I haven’t ever been or aspired to be a Girl Scout, BUT I do have this unrelenting need to be prepared at ALL times. Especially when traveling.
It has always made more sense to me to have what you need rather than need something you have but didn’t pack it. This became really important when I was traveling across the ocean on a solo mission to meet up with my friends that were on tour. After I took 3 planes, a train, a bus and cab I FINALLY made it to the venue and would be on the tour bus with my friends. I wouldn’t have a rental car and IF I did I wasn’t sure driving on the opposite side of the street was something I could master. I had to have anything and everything I would possibly need with me.
That was in 1999, I had books (plural) and a Walkman / cds (plural) and probably a TON of stuff I didn’t actually end up needing. Fast forward to having babies and traveling to family members houses that hadn’t had any remnants of babies dwelling in decades; I brought E V E R Y T H I N G and then some.
Fast forward even more years, technology has helped me with my problem! Now instead of books, I bring a kindle. Instead of CDs I bring my phone; as far as my babies, they pack for themselves.
Am I cured?
Absolutely not.
When we went to Alaska I packed three swimming suits. Our hotel didn’t have a pool and even in late July the ocean was NOT warm.
When we went to Miami I packed a bunch of pool toys and magazines for the pool/Oceanside view we had. I didn’t read a single magazine because I was too busy watching my boys leave the pool toys for drowning attempts on each other. Luckily neither one succeeded.
It was on the Miami trip that I would realize how much my being over prepared made me angry, specifically when all three of my men’s belongings were packed into ONE little rolling suitcase and I had backpack, a rolling suitcase and a tote.
With good reason, they didn’t volunteer to help me lug my things through the airport. In my defense some of the stuff was for them too! Eventually, because they are good men, they did help me and I made a promise to myself to NOT over do it any longer.
I am still absolutely NOT cured but I am getting better.
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Recently I was chatting to a couple females about over packing and they brought up a good point. As women, you really don’t know how your body or confidence is going to be on a certain day. You need to pack for that. You don’t know what the weather is going to be like on any days. You need to pack for that. You don’t know what the kids are going to forget. You need to pack for that!
All in all, my takeaway is this. More than likely I’ll always be an over packer because it’s part of who I am. I like to be prepared. And really who does it hurt if I have a couple extra bags that are heavy, I’ll just get stronger by lifting them! Most importantly, the next time you forget something you’ll wish you had me with, I probably packed two! 😂
What’s the one thing you’ve packed that was absolutely ridiculous for the trip you were on? Also, what is the one thing you thought you wouldn’t use but ended up needing?
A friend of mine once packed an extension cord to a bachelorette weekend, turns out NO one would have been ready on time without it!
Namaste, Jes xoxo