We're getting ready to drive down to New Orleans (a ten hour trip) for my father's memorial service. We'll hang out with the family while we're there, and I'm looking forward to that part of it.
I'm very much less looking forward to the actual trip. Remembering to take everything we need. (Medications, electronics, charging cords, the CPAP for Dr. Skull, all my various pairs of glasses, clothing for the service, shoes for the service....) The driving. The traffic. Finding the hotel. Honestly, leaving home, which is where all my stuff is and I can pretty much control the environment.
I used to love to travel. I guess, looking back though, that was mostly when I did not control my environment. Getting out of my parents' house (TVs always on, the AC set at 80 degrees, endless racket) in order to camp at state parks, even ones without plumbing, I guess that was an improvement?
Or maybe it's no longer being 22? Remember how bored we were in our early 20s? I haven't been bored for decades.
My trip checklist (so far):
Animals to vet
- insulin
- food
- blankets
- meds (mine, Dr. Skull's)
- glasses (all five pairs)
- CPAP and CPAP cord
- Phone and phone chargers
- Earbuds, headphones, chargers for both
- Laptop and charger
- wallets (both)
- spare fob for car
- Checkbook (jic)
- Toiletries, including toothbrushes & floss
- Clothing, including underwear and socks
- Clothing for service, including fancy shoes
- Pajamas
- Dr. Skull's nuclear socks
- sunglasses
- ice chest
- trip folder with route and reservations
- Pillows
11 comments:
You've got all the stuff I occasionally forget.
:D
Even with a checklist, I always forget something
And the importance of Dr. Skull's nuclear socks? I mean, if they are not packed, will you have to turn around to retrieve them?
We would absolutely have to turn around a retrieve them!
(They're compression socks, which keep away the dropsy)
"What am I forgetting about?"
The Kid?
Silly me! I thought they were just socks with radiation symbols knitted into them!
"What am I forgetting about?"
The Kid?
Lol! The kid can't make the trip, sadly. He's starting grad school in the fall and needs to earn as much $$$ as he can before then.
I also like a category for trip lists called What to Wear, and another for other Last Minute things. I like a category for fun things (that where camera, charger, battery, computer, charger, books, and journal go, plus sometimes board games).
You've already listed meds, but do want to include commonly needed emergency meds? (For me, that would be ibuprofen and anti-diarrhea medicine.) Some people don't care, since they can buy that on vacation, but I think that's a boring way to spend time. I also like ear plugs in case I'm somewhere loud and a mask in case I'm somewhere crowded. And since it will be hot and maybe sunny, maybe hats, water bottle, umbrella/parasol, sunscreen. Maybe a walking stick?
If you wear jewelry, you might want to make sure you have some for all the different outfits or some that goes with everything.
Spare undies and socks might be good. Maybe even spare shoes. (I know so many people who've had to buy new shoes while traveling. A dog chewed up one shoe, another shoe melted/fell apart in the heat, another was just too slippery because boat shoes are fine for wet boats but not for snow.) In fact, if you're bringing uncomfortable dress-up shoes, you might want some comfy slip-ons to switch into later.
It might be part of toiletries, but do you have a hair brush and/or comb?
Especially since you have an ice chest, you might like re-usable food storage containers for leftovers. I always bring these to restaurants.
Good suggestions, Debbie!
I tend to do this for personal travel:
* Pack: up to 3 days of clothes. Plan to do laundry while away if needed
* Swimsuits, kid goggles
* Devices, headphones, and cords
* Planner, journal, pens. Ebooks on phone and ipads
* Deodorant, comb, hair bands
* Reading glasses for me
* Any medication: daily plus 1-2 day's worth of any just-in-case
* Thermos for me, water bottle for kid. Optional water bottle for me if space permits. All are empty at the outset for plane travel, but full for car travel. For car travel, I bring additional water
* Enough compact shelf-stable snacks/sandwiches to cover for 2 meals of extreme travel issues (flight cancellation/delay, stuck in bad traffic, etc.)
* 1-3 small stuffies for kid, depending on space (still at sleep-with-stuffies age)
* Paper book for me, paper book for kid, deck of cards
* Attached to phone pocket: ID, medical cards, credit card, about $60 of emergency cash. Additional emergency cash in each bag that stays with us
I also tend to go on the belief that it's not the end of the world if I forget to pack something that's easily acquired at my destination: for most US travel, if I forget acetaminophen or deodorant, no big deal. And if I forget a nice-to-have (such as the planner or drinking vessels), I can live with the inconvenience.
For fair-weather times of year and with no expectation of work (which would necessitate a laptop), I can fit full packing for myself plus my kid into an under-seat roller bag and a backpack that can come onto a plane. Colder weather packing or needing to bring my laptop bumps it into the realm of adding a small checked bag, which is not my favorite situation.
I try really hard to arrange things so that everything I have to cart around for me plus my kid fits into 2 bags, whether it's plane or car travel. It just makes it easier to get into/out of places. I think a CPAP would break me of that prioritization, though-- a CPAP is such a critical thing and the ones I've seen are pretty bulky.
Dr. Skull's CPAP is pretty compact, but yeah, we're going to need at least three bags. No, wait, four bags -- I need my backpack for my laptop. I can't travel without my laptop.
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