Who packs the luggage in your household?

[lobsternight]

Things didn't work out too well last cruise  DW forgot her belts, youngest DS forgot pants.  So a month out from our next cruise, this time I will go over with everyone.

[Hlitner]

For us, it is a pretty routine (we travel quite often) endeavor.  DW and I start putting out our clothes (to pack) a few days prior to doing the deed.  We normally put them in separate piles in our living room.  The day before we are to leave for our trip (which can be from a week to many months) we both cross-pack together.  If we have too much stuff we either add another suitcase or make reductions. 

 

I will add that we have been doing this for several decades and have it down to an art.  Recently, we returned home from our winter in Mexico (on a Saturday night) and left for a 2 month Asian trip on Tuesday.  DW spent that Sunday doing all of our laundry, and by Sunday night we had put out most of what we would pack for the long trip (involving several different climates).  Monday afternoon we did our usual joint packing exercise and were ready to go by Tuesday morning.

 

A word about "cross packing."  As frequent travelers we always hope for the best and do our best to prepare for the worst.  Since we normally travel with two large suitcases (sometimes a third) we try to pack so that if one case gets lost or delayed, we both have adequate stuff.  Put simply, rather than having a suitcase for me and one for her we split our clothes to minimize the trauma if one case goes missing or gets delayed.

 

Hank