How Long Does It Take You to Pack?

I think it depends on how long it's been since you last traveled. When I was traveling in the US every other week, I could do it in 15 minutes or less. ; ) And it depends if the time of year is varied or the planned activities are different. I know exactly how to pack for a week walking in Scotland. When I throw a week in Amsterdam and Belgium the week before it adds some time. I usually do lists and try to keep my lists. I don't think that three hours sounds that excessive. Pam

I tend to gather the non-clothing and non-toiletry items in the week before and set them aside, then pack my bag in a an hour or two the night before or day that I leave. No lists, but no real worries either - if I need to, I can replace most anything I forget when I'm there, or I can do without. If I were traveling to a third world country or traveling for a backpacking trip in a less inhabited place, things would be different. I don't even think about clothing until the day before, when I check the weather forecast for wherever I'm going.

I have a packing list in Word, which, according to the "properties", was first cre-ated (thanks webmonster) just before my trip in 2004. I've maintained it since then, adding and deleting things (mostly deleting things) since then. After every trip I review the list - what didn't I need, what did I need to have. Most of the clothes on the list are dedicated to traveling - quick dry polyester/cotton blend shirts and underwear. So they are always in my carry-on bag, ready to go. Having a well honed packing list means you won't forget anything or take along anything you don't really need.

I must say, I pack extremely light and clothing is actually the least of what I take and probably takes only minutes to pack. What slows me down so much are things like amassing all my (charged) electronic devices and their chargers, adapters and plugs, as well as organizing my money, various credit cards, debit cards, ID, important documents and guides and having everything in just the right "hip pockets" so that things work well for me. The carry-on bag, money belt and messenger bag must be loaded in just the right way, etc. etc. I'm really not a compulsive control freak, although what I've written here might make me look that way.

I wouldn't say you are a compulsive control freak, just a well organized "freak". Everything has to be on that list, be it clothing, your passport, adapter, a battery charger, debit card, whatever. My list includes not only my moneybelt, but everything that goes in it. One of the last things on the list is my German/English dictionary. In 2007, perhaps I became too nonchalant about the list and quit looking at it before I was packed. As I was going to the airport, I looked at the outside pocket of my bag and realized that I had forgoten my dictionary. "That's confidence". I stopped at the train station in Munich to get a new one. I never used it the whole trip. Moral: If you don't take some thing, you might find you can get it over there. You might actually find you didn't need it anyway.

Compose the packing list a week before departure. Re check the list two days before departure. Cull. Pack clothes and non essential toiletries the night before. Everything in packing cubes, which are absolutely the best invention ever! Day of trip toss the Listerine, hand sanitizer, toothbrush, extra pair of glasses and toothpaste in one, the overnight charged gadgets in another. Takes 20 minutes for an overseas flight. Carry on bag. Double check zippers are shut and shoulder strap secure. Rain, sleet, snow or sun. Got it down to a fine science. No muss, no fuss.

Several days, maybe a week if I include the arrangements about money, credit and ATM cards, and insurance. I make a trip to my safe-deposit box at the bank to get my passport and European cash, plus my Oyster for London and the plastic pass for Paris. These are safely stored in the bank in a money belt so I can just grab the belt and not have to rummage around to find what I need. I spend the most care in packing my pills. I take lots of them, both prescription and non-prescription. I count out the number I need, sorting them into baggies. I do the pills a day or two in advance. I spend a couple of hours arranging and re-arranging the stuff in my bag. Usually it weighs too much and I start chucking out the less necessary things. Deciding which clothes to take isn't easy for me. I usually end up with something extra or not enough to keep warm. I'm starting to carry several electronic devices. I carry them in my personal backpack-style bag which goes under the seat. All those chargers! Someone please invent a one-size-fits-all for these things.

I keep a list in my computer of things to take. I try to update it after each trip to add or delete things. I also pack completely three days before I leave. It helps to relieve my anxiety that I've forgotten something. It also lets me get some rest before the hectic pace of my normal excursions.

I usually start with list-making etc. about a week before the trip, not so much because I'm organized or anything, it's just my way of dealing with the excitement and the anxiety that something may come up and prevent me from going. Once I start packing it reassures me that I'm really going to go...hopefully. And once I actually start to pack in earnest the night before, I relish the process; it becomes a sort of ritual. I carefully iron all my clothes even though my iron normally rarely sees daylight. I pack and re-pack until everything's just right. For the trip home, I basically just chuck my things in the bag willy-nilly:)

Ditto on the list making - I already have my packing list going for my 2012 trip (don't judge). As Lee mentioned, it's very detailed and includes the details of things you might forget (e.g,. what goes inside your money belt). I have a storage bin that has just travel items in it (blow up neck pillow, packing cubes, etc), so it's easy to pull out what I need. I have a timeline for doing things like charging electronics, downloading last minute stuff to my iPhone, stopping mail and papers, calling banks, and the like. I lay out my clothing choices a full week before I leave, then check weather about 5 days ahead to make any last minute changes. I have been known to pack my entire bag the weekend before to judge weight (if weight limits are an issue). The whole bag is packed the night before I leave to resist temptation to add just one more shirt/sweater/shoes/pants/scarf.

I'm practice packing now for an extended trip to the British Isles next spring, but I guess I'm obsessive. I got a new Rick Steves rolling backpack and I had to know now how to pack it. Ordinarily I like to pack a week or more ahead of time. I keep my travel wardrobe and equipment in a spare bedroom. Use a table or bed to lay out all the stuff and mull over it for a few days. As long as I can do it leisurely, I enjoy packing, and it gets easier with experience. Also, you pack lighter with experience. My recurring nightmare is having to pack in a hurry at the last minute!

Gwen, I tend to use some of the same methods described by others here. I start with a very detailed Packing List, which is formatted in an Excel document. This is revised slightly for the specifics of each trip, and also includes serial numbers for my Camera gear and other valuables. A copy of the Packing List and my Itinerary is carried in a USB Memory stick, stored in my Money Belt. I keep most of my travel gear stored in two Bins, one for main pack items and one for day pack items. Some of this is configured in "modules" inside packing cubes. I always check and refill consumable items (such as the contents of my 3-1-1 bag) when I return from trips, so everything is always ready to go. I usually start the process about two weeks before departure by laying out the Backpack I'll be using, and loading it with the usual things I take on each trip. I usually travel with much the same clothing each time, and this is loaded into the pack a day or two before departure. On the afternoon or evening before leaving, I transfer credit / ATM cards and cash into my Money Belt and store that in the Daypack, and also "load" my travel Wallet. I do a final check to ensure that everything is packed according to the Packing List, and the final step is to weigh the Packs. The Camera bag that I travel with is usually loaded the same way all the time, so that only requires a "verification check". To answer your original question, I could probably pack in an hour if necessary, however I usually spread this out over a few weeks.

I start packing as soon as I book the airfare, even if it is eight months in advance! As I come across things we (a family of four) will need, I put them aside; then when the trip gets close, I go through it all and see what's missing. I often buy all new clothes (at great off season prices) and have them packed long before the trip. I also am getting better and better at keeping all of our travel gear in one place so it gets easier with each trip. We finally got it right on our last trip and each of us only brought one R. Steves convertible backpack carryon.

It takes me an hour, tops. I do pretty much what Kia does. My husband, on the other hand, takes a week or so. He is much better dressed than I am, so his clothes take some preparation (get everything he needs to, and back from, the cleaners, etc.) plus he has a tendency to forget things, so he has to make a pretty comprehensive list. I think this is something that varies as much as individual humans vary. :D

I start well in advance, planning and shopping. I really do enjoy the process, and shop for anything I need strictly on sale, keeping in mind what sort of trip I will be taking, what the weather may be, where I'm going, what worked and what didn't on previous trips, etc. I keep lists and make diagrams, what goes with what, what to put in the purse, what not to, an I usually keep the luggage out in my room and open so I can see how it all fits together and make any neccessary adjustments. Even so, I usually end up with something stupid in the bag that I never really need. I took a foldable sunhat to wear while boating on the hallstattersee that i wore exactly once, and not for boating. I freely admit to being sort of obsessive - but in a good way :)

Gwen, My packing process for Europe is almost exactly the same as yours. I keep a packing list in my PC. I save a special version for the trip I'm taking a month or two before I leave. Then I add to it as needed. I usually don't pack until the day I leave because our flight is usually late afternoon on Saturday. I am always surprised at how long it takes me to do the actual packing - three hours sounds about right. It seems to go so much faster when I travel in the U.S.

Don't knock being obsessive. I've often said that without obsessives, the Internet would be an obscure way to exchange email among academics. Who else but an obsessive is going to transcribe the lyrics to every song ever written? I have a packing list that fits on one page but takes up four columns. Things to be packed are divided into groups depending upon where they are packed. When following the one-bag approach, that means which packing cube they go in. Items for overseas trips, where I am trying to pack as lightly as possible, are in bold so I can quickly assemble them. I have a section for things to add when I'm taking a trip by car, when I'm going to the beach, when the weather will be cold, when I'm taking the dogs, etc. I then have a section for things to do before we leave: stop the mail, set the air conditioner, notify banks of international travel, and so on. Each item has two check boxes beside it so I can check whether something needs to be included or done, and then whether it has been packed or completed. I usually edit the list after every trip so it is pretty complete. The comforting thing to me is that if I carefully go through it at least once, I know I won't have missed anything I need to pack or need to do before leaving. In any event, having the "perfect" packing list means that packing doesn't take much time. In a rush, I could do it in less than an hour, although it usually takes longer because I have to finish my daily use of some things before they can be packed (such as contact lens solutions). I have "pre-packed" some items and probably will do more of that in the future so I could be completely packed in ten minutes if I ever needed to be. Then I'll just need a really spontaneous trip to arise, such as an email offering a $300 last minute flight to London.

I also have an ongoing list which I update every time I travel. What Lee says is true - if you have a complete list, you won't forget anything and you're already halfway to packing. As soon as I buy plane tickets, I take out my list and start to revise it. Every time I think of something, I'll add it to the list. I pack the night before I leave and it takes 2-3 hours, I think because I'm a little OCD and get distracted easily by the next thing down on the list. But better to take a long time packing and make sure that everything is checked off the list, then to rush and not pay attention to the list.

I also have a pack list on my computer. I can pack rapidly if I need to. To be honest, sometimes, when I pack rapidly, I'll throw in a shirt or pants I should have left home. Ideally, I like to pack at least a few days early then think about whether everything in my bag works or something should be replaced. Nothing is worse, when you pack light, than bringing something that doesn't get used often.

I normally start my packing process the weekend before I leave. Like others I have a checklist that I follow. My check list not only includes clothes, but toiletries and electronics as well. My clothing packing list may change depending on time of year and if I'm traveling domestic or international. The one thing I notice that I've taking more of lately is electronic gizmo's. I need to revisit this list I think.

I don't make a list,, I do however starts weeks in advance, setting up the stuff in a spare room. I lay out my clothes and stuff.. I constantly edit edit edit ,, I like to travel light, so I put outfits together and elimanate any one item that can't do double duty.
I enjoy the process and don't actually load the suitcase till the day before so stuff doesn't get too wrinkly. I use the roll method now.

I can tell you that having gone to Europe each summer for the last 10 years has certainly refined our packing list. We now take a LOT less stuff that we did at first. We use an unused queen sized bed to lay out all of our travel gear that we keep stored in two big storage bins and refer to a packing list that we have updated over the years. We get all of this done in about two weeks working very part time at it. One thing we have learned is that if we forget something, which we have done, we can always purchase it once we get to Europe. We usually only take 3 or 4 days of clothes, including underwear, and then wash stuff as needed in the sink. RS says he can travel thru Europe for 90 days with just his carry-on sized suitcase. Well, we can do it for 30 days!

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only obsessive list maker when it comes to packing. I have lists from several kinds of trips on my computer. I pull up the one that is closest to the trip that I am planning and revise it before each trip. My lists are separated by clothes, toiletries & extras, daybag, moneybelt, and very detailed-( ie: black capris, red t-shirt, chapstick) I try to have everything I need at least a few weeks before the trip (and by everything, I mean toothpaste, shampoo, etc.) so that I can worry about other details that always pop up at the last minute. I will usually pack a few days before to make sure that everything fits. When I return, if there is anything that didn't get used, or things I wished I had packed, I note on the list-though at this point, after a dozen international trips, my lists are pretty streamlined.

Well it depends on how often you travel. In my case, its so often that I always have my toiletries up to date in both a regular suite case (and a spare backpack for short trips). Plus I have separate checklists for warm or cold weather trips developed over the years that I use. It only takes about 15 mins to pack.

I start 2 weeks ahead, mostly because of my excitement to actually get on the plane and get to my destination. I make a custom packing list for each trip, as each one is different, with some different needs. I do this on my computer and leave it there, making changes until 2 - 3 days before I start to actually pack my suitcase. I print it out when I'm ready to pack, and highlight each item as I pack it, so know it's in there! I stack stuff in my bedroom 1 week before I start to pack, I have my favorite things I always bring, and I want them ready and not in the laundry when I begin to pack. Once I pack, I'm done. I might add a small item, but generally, if I follow my well thought out packing list, I don't need to do anything but add those last minute items that can't go in until I leave. I use the same Eagle Creek ORV truck convertible case that I've used for years and years, it's served me well.

I agree it depends on how often you travel. I used to stress about it. Now, it's basically clothes, wallet, camera, phone, ipod, passport, toiletries and medications. I can pull that together in less than an hour. Oh, I almost forgot, a book to read in the airport.