pre-Connexions cogitations on packing

[katallison]

The more I travel (and I have travelled more for the sake of fandom than I ever did in my pre-fannish life), the better I get at figuring out the whole packing-light thing.

E.g., for a weekend jaunt, such as I am about to set out on, what comes with me is ...

Worn while travelling:
--black sneakers
--black socks
--black jeans
--black/dark grey long-sleeved t-shirt
--black leather jacket

In shoulder bag:
--little teeny shoulderstrap purse containing ID, credit card, cash, emergency cellphone, wee camera, bus pass for getting to & from airport, keys
--WiFi-enabled PDA loaded up with a couple of e-books (Right Ho, Jeeves and Mansfield Park), plus spare battery
--cigarettes, matches
--wintergreen Altoids
--ibuprofen, vitamins, bandaids (because I tend to gnaw my cuticles bloody when nervous)
--mini-pack of kleenex
--notebook, pens

In carry-on:
--two changes of underwear and socks
--spare black/dark grey long-sleeved t-shirt
--grey short-sleeved t-shirt, in case it gets warm
--t-shirt for sleeping in
--toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, sunscreen, deodorant, hairbrush
--telescoping umbrella, because it's supposed to rain

Really, everything in the carry-on could fit in the shoulder bag; I'm bringing mostly on the off-chance I buy something in the dealer's room to drag back.

I used to haul all manner of stuff with me when I travelled, to meet various "what if?" contingencies that, I came to realize in time, seldom if ever eventuated. I also have grown to fully value the remarkable efficiency of the all-black clothing scheme, and of replacing laptop + books with the PDA.

So, what are the must-haves in *your* weekend travel bag?

Comments

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Ah, traveling light. I have heard of such a thing, but it is not something I do. It's all the food.

Not packed yet, but.

Wearing:
Stretch skirt
T-shirt
Denim overshirt
Snood
Winter coat

In small upright suitcase:
three changes of underwear
Three skirts
One sweater set
One nice sweater
Two con t-shirts
Gi (in case I can get some training in on Sunday morning)
Scarves to match the outfits
Chargers for pda and cellphone
Bottle of wine
Pills
Prayerbook

In insulated food bag (will get microwave and fridge in room):
One barbecued chicken
One pound green bean almondine
One potato kugel
Quart of soup
Cole slaw
Mustard
Sliced roast beef
Cashew chicken and rice dinner
Pistachio nuts
4 challah rolls
One roll of duct tape
One timer for lights
Two tea candles
One havdallah candle
Matches
Paper plates and plasticware

In bag for the bus:
Two/three books
Comic books
Cheese sticks
Roll
Water
Soda

And my cellphone and pda live in my purse anyway.

On PDA: Tea 6, and I think Rilla of Ingleside, plus the story in progress and my weekly comic book report, which I think I can write on the way, and why I'm bringing the comics.

[geekturnedvamp.livejournal.com]

Oddly enough, this is helping me pack because I am packing right now, except I have not learned the art of traveling light so I'm all jealous *g*. But excited to see you in less than 24 hours!

[flambeau.livejournal.com]

Traveling light is such a pleasure. :) I went on a trip over Easter weekend and brought:

on me: pants, t-shirt, cardigan, boots, jacket, in grey/black/brown, kleenex in jacket pocket, book in other jacket pocket

in bag/s: cell phone, money and cards, keys, medications, notebooks and pens and a computer disk, clean underwear and socks, another t-shirt, snazzier pants and a top for Easter-ish hanging-out-with-relatives, toothbrush and face wash.

It's probably cheating, though, since the thing about visiting parents is that you can borrow just about anything. ;)

[buddleia.livejournal.com]

Sarong. Rolls up very small. Mostly for emergency Douglas Adams towel-type things, rather than sashaying along a beach. Enough money to buy emergency stuff, and since I'm a Londoner, almost anywhere else will have what I want cheaper than here. I pack very small.

[barkley.livejournal.com]

Thank you for reminding me that the contingencies almost never come up. With your help, I have finished packing light. It could pretty much all fit in a knapsack. However, this is not just any weekend, and as a result I have a suitcase full of DVDs and VHS tapes. Oh, the trials and tribulations of pimping vids and Stargate.

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

Now I wish I were going. :p I'm such a travel junkie, even packing gets me excited. I normally do it up to a week before I travel, and even before then I find myself carefully not wearing things I might want to pack, to be sure they won't be dirty laundry at packing time.

I normally make the mistake of bringing one "nice" outfit plus extra shoes to go with, just in case "we go out somewhere". This hardly ever happens, of course, and I'm left muttering about the extra room I could've used for another book or pair of jeans. Other than that, though, my list looks a lot like yours.

Nope

[(Anonymous)]

I know y'all love your PDAs but the idea of moving outside my house without a book....does not compute. The idea of leaving town without a dozen...makes the earth move, and not in a good way.

But I do pack for a dozen "contingencies" that never appear and now that I've read your post, I realize how foolish this is.

Hope you have a great con!

AnneZo

[qe2.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on the all-black; in my case it's all-denim-and-black, but as the jeans stay the same each day of the weekend it's pretty much a wash.

Weekend trip requirements:

To wear there and back: blue jeans, black tank, comfortable-yet-sexy bra (the only kind I buy these days) and other various bits of underwear, black long-sleeved pullover shirt, black sweater, and either black boots (if I have decent ones at the time) or sneakers (if I don't).

To wear during the weekend: multiple other black tanks and various bits of underwear, along with whichever shoes I brought.

To wear if dressing up: black jeans or black skirt, two fancyish tops (which sometimes are also black), black dress boots, a pair of black trouser socks or a pair of black stockings/tights

To amuse myself: laptop (*koffco-dependentkoff) with headphones, crochet project, small stack of the magazines to which I subscribe and on which I am perpetually weeks to months behind and/or a good book in paperback, small stack of CDs/DVD-Rs in case I meet someone I want to record something for/from, something I think I'll work on but don't.

For whatever reason: cellphone, camera, PDA, insulated mug, bag of dried fruit and nuts.

I have a standard packing list that I keep in my Outlook Notes and alter for trips longer than a weekend, depending on whether I'm going to need to feed myself either en route or at the destination. (I do not envy mamadeb on that front; keeping kosher at cons must be difficult.)

By the way: it was delightful meeting you. I've now expanded my dreams to include actual talking time when next we coexist in the same place.