3/16/08

Packing Tips


I'm leaving for China in about 2 weeks and will be going to Guilin, and may or may not still be going to Tibet....

Anyway, I got to catch up with my friend Ines (of the awesome neighbor variety) this weekend. Ines is a natural born traveler so I picked her brain and got some tips for China. As I was explaining to her, I always think I can pack light (and on the whole I do) but I always end up taking much more than I need. And since this trip to china is going to be a go! go! go! kind of a trip I really don't want to be hauling things around that I'm not going to need. These were her top tips:

• Take a backpack, and that's it.
• Take two pairs of shoes: one comfortable walking pair and one pair of flats that can be smashed into the bottom of the bag.
• Pack like you're going away for 3 days, not 3 weeks. You'll end up wearing the same 3 things everyday anyway.
• Don't bring anything you don't wear all the time at home. This is not the time to bring that green dress that you never wear but maybe you'll feel like it in Hong Kong.
• Don't bring anything that doesn't match everything else you're bringing.
• Bring a skirt.
• Bring a compass for when you get out of the subway and are disoriented.
• Before you actually put things into the bag, put it all out on your bed. Apparently this is the one that you need the most discipline for. It's too enticing to just start shoving things into your bag. Once you have everything out on the bed, eliminate half of it.

Can't wait. I'll take a picture once I get to that point!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Top tip:
Carry paper tissues and wet wipes in your purse. Chinese toilets will not be what you are used to and toliet paper will probably not be available in a lot of places :)

my little apartment said...

as much as I loathe the whole hipster scene that surrounds it, American Apparel makes a bunch of dresses that double as skirts, shirts, sarongs, etc.

i have always loved packing, its like organizing a mini-closet...

Anonymous said...

haha, i was just thinking today how i will take a picture of what i pack for my portugal-netherlands trip and send it to you.

i guess we can have a competition.

-ines

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