Packing. No Panicking.

Some people can pack for months in a carry on. I am not one of them.

My challenges:

1. Packing the Rainbow. A lot of people advise just packing neutrals so everything goes together. #Sadface. #NotMe


2. Shoes. Shoes. Shoes. According to other blogs, super light travellers seem to get away with wearing a pair or two over and over. My blister-prone feet would hate me if I did that. 


3. It's a Cool, Cool, Cool Summer. It's going to be 60s and sometimes rainy in London. I want to feel summery but need to stay warm. 


4. Except for Six Days. We also have to plan ahead for 70s and sunny in Spain (which will seem even warmer after a month in London). And London could have a magic warmish spell. You never know. 

So let's do this...

Step 1: Pour a martini (gin, obviously).  

Then it's a packing party, not a chore.

Step 2: Find your color palette.

Nope, it doesn't have to be neutrals. But it should all mostly work together, so you can mix and match. Think of it as creating a "capsule wardrobe." Having a color story will help you make choices based on what fits. I went with "Black and Bright."

Step 3: Try everything on.

How else would you realize your favorite T-shirt has a hole in it (why are their gremlins in my closet?!?) or that those pants look weird with that shirt. Luckily, you have a martini to help with the frustrations. And with this:

Messes are part of the process.

Step 3: Cull and decide and cull and decide more. 

Eventually, you can lay it all out and pick accessories that go with your capsule wardrobe. Again, this is where sticking to a color story helps.

A Few Tips: 

• Purses should zip completely to keep thieving hands out of them. Crossbody bags that hang front or side are good choices. 


• You probably don't need heals. And leopard is surprisingly neutral. 


• If you write everything you're packing in a google doc, you can check things off as you put them in your suitcase. You won't forget anything — and you'll have a record in case of lost luggage.

Step 4: Rock and Roll. 

Everyone has their own packing technique. I'm a fan of rolling. I'm also a fan of putting things into gallon Ziploc bags for easy compression, rearranging and protection.

Step 4: Overpack. 

I'll admit. After taking that picture of all my things nicely laid out, I broke down and bought three more shirts on sale, and threw those it along with two more t-shirts that may not survive the trip. What can I say, there was plenty of room in my suitcases.

More on suitcases:

1. Bigger isn't better. The more room you have, the more likely you are to overpack. 


2. Divide and conquer. As tempting as it is to pack everything in one giant suitcase and get on the plane unencumbered, I live in fear of lost luggage. So, if I can get away with it, I only carry on. And in cases like this, I pack 75% of my clothes in my checked bag and the 25% I'd b heartbroken to lose in my carry-on. That way if my suitcase is lost or delayed, I'm solid for a few days at least. 


3. Spinner wheels are magic. That is all. 

Overplanning for Overseas

This is what over-planning looks like.

LONDON

PARIS

BARCELONA

And they aren't even finished yet. But I'd rather plan too much before we leave and have a lot of options than waste a moment of this trip looking at Yelp reviews.

So, I'm letting y'all in on not only my madness, but also on my method. 

Google Maps Engine is my favorite trip planning tool. I color-code every place we're thinking about so I know at a glance what's there. So in London, there's an icon for cocktails and another for sherry bars. Blue dots are for cheap eats. And purple is for the spendy ones. I can see where our hotel is, which lunch spot is next to which museum and plan my days based on what groups nicely. 

Writer concession: Visuals make everything easier to process. 

And Google even lets you tag each spot with descriptions so you can search for cheap Indian food when you have a hankering for Vindaloo. 

Chris thinks I'm a little nuts. And he's probably right. But it really works. 

(And some people even think planning a vacation can make you even happier than going on vacation.)

London Calling

It all started with Arianna Huffington.

Last fall she spoke at my husband's company's customer summit, and Chris got me in (he's a keeper). Their CEO talked first. When he mentioned opening a London office, Chris and I instantly and simultaneously texted each other: "Let's get on that."

So he lobbied his boss for some England time. And I asked mine to let me tag along. (If any bosses are reading this, you're the best!)

In about a week, Chris will be helping train his UK counterparts. I'll be telecommuting mostly. And we'll both be eating, drinking and museuming our way through the city.

Glad y'all are following along.

Me and Chris. Not in London. Obviously.