Traveling can be extremely stressful. Part of what makes it intense and aggravating is packing. Is there a perfect way? Who can ever be sure as to what are all the essentials? What if you find yourself in uncertain situations? You always want to be ready. But being ready for any moment can lead to an aggressive amount of cumbersome luggage. Others have found a way though... so they say.
Redditor u/cdkeller93 wanted to hear from all the travelers out there who might have some wisdom about packing with brains by asking.... Frequent travelers of Reddit, what are your best tips if you need to travel light for a formal occasion followed by a short vacation?
Undie 3....
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Never leave your house and you can survive on a piece of underwear for three days. pandafromars
And even if you leave your house, you can easily survive two days, aerate them, and wear them again. Travel for a month with a backpack teach you things, I swear. tia_avende_alantin33
Logistics.
Here's my list: 3-4 plain shirts, 1 semi-formal jacket, 1 jeans and 1 slacks, 1 shorts, 3 socks, 3 underwear, 1 leather shoes and 1 jogging shoes. It will be well under 7 kg So you still have room for your laptop, gadgets, etc. Heli456
The Thread.
Needle and thread of the colors you'll be wearing visibly.
Take little to no space, and no scissors needed, just be careful when breaking the thread.
A missing button or a hole sometimes make a difference. The_spanish_ivan
UPS Rescue.
I shipped my suit and a return label to the hotel I was booked at to my attention, and called ahead to let them know I would be arriving within a few days to pick it up if they wouldn't mind holding it (call first). Then when I left, I left it behind the desk with them and scheduled a UPS pickup. RogerPackinrod
Dual Use.
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Dual use undershirts. Seek out locations and hotels with a laundry service. Go as casual as possible with your pants while focusing on more formal shirts and jackets as tops. wasstronger
An Extra Closet.
Garment bag for your formal wear and stick it in the overhead. Fit whatever else you can in a backpack that fits under your seat.
If you fly first class, they'll usually have a small cupboard where you can hang your jacket. babygrenade
They usually offer this to coach passengers. I've never been turned down when I've asked to hang my suit in the suit closet. just-signed-up
Spaced Bags.
The last time I needed to travel light, I was able to fit a week's worth of clothes, including ski outerwear, into a carry on by using vacuum space bags. Not going to work for every situation and type of clothing but solved my problem beautifully. jsbt1977
Rent the Runway....
I usually will use rent the runway, which is just women's clothes but they have similar sites for suits and men's clothing. But you can get a whole outfit delivered to where you're staying for the formal occasion and pack for just your vacation. It's not necessarily the cheapest option, but my style for weddings has stepped up greatly and I haven't bought anything new recently. FatLadiez
The Overdress....
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Travel in your heaviest clothes, but comfy. If you need a suit or dress make sure it's thin if you're going somewhere hot. Then pack maybe 1/2 things of swimwear and wash and reuse clothes throughout the stay. twentyonepilotsksk
A Studied Method.
If you can afford it, rent the formal outfit or borrow one from a friend headed to the same formal occasion
Merino wool tends to remain odor free and you don't need to iron it — wears well for many days. Lots of brands sell merino wool items for travelers. You can dress it up too.
Linen is great for tropical climates — it isn't anti odor but wicks away sweat so you stink less and doesn't look too bad even when wrinkled — 2-3 shirts and bottoms can be rotated over a week. Uniqlo makes great linen pants and tops.
A study has shown that synthetic fibers (polyester) might smell more than natural (cotton) fibers
https://www.realmenrealstyle.com/fabric-types-affect-odor/ moonandmilk
Have fun!!!
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I like to pack in one color scheme, so that can all be mixed and matched. This also lets you pack only 1 pair of shoes (wear the other pair you plan on using).
For the formalwear, you'll have to suck it up a bit, but that should help with minimizing space for the vacation days after.
Also, pick your travel outfit intentionally, so that it's one you can rewear on the trip or at least on the plane back home.
Have fun! whocanpickone
Don't Eat it Up.
Shoes eat up a lot of space so I limit myself to 1 pair of comfy shoes that are acceptable to wear on formal occasions like weddings or meetings while making sure they don't hurt like hell when strolling around town or the beach.
You'll need a few of your best shirts that work well with slacks and jeans. Here's a guide that might help you decide on essentials to bring along.
I also have 1 cool looking jacket that almost looks like a suit and seem to always get away wearing it in meetings and formal days at work. Hope this helps. MrDavidStevens
"in case you wanna wear it"
One overhead suitcase, one moderately sizeable backpack to go under the seat in front of you. Don't bring anything you're not certain that you're gonna use. Don't bring any maybe-outfits "in case you wanna wear it". Don't bring a book that you might read. If it's a maybe, it's a no. Pack more socks and underwear than shirts and pants/shorts. Pants and shirts can be reworn; underwear and socks can be too, but that's gross, so bring more.
I know there's the old adage "better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it," but not when you're trying to pack light. Chances are, if you have enough money to be traveling/vacationing, you have enough disposable income for you to buy anything that you forgot (or anything that you decidedly didn't bring that you ended up needing after all). Reddit
DO NOT ROLL YOUR FORMAL CLOTHES!
I am not what anyone would consider a "light packer" but I pride myself on fitting obscene amounts of clothing into my suitcase when I travel. DO NOT ROLL YOUR FORMAL CLOTHES. I've seen this mentioned a few times and while it works fine for things like t-shirts it doesn't work well for bulky and stiff items like a suit jacket. The most effective way I have found for packing formal wear is to fold the sleeves over the body and lay it as flat as possible either in the bottom of your suitcase or the top. If packed well you can easily fit a weeks worth of clothing in a carry on, including your formal wear. Shakith
Ship to You.
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If you can afford to do it, and it could get pricey, you can ship things to yourself in advance to any post office in the US. It is called general delivery . I had no idea this existed until my 20s and have only ever used it once. a116jxb
The Gussie Method....
Been traveling quite a bit in the last few years, for up to 4 weeks at times. Found this video earlier this year and I now swear by it, or at least a close variation based on my own packing needs. I never travel with more than a carry-on for above the seat and a backpack for under. I present you: The Gussie Method https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDn9l20NlWw&t=5s Luckybird1
"just in case I want to look cute."
Stop packing those outfits that you never wear "just in case I want to look cute." You will either put them on, then immediately change into something more comfortable, or they won't even leave your suitcase. Shoes too, one comfy pair for walking, and one formal pair that is also comfortable.
Same with makeup/toiletries. Pack your every day things and MAYBE one "special occasion" lipstick. You don't need that fancy palette that you never use or those 3 hair styling tools that take forever! recklesschopchop
Checklist.
1.Always use versatile clothing and shoes. Shoes and jackets have to be limited to 1 pair/piece.
2.Always, and I repeat, always go with wet wipes. Your suit, shoe, etc. can be stained, and if you immediately rub it with a makeup remover wipe (the micellar water ones) it'll likely go away.
3.Take a handag that doesn't look bad with formal clothes, and a small overhead luggage (preferably the hard plastic ones, not the fabric ones, as those maintain the structure you packed best).
4.Leave space for things you might get, take only plain clothes, eg 1 pair of jeans+t-shirts. Always take an extra set of underwear.
5. Check what the hotel/airbnb you stay in has. If they have towels and shower gel, you only need a comb, razor (optional), toothbrush and small toothpaste for toiletries. This often frees up space. DrLilyPaddy
Thanks Wifey.
A pair of shoes can contain around 2 pair of socks and 2 pair of underwear inside.
Don't fold any cloths roll it up. takes up a lot less space.
Source: I got my wife to pack all her stuff in one (!!) bag. NicolajN
All the Right Things....
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For the occasion, into the baggage: One shirt, one pair of formal pants, formal shoes, a tie.
Then for N days of holidays, into baggage: N/2 t-shirts. N pairs of underpants, N pairs of socks.
Misc stuff: a towel, pair of shower slippers.
Then you wear: 1 pair of jeans, 1 pair comfy/sporty shoes, t-shirt, sweater/polar, coat/windcatcher.
I always fit all of the above stuff into one backpack along with the laptop when I have to travel for work for a week or two.
PS. On the very formal occasions where you also need a jacket and/or - I travel in a suit, as it's very hard to fold properly.
PPS. Check the weather forecast for your destination, adjust accordingly. swistak84
Real life contains the scariest horrors you could ask for. So aren't we all living in a horror movie, in a way? At least, these people sure freakin' were.
MisterSnowman69 asked: What was a moment in your life that felt like a horror movie scene?
In the words of the legendary Mary Vivian Pierce in the film Pink Flamingos, “Murder merely relieves tension”. I’m sure the following Redditors felt differently.
Nothing scarier than the woods at night.
Went into a real deep woods hike for only the second time in my life.
My gps broke and had to rely on my compass. Got turned around a few times because I couldn't remember the direction I came from, and it was getting dark. Lost the trail way.
But the woods are weirdly silent in the dark and alone.
It was around 2am by the time I found the trailhead.
Darn foxes.
the simpsons react GIFGiphyMy friend and I got lost late on one foggy night in the Italian countryside. There were rats all over and every once in a while we heard someone scream.
I've never been more sure I was about to get murdered than I was that night.
It was probably a red fox that was screaming.
Could've also been a lynx, but they are much rarer in Italy.
At least she wasn’t speaking in tongues.
My mom is quite the sleep talker, but it's usually pretty short and incoherent when it happens. One night as a teenager, I woke up to her scream-yelling the Hail Mary prayer (my bedroom was across the house and upstairs).
Difficult to get back to sleep after that one.
Sometimes scary sh*t ends up just being funny coincidences. Super funny. Right?
Don’t give them any ideas.
I was exploring an abandoned mental asylum and then got the scare of my life when a scary looking person inside one of the rooms was just staring at me without moving. Turns out some joker had left a cardboard cutout there.
And now I have plans this weekend... Just need to find a couple of cardboard cutouts and to break into the local abandoned asylum.
Don’t you hate when that happens?
Evil Dead Horror GIF by Coolidge Corner TheatreGiphyI was driving home on backcountry roads at midnight in heavy fog. Like can't see 10 feet in front of you thick. Suddenly I see an all-white silhouette running in front of the car. Every hair on my body stood up. I immediately think "oh god, oh f*ck, it's a f*cking woman in white, I'm gonna f*cking die"
Nope just a drunk who dove into the ditch.
Gotta love paranoia.
When I was about 12, my parents went out for dinner leaving me home alone. We lived out in the country, on a private road with only three other houses, surrounded by cow fields and wooded areas.
I went into the the kitchen and glanced out the window towards the trees and there in the fading light I could see a person walking slowly through the woods. They were wearing all black, moving slowly and appeared to pause behind trees. My heart started pounding so hard in my ears I couldn't hear anything else and I was weak and shaky from fear. I froze and just watched them. Would they come to the house? Where were they going?
This was before cell phones but I suddenly remembered my mom had left the number of the restaurant by the living room phone. Slowly, I made my way towards the living room, trying to watch this stranger in the woods.
Just as I entered the living room, all the lights in the entire house went out. By this time it was nearly dark outside. I started openly sobbing and in the dark I heard a weird boom like noise. That was it, I ran to my parents room, hid under their bed and sobbed. That's where my mom found me hours later (it felt like).
Well, turns out the stranger in the woods was a stupid cow that had busted through a fence, the lights going out was from an accident a few miles away (hit the power line) and the boom was the pilot light in the gas stove. Man, I have never been that scared in my life though!
I have a lot of questions.
A naked man who was covered in blood chased me across a park at 2 in the morning. I was totally alone. He just wanted money for a bus (????) and luckily nothing bad happened but I thought I was going to die.
But of course, the genuine horrors do exist. And they aren’t scary in a fun horror movie way, they’re actually terrifying because they can happen to anyone.
A scary few seconds.
car chase GIF by Mayans M.C.GiphyI am a "baby" in a car seat in between cousins in backseat. Dad is driving. This is in the 80s and it is my aunt's insistence that I am in this seat even though I am like 5.
A sleeping semi driver is coming over into our lane and there is a cliff on other side. Basically my dad did some amazing driving but semi blew us up. I am uninjured sitting in the seat swinging my legs while everyone is unconscious. They all wake groaning. Dad doesnt wake up.
Long story short just minor scrapes and dad has broken leg. But the crunch of metal and those few seconds/minute of being the only "alive" person was quite fear inducing.
Glad they’re all ok now.
Two days after my now boyfriend told me he liked me he fell from a zip line and broke his back. Almost died. 6 months later he got into a car wreck from a drunk driver - almost died. 6 months after that, he passed out and had to have emergency brain surgery, again, almost died. I now have severe anxiety/separation anxiety/and ptsd. That whole year was a f*cking nightmare
Edit: we're both okay now, the brain injury was almost a year ago. But TBIs take a while to heal so he still has side effects. Thankfully our relationship is still strong; he's physically getting better and I'm healing emotionally too. Lucky for him, the trauma of the injuries has caused him to forget the majority of the pain and memories of those incidents.
ALWAYS wear a helmet.
Driving home from work at 23, listening to my favorite song.
I pull up to a red light, and see this guy on a motorcycle coming up next to me in the other lane. I rolled down my window to compliment his bike when he stops. He doesn't, and runs the red light. He hits a car going at least 55mph. His motorcycle shatters apart, he goes flying, hits the hood of another car, and lands on the ground and rolls into the curb (no helmet). The car he hit with his motorcycle was totaled. I had to step over his body to talk to the police. He was still alive when they got there. I regret not holding his hand. It was just a normal day, and all of a sudden it felt like the rug was pulled from out beneath me. He was only 18.
Edit: The song was Sunny by Boney M., for those curious
What did we learn today, kids? Foxes scream like humans, shadowy figures are usually cows or drunken rednecks, and once again, PLEASE WEAR A HELMET WHEN YOU RIDE ANY KIND OF BIKE.
Scary sh*t surrounds us. But where there is horror, there are heroes. So next time you think you see a scary figure in the woods, know that Bruce Campbell is probably right around the corner
Hypocrisy is everywhere; it's like a disease. And sadly everyone does it. Some of us indulge in smaller doses than others. But some people live their life by it. Like how can you support civil servants, like police, firefighters, etc... yet try to find ways to hide money in order to not pay taxes? Tell me... I'll wait.
Manga...
Hungry Night Court GIF by LaffGiphyItalian moms that say you're too fat then say I'm making grandma cry by not finishing my pasta.
Asian moms too! Not only that if you try to not eat, they make to go containers for you. Oh, sorry I have to leave, RUNS AT LEAST HAVE SOME FRUIT.
Phonies...
Celebrities positioning themselves as champions for social justice while launching a clothing line with no comment on the labor conditions their garments are made in.
Sexy Times...
The Porn Industry
Why is prostitution considered a crime, but it becomes perfectly legal once a camera is put beside them?
I think the first amendment helps with that one. There's been many a supreme-court case about whether porn is protected speech.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...
You can get away with WAY more crap, in general, when you're attractive.
But we all kind of aspire to attractiveness and it's not like it's attractive people's fault, exactly. So what is there to be done?
So true. Money and beauty are treated like virtues and they aren't. They're luck of the draw. It probably helps you to be a better person if people assume that you are gentle and clever just by looking at your face or wallet.
KIDS
GIF by MOODMANGiphyPeople screaming at you if you don't want Kids and Kids are the greatest thing in the World and then turn around and whine how expensive they are and how annoying yadda yadda.
Yeah see... humans are a mess. And too often then not, personal conviction and dignity are just a myth, or a punchline. Double standards have always been a way of life. And many of us have begrudgingly learned to navigate.
Fashion
Fashion Model GIF by NYFW: The ShowsGiphyIf a skinny person wears something out of the ordinary, it's a fashion statement and awesome. It can even just be something like a crop top or overalls.
But God forbid a fat person wear the same thing.
Distractions
The hypocrisy hypocrisy. People love to call it out but rarely notice it on themselves and if they notice it then it's something completely different or a distraction.
That's the worst. I hate that I have to hate that. But if I don't hate it, then the hate will just continue. So, really, my hate comes from my love of an end to hate. So anyone who hates my hate hates love. And we must hate anyone who hates love!
My Morality
My own personal hypocrisy; When I was a lot less well off financially, delivering pizzas trying to get through college, I kept a cup of coins in my car. When a homeless person would approach me for spare change, I gave them the cup. Most of the time it was nearly full, so there was probably 20-30 dollars in there.
Now that I have a good salaried job, even if I've got a few bucks in my wallet, I tend to not even make eye contact anymore. I know it's awful, I know it makes me crappy, but the last 4-5 years have made me a jaded craphead towards people in general. I used to be so hopeful and I wanted to help everyone, and tried to live a life that reflected that.
Now, while my general and political morality is pretty much the same, my personal morality has gotten more grey. I'd jaded, I hate people, I assume the worst of people I used to assume the best of. I don't really care about the strangers around me like I used to, but I still expect everyone else to.
Placing Blame
Victim mentality.
It's so freaking frustrating when it becomes entrenched. "You did this, it's your fault" "you should've known to do x, its your fault" Yeah bro your problems aren't my problems and if all you do is make excuses and blame me for them, it's not going to be my fault when you don't develop as a person and accomplish your dreams. I'm sure they'll find someone to blame though.
In D.C.
Donald Trump Reaction GIF by Election 2016GiphyPoliticians work part time, are given free housing, education, and health care, and exempt from the everyday violence we experience, but refuse to lift a finger to help us.
At this points most people running for a position in the government are only in it for the benefits of being a politician and the amount of money they can embezzle. Well in my country at least.
Just speak a truth and live it. Yes, it maybe hard. But what part of life isn't? Hypocrisy is just lying. Plain and simple. And it's a sin to lie.
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