How early do you pack?

[dnice1979]

:D

I usually start about two months out. Drives the wife crazy :D :D

 

Lately, we've been going either in the Winter or early Spring, so i take a bunch of tshirts, shorts, etc that i would take with me, throw them in the wash and pack em. The way i look at it, im not going to be wearing them anyways, lol

 

Other things like dressier clothes i pack about a week out.

 

I am with your wife I started packing two months ago I don't leave until December 03 but I will officially pack my bags a week before I leave. Luckily its just me so i don't have to drive anyone crazy

[dnice1979]

I leave in less than 48 hours and I haven’t started packing yet…..

 

WOW!!!

[mikenhe]

WOW!!!

 

Lol

 

 

ok - I broke. started at 4pm yesterday.. leavinging in 3 hours - should think about finishing...

 

 

It has been know for me to pack 15 minutes before I leave home so 18 hours before is pretty good!!

[bcinderella]

I have learned in the past that if I packed everyone's clothing, etc. too early, then I have panic attacks about whether I'd packed things or not.

DH suggested that I write/type everything that gets put in the luggage, so I can just look at the list and see if it's in the suitcase yet.

That way, I'll remember to pack my tennis shoes!

[RachieLnnn]

I love lists, too!!!

 

I have made 3-4 lists for our upcoming trip. I need everything to be packed by the weekend before our wedding except last-minute things, because there will be just too many other things to do that week!

 

I've made a list of all the activites we plan on doing, what I will need for each, etc. Then I made another list by item type that I will actually pack off of.

 

I just bought those packing cubes and I'm so excited.

 

Am I a nerd or what? Who gets excited about these things??? :p

 

FYI, my fiance plans on packing "the day or two" before we leave... I told him he was nuts! We leave the day after our wedding on a 10:00 a.m. flight!

[asader83]

Packing early gets me that much more excited for the vacation ahead. I am a total list maker, too! IceQueen, I had to laugh, because I do the exact same things you do!

 

I leave in a month - I started the lists about 2 months ago (right after we booked the cruise). This is the first time cruising with my DBF - who I met on my last cruise - and I'm sure I'll be packing for the two of us. My lists have lists within lists! Admin items (passports, cruise docs, flight info, etc.), carry-on items, suitcase items, to-buy items, I could go on and on! I'm always the planner for any vacation I go on, and people are always quite willing to let me take the reigns on it. Planning is all part of the fun for me.

 

This year, however, one of my dearest friends is coming to visit from Wisconsin the last week of December and leaves the DAY BEFORE our flight to Florida. Better be packed and ready to go before he gets here!! :eek:

 

I wish you all safe and happy travels!

[RetiredFL]

We bought a large plastic lidded storage container, labeled it "TRAVEL" and it stays in the closet. As we find travel things on sale or available we buy them and store them in there. We also have our packing cubes, travel first aid kits, shoe polishing kits, converters, etc stored permanently in there. No regular clothes but we do store our quick dry underwear and strictly travel clothes in there also.

 

On the computer we keep a packing list that we print out and check off as we pack. (After a few cruises it is always the same)

 

Wiith the storage container we only have to get it out a few days before and pull out what we need.

[kentuckymom]

We're leaving the 20th and I'm getting a little antsy about packing. Normally I'd have already started, but this is the Christmas season and there's alot of other stuff I need to take care of. Decorations are done some of the shopping is done, but I'm going to start ironing soon then I'll feel better.

[kentuckymom]

We bought a large plastic lidded storage container, labeled it "TRAVEL" and it stays in the closet. As we find travel things on sale or available we buy them and store them in there. We also have our packing cubes, travel first aid kits, shoe polishing kits, converters, etc stored permanently in there. No regular clothes but we do store our quick dry underwear and strictly travel clothes in there also.

 

On the computer we keep a packing list that we print out and check off as we pack. (After a few cruises it is always the same)

 

Wiith the storage container we only have to get it out a few days before and pull out what we need.

 

That's a great idea. I do the same with our camping stuff. We camp alot more than we cruise!

[heatherandfred]

I have started to lay out my clothes for the April 08 trip. I am surprised that I haven't started for my November 08 cruise :eek: LOL.

 

Just putting outfits together, making sure I have enough shorts and shirts and capris. NCL here we come!!!

[vulcan500]

Leaving 1/15/08 and already I want to start packing! Will probably start 1 wk out. It's great fun to haul out the summer stuff for Caribbean while looking outside at the snow.

[cruisendude2001]

i will be finish packing probably 5 minutes before we leave. i live on long island so leaving from the city is easy. no silly airline 3 oz clear plastic bag requirements. i mean i make a list about 2 weeks in advance and get everything i just fold it and stick it in a bag starting the night before or the morning of. mostly shorts and t-shirts ill pack the dressy stuff last minute as not to wrinkle anything if i put it in that morning i dont have to worry about how i pack it ( ie a suitor) cause i hang it up as soon as it shows up to the room. packing is the worst part of the vacation for me so is unpacking i wish i could have my clothes sent ahdead of me and they would be put away in the draws and i would just walk on to the ship and be all set to go...

[Swells1]

My trip is in September (9 months away!), and everyday I fight the urge to start packing. I'm trying to convince DH that we need to take a long weekend at the beginning of the year. I tell him that it's for the dog's benefit- to see if she can handle the kennel. Really, though, I have the need to put things in a suitcase. People like me shouldn't be able to make plans a year in advance....:o

 

Oh, and on the subject of lists....

I booked our trip 336 days in advance. I then sat down and made out a (you guessed it) 336 item checklist. That's one item per day, to pace myself. "I don't need to do everything in one day" I tell myself.

It's possible that there are ten things left to do (I think one is "Don't forget to turn off the iron"). People like me shouldn't be able to make plans a year in advance....:o

[sunsurf]

We're leaving next Saturday and I WAS going to start tonight (I just finished a load of laundry.."white" may I add) folded my clothes nicely and left them on our stone table by our t.v. I just figured I would take them up a bit later.

 

Well, wouldn't you know...the door bell rings and one of my dogs goes charging towards the door, knocks over my glass of red wine and it just happens to spill all over my clean white vacation ready clothes.!!!!!:eek: Its sabotage!!!! :D

[WinnieinWA]

One month out I started making lists. I have about 20 post-its around the house.

 

Two weeks out I began 'shopping' for 3 oz. bottles and miniature shampoo, lotion etc. Washing and ironing clothing. Contacting pet care person and making the appropriate arrangements. Calling credit card company to tell them I would be making foreign purchases so they don't decline my card, stopping mail via internet, printing out my cruise information, arranging via ship coordinator my bar set up, arranging my transfer from airport to ship by phone, getting cash wih plenty of one dollar bills for tips, buying really good books to read.

 

One week out I bring the pet care person over and give them my keys, emergency contact numbers of vet and my adult kids, and then a give them a run thru of what needs to be done. I make sure there is plenty of cat food and litter. Check the auto turn on lites and hope they work.

 

One week prior: Most importantly print out my ticket information and a few days prior printing out Advance boarding pass for ship. Double check what passes I will need for what..HOTEL,CAB, SHUTTLE TO AIRPORT, AIR, TRANSFER, SHIP,EXCURSIONS.

 

One day prior: make sure boarding pass and meds are in purse..Make cab arrangements for 2:30AM to catch shuttle to SeaTac..

 

:) Start grinning from ear to ear that I am so very fortunate to be going on a cruise with my DD who just retired from USAF after 20 yrs. and who's hubby is in Iraq for the 5th time!!!

 

23 hours prior:2:30 AM.. Print out AA AIRLOIboarding pass. Call a cab to take me 2 miles to the shuttle. Crawl aboard the shuttle bus and try to sleep, catch 6AM flight to Chicago arriving at noon......leave Chicago at 1PM ....arrive Miami at 5PM. Gonna be soooo tired. Sleeping at a airport hotel. Get hotel to take us back to airport, catch transfer bus at airport baggage claim to go to ship, go through whatever lines we need to go through, get on ship.....................................

 

MELT into the absolute experience of a wonderful world of never never land of a wonderful ship filled by wonderful people ..............

 

Please be one of those wonderful people.

that I will be happy to meet! :)

 

Whiners need not apply

 

Winnie <---->packing as we speak and extremely excited!

[sreeja]

I start packind only before one week

[kescott98]

I laid out my clothes three weeks ago for my cruise that leaves this Sunday. However, ever since then I have been out of town. So I'll start packing two days before I leave.

[DonMar]

Packing early gets me that much more excited for the vacation ahead. I am a total list maker, too! IceQueen, I had to laugh, because I do the exact same things you do!

 

I leave in a month - I started the lists about 2 months ago (right after we booked the cruise). This is the first time cruising with my DBF - who I met on my last cruise - and I'm sure I'll be packing for the two of us. My lists have lists within lists! Admin items (passports, cruise docs, flight info, etc.), carry-on items, suitcase items, to-buy items, I could go on and on! I'm always the planner for any vacation I go on, and people are always quite willing to let me take the reigns on it. Planning is all part of the fun for me.

 

This year, however, one of my dearest friends is coming to visit from Wisconsin the last week of December and leaves the DAY BEFORE our flight to Florida. Better be packed and ready to go before he gets here!! :eek:

 

I wish you all safe and happy travels!

 

WOW! Glad to know I am not the only one who loves to plan and make lists for everything. My lists also have lists. It is a great way to stay organized.

 

I use small notebooks for my lists. (I have notebooks for different purposes - vacation, everyday things to do, Christmas etc). These notebooks are small enough to carry in you pocketbook and keep (store) for reference for the next trip I bring my travel notebook with all of my lists with me when we travel so I can make sure that I have all info I need (indi tour info, flight info etc.)

 

I love planning for a vacation - packing included. It all seems to extend the vacation experience.

 

Off to add to the lists......

[pmfan]

When we return from a cruise, I do laundry and place the casual outfits back into the suitcase. All I really need to pack is our evening wear.:D

[DiveCruiser]

Dive gear two weeks clothes the before, what to wear.

 

Bob

[nychelle02]

I love every part of vacationing. Even the packing and the ride to the airport if needed!

 

This is going overboard but I used to pack months in advance, then the week before try on all the clothes and pick out outfits and shoes. For my first cruise I had nerve to video tape my self jumping around and trying on outfits smiling at the camera in my livingroom! How embarrasing, but I love it!

 

Now that I am a little more seasoned I make a list of clothes to bring and sundries about a week before. I pack the night before otherwise I would think I left something home. I have to pack alot I never know what I will feel like wearing till that day on the ship.

 

Just put me in a bathing suit by the pool on a sea day so I can have the timeless sleep of being in the middle of the ocean.

[nickie218]

Normally I pack 1 week before the cruise but I shop for it about 3 months prior, any clothes we buy for the cruise stays in a seperate closet and does not get worn. With 2 kids and a BIG KID(my hubby), the thought of packing only to find shirts with stains or clothes that have not laundered well will not make very happy.

 

I pack for all 4 of us so my 10 year old daughter makes a list for each of us with all the days of the week(for a 7 day cruise) next to it, then we have 1 daytime and 1 evening outfit with 2 alternative outfits for the week. This is a total of 18 outfits for each person!! Then we need to include bathing suits, coverups, and other misc clothing items. I make sure that I have the proper shoes for each outfit.

 

I rolled my clothes this year, first time for that! I will let everyone know how it worked. I still managed to have 2 LARGE suitcases, 1 medium(for all our shoes), 1 large garment bag and 1 tolietries bag. Yikes! I might even have to add another small suitcase because we love to shop while in port and I usually bring bottles of water for the kids to drink at night(no way am I paying $3-4 for a bottle of water on board). I also bring a large laundry bag to keep all dirty clothes in......

 

5 more days!!

[heatherandfred]

I am just done packing. I'm quite upset though, I bought a new pair of red sandals that was going to go with a red top that I have. I can't find the top :eek: . I swore I packed it, so I may have to tear up my suitacase to find it and then repack it again..LOL.

[addygirl]

I'm a 'day before' kind of girl. I am always thinking about what I need to take, but I don't actually put anything into my suitcase until then. I always type out a list, and I usually start it early, as things I need to take pop into my head. Lists can be weeks and even months in advance.

[Grandma Gail]

I think I have 178 days until the Grandeur Cruise 10/08 and I am already organizing my piles of essentials Thank goodness no planes this trip which means I can bring as much as I want.:D