 minutes. I need a little more time if the ship has formal nights as I take care of my tux. Regardless, we always pack at least the day before leaving.

 

The lessons we have learned are:

- distribute clothes between our two check-in bags so that we are not caught short if one bag goes missing enroute. This has happened a few times (Schipol in Amsterdam, and Newark are notable).

- weigh the bags at home to keep within the airline limits. I just pick up a bag and stand on the bathroom scale, then again with no bag. Returning home is easy as the items go back in the same cases.

- we always buy the unlimited laundry package on the ship to help reduce the amount of clothes we bring.

- I learned how to pack a case from a former employee who used to pack for first class passengers, and the methods take less space and result in fewer wrinkles. I suggest Youtube would have some good packing tips.

- don't bring shoe trees, pack the shoes with socks and underwear to prevent the shoes from getting crushed.

- heavy duty resealable plastic bags are great for packing as you can fill them and squeeze the air out of them to reduce the amount of space taken up in the suitcases.

[Karysa]

I admit to some supervising of husband's choices

I have veto power

 

Since DH has dozens of dress shirts that he likes to wear on most evenings I let him know the colors of my skirts and dresses and we try to choose shirts that look nice with what I will be wearing.

[NMLady]

I travelled so much while I was working, I can pack what I need in about 15-20 minutes. I need a little more time if the ship has formal nights as I take care of my tux. Regardless, we always pack at least the day before leaving.

 

The lessons we have learned are:

- distribute clothes between our two check-in bags so that we are not caught short if one bag goes missing enroute. This has happened a few times (Schipol in Amsterdam, and Newark are notable).

- weigh the bags at home to keep within the airline limits. I just pick up a bag and stand on the bathroom scale, then again with no bag. Returning home is easy as the items go back in the same cases.

- we always buy the unlimited laundry package on the ship to help reduce the amount of clothes we bring.

- I learned how to pack a case from a former employee who used to pack for first class passengers, and the methods take less space and result in fewer wrinkles. I suggest Youtube would have some good packing tips.

- don't bring shoe trees, pack the shoes with socks and underwear to prevent the shoes from getting crushed.

- heavy duty resealable plastic bags are great for packing as you can fill them and squeeze the air out of them to reduce the amount of space taken up in the suitcases.

 

Not every cruise line offers the "unlimited laundry" option. I know HAL does, but I don't know of any other line that does.

On NCL we use the "bag special" and stuff it full.

[beachbum53]

We pack the day before we leave. I pack my own things, and my wife packs her own. Before I start packing, I group related things together. Dress shirt with dress pants and shoes. Sun block with swimming trunks and flip-flops. Chargers with electronic items. And so on and so on. That way, I don't forget anything. It also keeps me from over-packing. We put all of our travel documents, such as boarding passes for airlines and ship, e-mail confirmations for excursions, etc. into a large 8 x 10 manila envelope, and our passports in our passport wallet, that my wife carries in her purse. I can honestly say, after 10 cruises, we pack about half of what we packed on our very first cruise, and we're much better organized. :)

[damiross]

DW packs a week or more in advance for both of us. She actually puts most of her stuff and some of my stuff in. She's got way more clothes than I do so I tend to wear my stuff until almost time to go.

 

I'll make a list of the important stuff a couple weeks ahead. (Important stuff: laptop, Kindle, chargers, camera, etc.) As far as I'm concerned if a trip is less than 3 or 4 days then only a carry-on and my backpack is needed (that's for both of us!). She doesn't see it that way. :)

[Amandah1987]

I leave in a month (30 days) and yesterday I went through all my things I have bought for the cruise, tried on all the clothes to see if they fit and looked okay, cut all the tags off everything and got all the toiletries sorted into zip lock bags and put to the side, so when I do start packing I'll have everything all organised to go straight into the suitcases. Will prob pack about a week before we go

Edited January 15, 2016 by Amandah1987