Do you have a crappy memory? Perhaps you procrastinate the task of packing until the very last hour? And maybe you always seem to forget at least one random item every single trip? If so, then we might have a few things in common!
While fixing the first two issues might not be feasible, you can at least compensate for your deficiencies with a little effort and thought. And this never-forget-anything-again system of my own design is a fun one! How could it be fun, you ask? Here’s a hint: it involves checklists!
One checklist is not enough
If you’re like me, you go on many different types of trips. Camping, backpacking, cabin in the woods, hotel in the city, flight across the country… you get the picture. It’s a common idea to just create a list of things to pack, but how can one list apply to all of these different situations?!
The answer is that it can’t. So that’s why you should make multiple lists!
General
I recommend creating a “general” list for stuff that you always bring, such as:
- Phone charger, along with USB battery (in case you don’t have an outlet nearby)
- Toiletries (toothbrush, tampons, etc.)
- First aid kit (alcohol pads, bandages, common medications, etc.)
- Clothing (rain jacket, warm jacket, hat, socks, underwear, etc.)
- Water bottle and snacks
- If traveling internationally, pack your passport and some electrical adapters!
General Actions
But stuff isn’t everything! Sometimes, there are things you gotta do before a trip, and those deserve a list too! Though usually I just add these actions to the other lists, as if they were also items to pack. Here are some actions I recommend adding to your packing list:
- The day before:
- Download offline maps (e.g. in Google Maps, Gaia GPS for hiking, etc.) in case you don’t have service during your trip or at your destination (or just don’t want to use much data)
- Download extra music/podcasts for the trip
- Send your itinerary to family/friends so they know when you’re arriving/getting back
- Right before leaving:
- Water your plants
- Take out your trash
- If your jacket isn’t packed, then grab a jacket on the way out! (don’t check this off until you are actually leaving, because if you put it on while packing, you might get hot, take it back off, and then forget it since you already checked it off… ask me how I know)
- Put away/hide any valuables (e.g. laptops) in case of a burglary
- Make sure windows/doors are closed and locked, and blinds/curtains are closed (so your house isn’t obviously unoccupied). Activate “timer lights” if you have them. We also have more home security tips for travelers here.
Camping
I’m not going to list out all of my camping supplies, because you probably have your own ideas about what to bring. But I would like to focus on the actions again!
Camping Actions
- A week before:
- Go through your camping list to make sure you have everything. This will give you extra time to repurchase consumables, such as bug spray, sunscreen, batteries, fuel, small bills (to pay for park fees and firewood), etc.
- The day before:
- Charge all devices and replace all batteries
- Again, d0wnload offline maps for your entire route and the surrounding area (e.g. including nearby hikes). It’s extra important for camping, since you are likely to not have cell service!
- Do food shopping and meal prep (e.g. pre-cutting vegetables and storing them in small containers/bags)
- On the way:
- Pick up ice for your cooler (if applicable)
- Get gas if need be! There might not be a station near your destination.
- After getting back:
- Set up your tents/tarps/cords/etc. again to dry and clean them
Hotel/Airbnb/Hostel/RV/etc.
This one can essentially be a pared-down camping list—you might want many of the same kitchen supplies and comfort items (like bedding), depending on how well-equipped your accommodations are. Though you can hopefully skip the tent!
You may wish to bring additional electronics though:
- Bring the Roku/Chromecast/Fire Stick/etc. from your home so that you can plug it into whatever TV happens to be available. You won’t have to settle for regular cable, nor deal with signing into your accounts on other random TVs!
- An extension cord or two. Many rooms do NOT have outlets near the beds, so you might not be able to charge your phone on your nightstand without one.
- Additional comfort items, such as an electric blanket or white noise machine (or just a large speaker you can play white noise on with your phone).
Airplane
Usually there’s not much extra stuff you need to pack for an airplane trip, except maybe a neck pillow and some noise-canceling headphones. But again, there are some good actions to mention!
Airplane Actions
- 72 hours before your flight:
- Book a time to skip the TSA line, if your airport allows it (EWR, LAX, SEA, DFW, and LGA as of 2022)
- 24 hours before your flight:
- Check in to your flight
- Book a taxi, check train times, etc. to ensure you can get to the airport smoothly
- Check your bags for prohibited items that you might normally carry, such as a lighter, pepper spray, or a multitool (if it has a knife). Remove them! You might also want to empty out your water bottle (or leave just a sip or two so that you can chug it before you get screened by TSA).
- Install any required apps for watching in-flight movies, if applicable. Some planes don’t have built-in screens and only let you watch movies on their app (e.g. the United app). But this only works if you’ve downloaded the app beforehand, so you better do that now unless you want to pay for the in-flight Wi-Fi! Luckily, some other airlines (like Alaska) let you stream movies in a regular browser, with no app required.
- Set up credit/debit card for purchasing snacks/drinks, if desired. For example, United requires you to enter your credit card details on their website or app before the flight—they don’t accept physical payments on the plane.
What to do with all these lists
Well, you could write them down if you wanted. But that sounds like a lot of work! Maybe you could put them in a Google Doc or something? Reasonable, but a little cumbersome. How do you check items off?
How about a checklist app? 🙂
I’m generally not a big fan of apps, but I am a big fan of the free service Todoist. You can use either the website or the app; it’s super slick. It’s easy to add items and sub-tasks, and whenever you check one off, it disappears, giving you a nice, clean interface that makes it easy to see what still needs to be done.
But what happens when you want to take a second trip? Well, you could just manually uncheck all of the items so that you can check them off again… or you could just do what I do. Write your lists in a big Google doc, then just copy-paste them into Todoist! If you paste a bullet-point list into the “new task” field, it will make each bullet a new task. Magic! This allows you to very easily mix-and-match your lists and just paste the relevant things into Todoist based on the trip you’re currently packing for. It’s so easy!
More quick list tips
- Whenever you forget an item, add it to one of your lists! Your system just keeps getting better over time, and eventually you’ll run out of things to forget. 😉
- If you forget an item even though it was already on one of your lists, add it to multiple lists (or even multiple places in the same list) just in case! This may be worth doing for important items, such as passports.
- If it seems like referencing the list constantly is too onerous, just reference the list occasionally when you need a reminder of what to do next! Just pack freestyle for a while, then every so often, go through the list and check off the last dozen or so things you just did. You can do a final check at the end, and when all the items are finally gone, you’re done!
The Readyist 