Packing & Travel Anxiety

My top 10 ways to get you through it

Having just returned from vacation this week, I think its well timed to write about my travel anxiety and what I’ve learned about getting myself out of town and integrated back into life again without a complete melt down. If you do a google search for travel or packing anxiety you’ll quickly realize it’s definitely a thing, not just a me or maybe you problem. For me it started sometime around when I became a mom. I remember traveling and particularly packing becoming a real struggle. What I once enjoyed as an independent free spirit became burdensome and stressful. Forgetting to pack your child’s favorite lovie (aka wuggy in our house) or any number of other important items could be detrimental to the enjoyment and success of the trip. You also have the stress of keeping your children calm and well behaved out of their element which presents a unique set of challenges in and of itself. The funny thing about anxiety is that once you experience it in a situation, it very often returns and grows when faced again with that same situation. Traveling is a perfect example of this kind of recurring scenario that can do a real number on your head if you’ve ever felt anxious about it before. Somewhere over the past 20 years, the recurring anxiety of traveling and packing has really escalated for me.

_{This post is not sponsored. I only share what I love and find really useful in my life. Some of the links I share are affiliate, meaning I earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks in advance if you decide to purchase something!}

The last time we went away, before this most recent trip, was for a period of 10 days. This was going to be the longest trip I’d been on in a while, a cause of stress in and of itself. I worked hard in the two weeks leading up to leaving to clean and sort my Caribbean clothes and prep for packing my suitcase. This of course goes hand in hand with addressing the extraordinary number of other tasks you face at work and home when you know you’ll be away. Even with all of my best proactive efforts, I still ended up in full panic mode after arguing with my never traveled before ten year old about the best way to transport a laptop through the airport and security. Yes arguing with him at that point was a rookie mistake but when you’re teetering on the edge of sanity about fitting all of your needed glam girl contents for 10 days in a small black box weighing under 40 pounds, you can get a little derailed.

As I picked myself up off the proverbial floor and calmed down to finish my long lists of tasks that night before leaving at 3:00am, I vowed that I would get better at this and figure out how to make it less stressful. The following is a list of hints and tips I’ve used to make things a little easier for this most recent trip and hopefully traveling moving forward. 

1. The earlier you start preparing, the better off you’ll be. I’m the kind of gal that usually performs pretty well under pressure and gets away with handling a lot of things last minute. Let me tell you this is 100% not the best way to get through travel packing. Packing and prepping to get out of town is a time consuming process and one best not left to the night before. At least three weeks out you want to assess what you have to bring with you. If you need or want to purchase anything new this is the time to do that (not the day or two before). When you’re two weeks out you should get all of your clothes gathered. By the time you’re one week out, make sure everything is washed and ready to go. All of your actual clothes should be in your suitcase at least two nights before you need to leave. Remember you’re going to be running around addressing a million other issues the night before traveling. The burden of packing doesn’t have to be one of them. Check out my favorite suitcase for longer trips on Amazon here.
   
2. Pack actual outfits. I used to pack in a way that would leave me the ability to get dressed like I do at home (with little advanced thought and trying multiple things on based on how I feel that particular day). This is a mistake because you need to bring a lot more to accommodate having options. It’s better if you actually try on everything and plan the outfits ahead of time that you’re going to wear. I know this is time consuming but it can actually be a lot of fun if you allow yourself an hour or so at least one week out to do this. Try it all on and pick and choose your best five outfits (and shoes) for the trip. You can totally change it up each day when you’re actually on the trip using the different pieces you’ve brought along with you, but at least you know you have five outfit formulas that will definitely work. Check out my two favorite carry-on size suitcase for shorter trips on Amazon here.
   
3. Think about how your most bloated self will feel. When you’re trying on and planning your outfits for the trip don’t pack all skinny me things. Traveling more often than not involves eating and drinking like you wouldn’t in your everyday life. Let’s face it, that’s part of the fun of it. Having said that, dietary changes on vacay can do a number on your skin, water retention, bloating etc. When thinking about what to pack think about what you want to wear on the days you feel most bloated and make sure you brings some of those items. I promise you’ll thank me later. This is my favorite beach cover up for those oh so bloated days.
   
4. Double check and pack your passport at least two weeks out. This seems super obvious but shit happens and you’re really screwed if you need a passport and don’t know that you need one at least two weeks out. Two weeks is the point at which the passport agency will make an in-person appointment if you are traveling overseas so it’s just a good idea to triple check and make sure you have everything in order and in your travel bag at that time. At least you have a shot of getting the situation rectified if you know at least two weeks out. This is the best travel backpack that is cute and stylish and holds all of your necessary paperwork and flight essentials.
   
5. Be organized and make lists.  As organized as I am in my work and other areas of life, I’m not particularly a great list maker. This is a mistake when it comes to packing. You need at least two lists, one being what you need to bring and the other what you need to do to get out of town. Make these as early as possible and refer to them frequently in the two weeks leading up to traveling. Don’t forget a travel steamer…I love taking this one with me so I don’t have to iron ahead of time.
   
6. Be really thoughtful when booking flights. Let’s face it, a 6:00 am flight means you’re leaving your home at 3:00 am which really sucks. You’re going to have to get up at 2:30 am at the latest if you’re totally prepared. Ridiculously early or late flights are cheaper for a reason. If you are the kind of person that really stresses about traveling and packing, it maybe worth the extra bank to schedule things at more reasonable time slots to ease some of the stressors of travel days. It’s also really important to consider your return timing. If you have to work on Monday morning, don’t come home Sunday night. Allow yourself at least 24 hours, preferably 48 to rest and regroup after being away. If there’s one significant thing I’ve learned in traveling more these past two years its that travel days are exhausting and disorienting. It’s best to give yourself some padding around it. It sucks going back to work after vacation, even more so if you’re completely exhausted and disorganized having just gotten home. If you’re going on a quick trip and don’t want to pay for a carry-on bag, this is the best personal item travel bag (spirit approved).
   
7. Think ahead of time about what you can do to occupy yourself on the flight. Unless you’re taking a private jet or flying first class on some kind of historic larger plan, flying is actually pretty horrible. You’re squeezed into a seat, completely surrounded by strangers, God knows how high above ground for what seems like an endless amount of time. On this last trip there was literally a guy in a wife beater in front of us that had really bad gas and wasn’t afraid to share it. We also saw several travelers in actual pjs and slippers (taking the comfort when traveling thing a bit too far in my opinion). Needless to say, you’ll need something to occupy yourself other than people watching if you want the time to pass more quickly. Make sure your phone is fully charged and download something to watch before you leave home. Don’t forget headphones, it helps drown out the noise on the plane and allows you a bit of escape to another world.  I personally love to have my makeup with me on the flight so I pack it all in this bag and put it in my backpack with me on the plane.
   
8. Drink a lot of water and pack some healthy snacks. Airport food options can be pretty bad. Make sure you have some snacks with you that you can eat when in a pinch. I promise that time will come. And definitely buy some water once you’re through security and drink it up. I used to be of the mindset not to drink a lot because I didn’t want to have to get up and go to the bathroom but the tole of dehydration on planes can really do a number on your skin and the way your body feels. To combat this drink a lot of water and use the bathroom on the plane. It’s good to get up and walk around anyway. I can’t go anywhere without these soft and flexible containers for shampoo, conditioner and face wash. 
   
9. Do laundry while away if you can. If you’re staying in a house or airbnb and there’s access to a laundry, it’s nice to do a load or two before you leave so you’re bringing home clean clothes instead of dirty ones. It’s a lot easier to just unpack your clothes than it is to unpack, wash, dry, fold and put away. I also think this inspires you to be more organized in the return packing which helps it all fit better. Otherwise you can definitely face return packing & travel anxiety which also really sucks. It’s so nice to take a travel laundry bag with you!
   
10. Buy one or two travel cosmetic bags and keep them stocked. I have a special hang up/fold out travel bag with my mini shampoo, conditioner, face soap, saline solution etc. and I try to keep it clean and stocked so it’s ready to go when traveling. This significantly reduces stress when I’m packing. It’s not really all that hard, just restock it when you get home from a trip (or at least a week before leaving for one). If you always have it ready to go, it’s a heck of a lot easier to pack and/or go at a moment’s notice. Also it’s good not to be pulling these everyday items from home because then you can fully pack in advance before leaving and still have the items you need at home to get ready on the actual day you go. Products like shampoo and conditioner I just buy in the little bottles and don’t stress about the fact that they’re not what I usually use. I do have little refillable bottles that I use for my face washes which I fill from the actual products I always use. Face wash/face lotions are something I don’t want to change up for trips as it can have significant consequences on my skin breaking out. In terms of actual make-up, I use a large travel make-up case to store my products on a regular basis that I bring with me pretty much in its entirety when I travel in my large “personal item” bag. Make-up is expensive and I don’t want to risk losing it in checked luggage. It’s also nice to be able to do a little refresh on the plane before you land! Hands down this is my favorite travel toiletries bag, I recommend to everyone as it holds so much stuff!