I'VE TRAVELED AROUND the world a couple of times and hit most of the major countries in the process. One thing I love about traveling is seeing so many new and different things. What I have always hated about traveling is packing. That is until now—I've found the success key.
What makes packing so difficult? For the most part, it seems that most of try to take all the comforts of home on the road with us. When we start laying things out on the bed or tossing them in the suitcase for our business trip or our much deserved vacation, we want "this" and we want "that"; and can't go unless we have "these."
It doesn't matter if the trip is for three days or three weeks, somehow we manage to fill our bags to the brim AND always manage to forget something. Why does that happen? Because we fail to colorize and strategize!
Colorizing your packing process is going to give you a freedom that you won't believe and this especially applies if you are a woman. Ladies, how many times have you gone on a trip only to realize you have four or five pairs of shoes or you left a much-needed pair at home? I have to admit, it has happened to me and that's why I can speak so freely. I'm not theorizing about this, I have experienced this. In my opinion, the key to colorizing is finding a great pair of shoes you can wear with almost every outfit you plan to take. Why? One, it will lessen how many shoes you have to fiddle with, pack, and remember to bring back home and secondly; you absolutely won't forget to take one pair of shoes on the road.
Pick a color scheme for your trip; let's say you're going to wear black for the next three days. Sound boring? Do variations of black with vibrant accents. Do you realize how liberating that will be? Think about it; black is one of the basic colors for any wardrobe. You may think black is too depressing; So, add a red or yellow accent to your basic black and people that see you—won't see just black. Especially if your accent is close to your face; use a colorful tank top/shirt/blouse or a scarf to give you some spice.
Want to pack quickly? Pack the way you will use your wardrobe. Start with what you'll need for each day. Decide what you are going to wear—no guesses. Don't put in things you won't use. Decide you'll wear the dress on Friday and the slacks on Saturday. Make a decision so you can limit what you will take. This is especially important if you're flying since the airlines are charging additional fees for weight. Try to take things that will mix and match easily. With a couple of pieces of clothing, you can create several days wear.
Here's an example for a quick trip:
The day of your departure: as you use your toiletries and makeup, put them in the bag instead of laying it down for later. Why? You could easily forget something with so many distractions. Do everything once. And there you have it. Successful packing 101!
