Have you ever got a spontaneous idea/proposition to take a weekend or few days trip to the country under the condition that you pack up in about 30 minutes? Packing yourself or your family of 3-4? What then? You gave it a try or you gave up because you assumed that there’s no way you can pack yourself/your family on such a short notice. You took all you needed or did you forget about something??
We checked the speed of our packing abilities last Saturday. Wait. It wasn’t “we” but me packing up with a stopwatch in my hand while the gentlemen only supplied their toy cars and crayons (Maks) or t-shirts and a laptop (Łukasz)! It wasn’t the first time I had to do the packing up in a crazy way but I guess I took everything I needed and didn’t forget one thing.
Packing up in 30 minutes is not an easy job and requires some preparation. In my case it’s dozens of already packed suitcases which makes me a kind of a pro. Practice makes perfect, right? 🙂 You can learn quick packing even if you’re not travelling a few times a month. The crucial thing is a LIST. A sort of a TRAVELLER’S ESSENTIALS which will lead you through the process step by step and tell you how to pack in 30 minutes. Ready?
1 ) WHAT YOU MUST HAVE!
The basics you always have on you whether it is a walk or a trip – regardless if it lasts 2 days or 2 months. You usually have this stuff on you so it’s going to be an easy one. 5 minutes max! Let’s do it:
– mobile phone
– charger – don’t forget about it! 🙂
– documents!
– card for payments and ATM withdrawals – no way you’re leaving without it!
– lipstick / hand lotion – or anything else you don’t leave your house without and you know you’ll miss as soon as you leave the house.
– sunglasses
– tissues or anti bacterial gel – always come in handy!
– medication you must have with you – sometimes it’s headache pills, sometimes contraceptive pills, sometimes diastolic pills for your stomach or help in motion sickness
For us it’s also a laptop (with the charger) and a camera (with the charger :)) since we cannot imagine blogging without them. And life too probably.
We try to stick to the basics with the documents – if it’s possible to travel with id only, we don’t take passports. We choose a small wallet, often one for the two of us, we mainly take credit cards with only a little bit of cash. Lately a multi currency card issued by Pekao S.A. has become a must in our wallet which I already told you about HERE. Thanks to the card we no longer lose money on exchange rates and commissions since now we can pay in zlotys, euro and pounds (also dollars and Swiss francs but we didn’t have the chance yet!) using just one card. We also withdraw money with no commission from all the UniCredit’s ATMs in Europe. Soon we’ll be testing the card on our next trip. 🙂
You can also add a book you’re reading right now or a magazine that will make your trip seem shorter the ‘must have’ list.
2) COSMETICS
Next 5 minutes takes place in the bathroom. Remember: there’s not much time left so pack only the stuff you really need.
Grab your sponge bag and see if all you need is in there. All you need is the keyword here – you don’t take 3 sponge bags, a ton of nail polish or eye shadows, you don’t take a hair straightener or a hair-curler. Pack a mascara, a lipstick/lip gloss, fluid, powder, face lotion, antiperspirant (a small one preferably) and some perfumes. It’s best to have the sponge bag permanently stocked with tweezers, nail cutters and a shaver. That’s the stuff that we forget most often!
Next step involves a toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, shower gel, intimate wash and voila! If you’re going to a decent hotel for a short period of time you’re going to be good with just the toothbrush and the toothpaste since the rest is going to be waiting for you in the hotel bathroom.
Oh, and if you use contact lenses, remember about the disinfecting solution, the box and some spare lenses! You can’t leave without that! Not so long ago I had to do a morning run to the shopping centre in Lisbon to buy new disinfecting solution 😉
3) CLOTHES!
The most difficult task. Every morning you stand in front of the mirror for 20 minutes, wondering what to put on and now you have to pack everything for the road in 10 minutes?? No way!! I won’t lie to you: it’s impossible to pack for a month in Asia in 10 minutes. But it’s very possible to do so if you’re leaving for a weekend or a few days somewhere in Poland or Europe. Check the weather on your smartphone on your way to the closet and pack what you need. Once again 😉
Put the pants on, put a spare pair (or a skirt with thighs if you prefer) in the bag, 2-3 sweaters, several t-shirts, a jumper. Socks and panties go to a dedicated bag. It’s more convenient and you don’t lose stuff this way. 2 pairs of shoes – preferably comfortable if you like walking around.
Don’t forget about flip-flops – you might need them for the shower. Oh, and throw in the swimsuit for good measure! It won’t take a lot of space and there might be a swimming pool in the hotel or nearby.
4) FRIST AID KIT
It’s best to always have it on you. Even when we’re home we keep the medication in a small translucent sponge bag or in a plastic bag from Ikea. From time to time I check if it’s fully stocked. Whenever we’re leaving, I just throw the kit into the suitcase – one for us and one for Maks.
If it’s a short trip, we only take the basic stuff: painkillers, something for motion sickness, something for a cold, sore throat, diarrhoea and some band aids. Everything else can be bought on the spot. If you have it all pre-prepared, packing the first aid kit will take you no more than 2 minutes.
5)! WE’RE GOING CAMPING, LET’S PACK THE KID’S BAG!
The last bullet point is dedicated to all the parents. You know how it is: packing the child is always the biggest challenge, especially if the kid is really small and has plenty of gadgets you just can’t leave behind. Somebody even wrote on our Facebook wall that he will wait with spontaneous trips for two years or so because now it’s all about diapers and bottle. Wrong! Why wait? The thing is you have to learn to pack fast and small even when it comes to a toddler. Is 10 minutes enough? When you get a hold of it, yes!
An older kid like our 4-year old Maks is a piece of cake: 3 pairs of pants, t-shirts, jumpers, a jacket, a beanie, socks, underpants and obviously favourite toys: beloved teddy bear (can’t forget about that!), some colouring books (or a notebook where you will draw a colouring picture yourself), crayons, toy cars, dolls and whatever else he or she likes. And if you’re going somewhere in Poland, ALWAYS take the wellingtons! 🙂
An infant also needs:
– diapers – for 2-3 days, you can always buy some more!
– a pack of wet wipes – I still take them with me! 🙂
– anti-scald lotion
– a bottle and/or a comforter – if needed
– modified milk – if needed
– food supplies for 1-2 days – you can always buy some more 🙂
– favourite blanket
– shower gel – an older kid will use yours or the one from the hotel 😉
PS. If you’re not sure if there are towels in your hotel, be sure to take yours!
Phew, 30 minutes are up. Packed already?? 🙂
*the entry was written in cooperation with Bank Pekao S.A.
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