How to make packing easier

23 Oct, 2023

Note: This really only applies to the packing you do at the end of your trip before heading home. (Or from one destination to another.)

Without further adieu… how to make packing easier:

Keep Everything in One Place.

That’s it. That’s the advice. You could stop reading now if you wanted, but some additional commentary…

Benefits:

You’re less likely to forget things
Packing up will be faster
Your hosts and/or trip companions will appreciate your minimal footprint

Here’s how this looks in practice:

When you arrive at your destination, choose somewhere that can be your One Place.
As you unpack, keep everything within arm’s distance of your One Place (or within arm’s distance of one of your other belongings).
If you acquire new things during your stay, put them within arm’s distance of your One Place (or within arm’s distance of one of your other belongings).

Some edge cases:

Q: What if I want to keep my toothbrush / toothpaste / floss / makeup / whatever in the bathroom?
A: I personally keep everything in my One Place because empirically I’ve found it Worth It. That said, if you really want to keep things Elsewhere, I recommend writing down any items outside of your One Place on a piece of paper and displaying it prominently on top of your stuff.

Q: What if I need to hang fancy clothes and there isn’t enough space in the closet for everything else?
A: Yeeeah this happens to me a lot. See answer to above question, but tl;dr, write down items kept outside your One Place on a piece of paper. I recommend an index card.

Q: What if there isn’t enough space for all my stuff in only One Place?
A: This happens. But first, you’re a smart person! I bet you could find a way to fit everything in only One Place! But if it’s really not Worth It to do that, having two places can be a good option. Or more, I suppose. But the core philosophy here is to have your things in as few places as possible.

This advice isn’t particularly original or groundbreaking, but someone told me about it when I was younger, and I’ve found it incredibly useful, from a work trip in Austin to a vacation in Zadar.

There are few pieces of advice I would blindly give to anyone without knowing anything about them.. but this is one of them.

So again, when you’re traveling, if you want to make your packing easier:

Keep Everything in One Place.