How not to Overpack from experts at The Women’s Travel Group.
Women overpack. Real reasons: weather in your destination is iffy? Your trip is during ‘shoulder season’? Temperatures seem to be higher this year? Rain is always unpredictable?. What if you drip coffee on the one ‘dress up’ shirt?
Upfront questions? Are dinners included and are they dressy or casual- our group is casual. Do guests dress in finery while staying at your hotel? These days jeans are it worldwide. Do churches, mosques or synagogues require special clothes? Do you actually care what the others in our group think of your ward robe?
The best way to pack is to layer, with one monotone color, scarves with brightness. Investigate double usage personal care items save space: examples: shampoo with conditioner, day/ evening moisturizer in one, pajama tops to wear in a gym, black tee that passes as a sweater. Anything you can stuff with something else!
Here are some tips
A week before your trip, check weather.com. Once you know upcoming weather, here are some tips for each situation.
For Rain
—Cheapest, schlep your raincoat for the entire trip.
—Wear your regular coat which will get sopping wet,
—Invest in a cheap plastic pancho. If ordering on line, be careful, the word ‘cheap’ only applies to the pancho because mailing costs range from ground fedex at a few Dollars to $9:95+ for expedited shipping. Sites I like are webrestanrant.com, DollarTree.com and or go right to your local CVS even a hardware store where construction workers buy their temporary rain gear.
—Invest in a light weight rain jacket which is water proof not water resistant. $180 for Columbia, $50 at Uniqlo. Your legs will get wet.
–Put a shower cap under your baseball or other hat.
So there is going to be a cold spell?
—Now layer, a long sleeved tee under your whatever. Puffers are miracle items lighter than fleeces.
—A scarf of wool mix or Tencel (made from wood pulp) is warmest. Avoid silk and bamboo, these might shrink or discolor.
—Gloves? Sure. There can cold air also on the plane especially are seated at the window. Or if you are anxious or nervous, your hands can become cold. Think about gloves with special threading on the finger tips which allow use of a smart phone.
—Extra pair of socks to sleep in.
—Leggings that fit under your trousers if it is really frosty.
Hot spell?
—Cotton is king. Always pack cotton tees which double as pajama tops. I buy men’s white tees at Target or Walmart, a pack of 3 V neck tees is a cheap investment. Note: there are new light weight cottons out there. Some places like Ixtapan in Mexico are surprisingly cool in Summer.
—Super hot day? Just go with your men’s big tee, everyone will be jealous sweating in their clothes.
—Leggings can be confining and put pressure on your knees. Summer weights with polyester and nylon, plus mesh openings are best. Minimum seams are more comfortable. Extras like pockets and phone holders make you hot so try for the simplest pattern, or a capri length. I like Uniqlo’s lights weight pants and buy them large for comfort.
—Hats ruin your hair style but protect your hair. Light colored cheap baseball ones make you look like a tourist but so what.
—Want further protection from the sun, pre wash your travel clothes in RIT Sunguard which lends UV protection to clothes.
Above all, avoid the last minute ‘just in case’ stuffing of your bags. Travel tips from The Women’s Travel Group, an award winning small group luxury tour company.
