I know most girls love imagining themselves as the heroine of Jane Austen's classic, and I may be betraying my sex in saying this, I do not enjoy Pride and Prejudice, and now I'm living it!
I keep making the mistake of judging a book by its cover. This keeps happening;
I go to a new place and watch the people around me (to be honest I love watching people)
And... I make rash judgements;
"Err that person said they are an actor but they just said that their favourite movie is the new Mad Max movie... they obviously know nothing about cinema."
"Wow she is dressed so preppy, she will never talk to me."
"Oh my goodness everything that person just said hurts my brain and makes me angry!"
I go home and talk to my parents and others, (basically anyone who will listen);
"Seriously, that person is the worst!"
The next day;
"So remember that person I was talking about yesterday, the one who I hated and was all like we will never be friends... yeah... so I am now going to name my first child after them, they are the coolest!"
I should learn, I am not an excellent judge of character. In my life so far I have trusted someone only to have them utterly destroy my faith in humanity. The people I think I will be friends with, in the end don't want to be friends with me, and yet people I swear never to give a chance to, end up being those I care most for and make life so much richer.
Any one who has talked with me about literature, knows my loathing for Jane Austen, it comes second only to my hatred of cats. My epiphany; I am both of those things.
My trip to Tokyo is suddenly right around the corner, I am so ready, but then again, I'm not. I'm right in the middle of my semester at university, with assignments all due really soon. My last blog was about preparing a packing list and honestly it's something that you just gotta have. I know I am living a pretty easy lifestyle; as much as I complain about my degree, it does give me a fair bit of downtime. If I worked full-time, or had children, I'm sure I would be far more stressed about planning for my trip. I am so glad I got started on my Packing List months ago so that now all that is left to is edit and physically pack!
I thought for this blog I'd share my packing list with you, enjoy?
Documents
passport
insurance
wallet
Wearing
grey pants
black top
black and grey jumper
leather jacket
scarf
sneakers
(I like to write down what I'm wearing on the plane so that I know what I'm taking but doesn't need to be packed. A good travel outfit should be comfortable, neat, and include layers. It should also comprise of your bulkiest items. I like to make sure my shoes are easy to slip on and off for comfort during the flight, but also for convenience when you want to get up to use the bathroom.)
Inflight
bed socks
ipod
medications
emergency kit*
book
eye mask
headphones
iphone
tissues
snacks
*this is a small bag I usually keep in my handbag. It has single doses of medication, bandaids, hand sanitiser, hand cream, lip balm, hair ties, nail file, asthma puffer etc.
(packing your smaller carry-on item is an art in itself. I only include the things I know I will want access to during the flight.)
Clothing
jeans
tops x3 (grey long sleeve, blue long sleeve, white top)
beige cardigan
rain jacket
pyjamas x2
tights
socks x4
delicates x4 & x2 (black, beige)
black flats
swimmers
(I know I'm not taking a lot of clothing, but in all honesty I wear the same thing almost every day even when I have access to my full wardrobe. Everything I'm taking is in the same colour tones and all are mix and matchable to give me plenty of outfit options. I only take a few delicates because it is so easy to wash them on the road verses taking up more room in my bag. I only have 1 spare pair of shoes, but as it is I live in my sneakers and I'll take a pair that I can wear at night time)
Makeup
highlighter
eyeliner
mascara
blush
(I'm not a huge make up person when it comes to every day. This is all that I usually use, but I will be using a red lip balm instead of my usual blush cake to save taking my blush brush and to save my blush cracking in transit.)
Toiletries
face wash
comb
head band
cotton face pads
ear buds
toothbrush
moisturiser
perfume
deodorant
(I have divided my toiletries into solids and liquids below to help for packing later regarding the airline limitations of liquids in hand luggage. Last year I switched to using Lush products and they offer a great range of solid alternatives to liquid hair and face products. You may notice my list doesn't include shampoo and conditioner or soap, I will be relying on a combination of my mother's and the stuff I can find in our hotel rooms.)
Liquids
toothpaste
toner
eye cream
detangler
makeup remover
(Remember to keep it as basic as possible by using small bottles filled with just enough of your liquid products as you will need for your trip. This keeps it under the airline restrictions, and keeps your bag from getting too heavy.)
Entertainment
laptop
chargers
camera
Misc.
sunglasses
glasses
Photos of my pre-pack (not included are what I will be wearing on the plane, but other than that I will be living for 10 days with only what's pictured here)
I have yet to make my final edit before my final pack next week, but I hope that gives you a general idea of how little you actually need to take with you when you travel.
Any one who knows me will know I have a slight soft spot towards holiday packing. Okay that might be a slight understatement. I LOVE IT. I love reading blogs about it, and preparing packing lists specific to my upcoming trips (I have two in the works at the moment), and shopping around for new travel supplies... basically I'm addicted. I figured it was probably time to dedicate a blog to my addiction.
Steps for preparing a customised packing list
1. My first step is defining the details of the trip. My trip will be 10 days, 2 long 8+hour flight, frequent intra-country travel (bus rides, train rides, and short flights), it will be mid autumn, I will be travelling with my parents and my sister, and we will have access to laundry services for the duration of the trip.
2. Define your packing style. This is an important one. I personally am of the opinion of carry-on only, no matter the length of the trip. I don't think everyone needs to do this, but I will let you know that it makes travelling so much easier. Japan is notorious for it's grasp of living compact. The hotel rooms are smaller, and so are the cars, even the shopping trolleys are tiny. Packing light and efficiently is essential for this kind of trip.
I have also recently switched over to a backpack. For this kind of trip, travelling with a backpack makes sense. When I lived in Japan, I quickly realised how inconvenient it was to drag suitcases around town, up and down staircases, and on and off trains.
In the case of packing for your own trip, these are things you should consider when defining a packing style.
3. Write out a list of what you think you might need. Don't worry about making it perfect yet. Just jot your thoughts down. I like to start writing lists 2 months out, but that's cause I'm crazy like that. A few weeks is all a normal functioning non-anxiety ridden person would probably need.
4. Editing your list. This is when I look around on some of my favourite packing blogs. Sometimes other people will have advice that you might not have even considered. My go-tos are; Her Packing List (Great site for females who are serious about pared down packing, they also provide great trip specific tips, and reviews on many different travel products) Travel Fashion Girl (Really fun visual site for clothes list)
I'm sorry, I don't know about packing blogs for men, mostly because I'm not a man, but I'm sure they are out there, if you find one let me know.
5. Have a practice pack. About two weeks before you go, do a ghost pack. Lay everything out on your bed with your bag next to it all. Put together what you think you will need. You may find you have too much or not enough and need to re-edit your list. This pre-pack also gives you time to go out and shop for any specific items you may need for your trip.
6. No more than a week out, check the local weather. As we all know weathermen are not the best at their jobs, but they do help when packing in case of contingencies. There may be a hurricane predicted, or an early spring. I like to check the weather up until the day I leave, because weather can change at the drop of a hat, and you never want to be caught out wearing sandals in snow storm.
7. DON'T FORGET: Medications, and other things that are specific to your daily life and how to keep it functioning. Just because you are leaving home and trying to do it minimal, doesn't mean you have to completely go without. Little things like forgetting your slippers or your favourite tea that helps calm you down at night can make or break a holiday.
8. Remember to have fun. You're going on a holiday! It shouldn't be a stressful thing. Enjoy it.
"Err that person said they are an actor but they just said that their favourite movie is the new Mad Max movie... they obviously know nothing about cinema."
"Err that person said they are an actor but they just said that their favourite movie is the new Mad Max movie... they obviously know nothing about cinema."
