Remember this bag checklist the next time you’re packing the night before your trip– that’s your first mistake, by the way!
I must admit, I have a serendipitous feeling writing this one! I’m sitting in LGA airport, awaiting my flight home after my second trip to New York in the past month. Last time, I visited family; this time, I visited friends!
The plus side of visiting, and staying with, family (particularly, family my mom visits regularly!) is that chances are your every resource is available to you. Homes are way more stacked than a hotel room! If only I had thought of that while packing.
Though I of course feel thrilled to be traveling again, there is a sense of “Oh, dangit!” with my packing fails this trip. Clearly, I must pack a suitcase on a regular basis to improve my abilities!
I attended a beautiful, intimate wedding this past weekend. The festivities required an extra level of dress up (especially compared to the “regular” vs “formal” sweatpants wear we’ve all grown accustomed to in the past year!), so I went all out when choosing my outfits! I had a flowing dress, a gorgeous jumpsuit, and matching heels for both! I thought I was so prepared, but alas, I was not. Those heels? Hadn’t broken them in yet. That jumpsuit? Required “boob tape.” That dress? Well, the dress was perfect, but I should have worn different earrings!
When packing this trip, I figured that between all the festivities, we wouldn’t have much downtime. Thus, I shouldn’t waste valuable suitcase space on non-essentials, right? My logic was thus: pack pajamas, a single workout set, nice outfits for wedding activities, and a backup casual outfit just in case.
Overall, this was smart! I was correct in thinking there wouldn’t be much downtime, but as with all things, I had not thought to expect the unexpected. With that in mind, here’s a bag checklist of some of the things I wish I had thought to pack, but didn’t! Read on, and learn from my mistakes!
Bag Checklist Item #1 – Band Aids
Yes, nine times out of ten, a restaurant/museum/hotel will have a first-aid kit, and you can get your necessary bandage at guest services. Will that one band aid tide you over until you get home? Almost always. However, Murphy’s Law says you’ll need another one two hours later. So pack a dozen bandages of varying sizes.
Pro Tip: Spring for the thick blister ones at CVS. Those are the MONEY Band Aids.
Bag Checklist Item #2 – Travel Scissors
I Googled it and can confirm: TSA-Approved scissors are a thing! If you don’t have the time to do your research, a pair of scissors from a travel sewing kit that you can find in any grocery store will do the trick. I had the foresight to bring boob tape for that jumpsuit, for sure. Credit where credit is due! However, did I consider that I would need some sort of apparatus to sever the strips of boob tape I would need from their original packaging? No. Past Mallory did NOT consider that. For shame! Even if you have NO USE for boob tape, you’ll want scissors. Your bug spray bottle may need a puncture. Someone will forget to cut the tag of their shirt. There will always be SOMETHING. You’ll wish you had those sewing kit scissors yet!
Pro Tip: Did you forget to grab that sewing kit at the store yesterday, and now you’re packing thirty minutes before your Uber arrives to take you to the airport? Throw in your nail clippers instead! Those will also do the job for the tag you’ll need to cut off in ten hours.
Bag Checklist Item #3 – Comfortable Shoes
Remember my first pro tip from thirty seconds ago? HEED MY WORDS. My brain thought that by wearing my exercise Nikes on the flight, I would save suitcase space that DIDN’T need to be used on another pair of shoes. All other shoes I had for this weekend were heels and sandals I hadn’t fully broken in yet. IMMEDIATE facepalm. Oof. Next time, I’ll throw in a pair of flip flops. Maybe I should just buy some Crocs. I SEE PEOPLE WEARING THEM AROUND MORE NOW, OKAY? THEY’RE COMING BACK. I fought it the first time, but maybe I shouldn’t resist if the trend experiences a renaissance. Loud clogs aside, those things are COMFORTABLE. And they’re better than gently stepping through the terminal to get to your return flight after back-to-back days traipsing in heels (that are absolutely gorgeous and worth the “break-in” blisters).
Pro Tip: Something I didn’t forget (and rarely forget): get a pair of thick fuzzy socks. After blistering, you’ll be happy to have cloud coverage for your feet while you sleep. You’ll forget you’ll even have sore feet until you put on your sneakers the next day. Ouch.
Bag Checklist Item #4 – Extra Underwear
Let’s be real – we all pack underwear for vacations like we’re planning to poo in our pants every day of the trip. This time, I thought to myself, “Dang, that’s space that could be used for other things. I’m just going to pack enough underwear to get me through the trip.” I lived the experience so you wouldn’t have to, and I can confirm: method one works. Overpack your underwear. No, I did not spend an entire day in the bathroom, but I wanted more options when choosing my underwear during this trip! I had never thought about that luxury, but it is a very real thing. Overpack the underwear. Trust me.
Pro Tip: Your extra underwear should be the kind that’s seamless and won’t peek through a lighter colored outfit. Neutral without any lines is the way to go. Leave the fancier stuff for planned outfits. By fancier stuff I mean the neon green ones with pizza slices all over them. Obviously.
Bag Checklist Item #5 – Pepto Bismol
Here’s a lil’ bit of judgement: not throwing Advil/Tylenol/Ibuprofen into your bag is an amateur hour mistake. For the sake of this post, I’ll assume you know that. Peppy Bismilk is one of those OTCs that I don’t always consider on trips. I tend to not experience flight nausea, nor do I get stomach aches frequently! As a result, I didn’t think I’d need any tummy medicine in my bag. I was very wrong. Naturally, by thinking “I won’t need it” summoned the Gods of travel to curse me with nausea. Okay, I cursed myself by ordering a frozen margarita on day one of my trip! As a mostly non-drinking gal, that was ill-advised. So when you’re packing, grab a packet of Pepto (or Tums, if you’re not a fan of the pink charcoal chalk fest).
Pro Tip: When packing your Pepto, place it in a spot with a pack of gum nearby in your suitcase. You know why.
I consider myself a seasoned traveller, but clearly between my moments of paprika, I am table salt (get it? Seasoned? I’m sorry). I do think of all mistakes as a learning experience, especially when it comes to travel mistakes! Sure, my feet hurt, but I looked gorgeous in those heels. Next time I wear them, I won’t have the blisters… right? I better stop at CVS for those blister bandages on my way home!