PACKING FOR BEST CASE SCENARIO (THROWBACK)

As I wrote it on 28 June 2014
By Nina

This was back in the day when we were only 4. I surprised my little family to a European tour and started with the beautiful Czech Republic. 

But first things first, I had to learn how to pack light. My first attempt to committing to the challenge was not entirely a success but I learned, a lot. 
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One back-pack each! It was a definite challenge but it's needed. This is a 10-day trip to 2 cities, essentially. In August we will be touring more cities and so it's good to practice now and not be stressed-out later on.

Granted I and hubs still carry the boys' bags now and again, I still say it's a must to stick to one-bag rule. No check-in luggage and no wheels to worry on cobbled streets, it's a brilliant idea!

Rick Steves was right when he said, "everytime you travel, do you say, 'I should pack heavier next time?' It's always 'I should pack lighter, right?'"

It is a fact that you don't wear all of the clothes which fell into the "just in case" category. The best strategy indeed is to mix and match and have options to layer if the weather drops.

In the end, I found out that out of the 6 items I brought, 2 were only used once. Eeew I can hear your thoughts! When I say it's used more than once, it's because the house we stayed in is equipped with a really good wash and dry machine. Revolutionary, eh. Every end of the day, we keep the dirty clothes in the hamper and my loving husband fires up the machine. Score!!!

I brought 3 pairs of footwear, not bad. Used to be min. of 6

I was supposed to only bring 2 footwear but the weather is confused so I must have the "just in case" piece.

I got my blue suede heels for a dressy dinner booked tonight. I got my Timberland boots for those rainy days. Got my Keds for the sunny days and rubber flip-flops for when I need them. I can always count the flip-flops as my oldest boy's, his feet is the same size as mine and he did not bring a pair.

I wore the big chunky boots to Prague. I figured, it's lighter when worn than in the bag.

The rest of my essentials were:
Shorts x 5
Shirts x 8 - I ended up overusing 2 of the shirts and my sister sent me a private message, "did you even bring other clothes? All your FB posts are either the lilac shirt or the stripe long sleeves" 🤪😂
Pair of jeans x 2
A dress
Make-up kit
Accessories
Casual Jacket x 1
Hoody x 1
Cardigan x 1
Socks x 5
Inner garments (called by kids these days as bras and panties)
Day bag

Packing light really means packing for the best case scenario, not the worst case scenario! As you can see, my bag was still ginormous and it was heavy as hell! At the time, I still have few "just in case" pieces.

I am happy to report that my packing skills improved throughout the years.

Do you have any rituals before travel? Any helpful tips you want to share?

Next Wednesday's throw back post will be our journey to Prague, Czech Republic.

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Rick Steves packing list​

On all these travels, you will read a lot of me talking endlessly about Rick Steves. Rick Steves this, Rick Steves that! Whenever Joseph hears me listening to Rick Steves App, he goes,"is that your boyfriend?" I have to admit, I have an undying admiration to anything Rick Steves. He is the guru of travels.

This is asking for a totally new story, it's getting me oh so excited!!! I am eternally grateful to my friend (who happens to have the same name as me, Nina) who introduced me to Rick Steves. She sent me these DVDs about Rick Steves European travel. DVD. Almost dinosaur extinct nowadays.

But yes, Rick Steves is a genius! Imma stop now.

Packpoint (free version) is a handy app that I also use. It creates packing list considering the number of days, activities, city and weather. I use it as a benchmark list, then I cross out the ones which are unnecessary and add things that are specific to me.