Packing Tips

This is less about WHAT I pack, but HOW I pack it.

I have a checklist in my Blackberry developed over many years of business travel to make sure I don't forget anything.

It is broken down by clothing, toiletries and electronics, with a few items regarding my Tivo and other stuff. I find it especially useful in the electronics end, as you don't want to forget adapters, chargers, anything that isn't replaceable at Wal-Mart.

MRS. Traveler doesn't have such a list, and over the years we've had to buy hair spray, curling irons, various articles of clothing, round brushes and swimsuits upon arrival. In fact, our last WDW trip found us at Wal-Mart late the first night.

For the most part the list has never let me down, with an exception a few years ago when I flew into Miami to speak at the memorial service of a friend. I'd flown in from Birmingham, and had forgotten to pack dress socks, and had to go straight from the airport to the service. It is VERY hard to find dress socks on a Sunday morning in an airport. I ended up paying about twelve bucks at some airport shop.

I'm not sure if, by revealing my packing list, I'm giving a packing tip, but here goes:

1. Annual pass
2. DVC membership card
3. Disney Visa card
4. Confirmations for resort, car rental, dining reservations, etc.
5. Still camera (of course!)
6. Camcorder
7. Tripod
8. Pins and lanyard
9. Collapsible hat
10. Sunscreen
11. Backpack
12. Sandals
13. Duffel bag*
14. Water spritzer/spray bottle if it is going to be hot
15. Cell phone
16. Charging devices for cell phone, camera batteries, etc.
17. Detergent and fabric softener**

*Having an extra duffel, especially a sturdy one, can be useful if you still fly on an airline that allows for 2 checked luggage without any charge, such as Southwest. If you buy a lot of stuff, and either can't fit in the luggage that you brought, or if it becomes too heavy, you can always stuff it into the duffel bag and check that in as well. We always bring an extra duffel bag, especially when going for a pin event trip, since pins are heavy, and we know we will be bringing back a lot of them.

** Since we stay at a DVC resort, we tend to do our wash in the middle of a week-long trip. This will let us pack less clothes in our luggage and more room to bring things back.

Zz.

Good point on the documentation.

I usually have one file folder with all the trip info in it, including airline confirmations, rental car stuff, hotel confirmations, etc.

I bet I go through that thing a dozen times the week or more before we leave. You've also got to make sure it doesn't get packed, so its usually in my computer bag or briefcase.

MouseTraveler has me laughing with the story about the dress socks. It reminds me of arriving at a distant venue to give a presentation to a bunch of engineers. I had inadvertently neglected to pack a tie. This was about 20 years ago (or more) when fax machines were relatively new on the scene. I called my secretary and had her fax me the tie that always hung on a hook on the back of my office door. I cut it out, pinned the paper copy on and, VIOLA, I was ready to go! It got a laugh and people still remember it today. I don't know if it would work with socks though. ??

The best part of the dress sock story is that I told it at the memorial. The service was in Miami and was for an older gentleman who had been President of an organization immediately before me. He had a GREAT personality, and used to take great delight in calling me on a wintery morning and making his first statement, "Can you guess what the temperature is in Miami today...?".

I told the story about struggling to find the socks, and afterward his wife and daughter told me he would have gotten the biggest kick out of that.

Z, you actually pack your backpack?

I can't wait until I can get all of this stuff completely virtual. Right now I still feel more comfortable with hard copies, though.

As for items that we "don't leave home without," I have to say band-aids. We've yet to complete a WDW trip without needing them. Oh, and heartburn meds!

No, I take my backpack as a carry-on. I pack the duffel bag. But I still put my backpack on my "list".

Zz.