Do You Love to Travel but Hate to Pack?

Normal life: I’ve been wearing the same cropped jeans for a week.

Packing for a vacation: I’ll probably change 3 times a day so 32 outfits should work.

If packing anxiety disorder is not in the DSM-IV, then it should be. I am a usually rational person that hates packing and leaves it all to the last minute. As a result, my anxiety increases as does the thought I will run out of time, resulting in my making poor packing decisions like packing too much or leaving out critical items. I know I am not alone because a google search showed lots of other people with the same affliction.

Some possible explanations set forth in Packing Anxiety Disorder. Yes it’s Real by Jennifer Dubow are the following:

Are we that attached to our things? Or do we just hate having to make choices? Are we worried that things we could buy over there are so bad e.g. do I need to bring a months worth of shampoo? Or we just don’t want to spend the money if we purchased those items here? Or more intriguing, are we afraid of the unknown? Do we use our clothes and toiletries as a security blanket that helps us feel more comfortable when traveling? It’s probably different for all of us.

My twin sister Jill had it bad. Part of the problem was she had too many clothes to choose from. (My daughter says that I am guilty too). Come to think of it, my mom who was not an anxious person under normal circumstances suffered as well. Could it be genetic?

My friend Rhoda despises packing in addition to having terrible anxiety about leaving her dog Beau home with a dog sitter. Last December I was present as she was packing for our Caribbean cruise. Each item of clothing she placed in the suitcase was removed by her goldendoodle puppy and placed on the floor. As you can imagine, the packing took hours!

My best friend Debby and I are leaving for Israel in a week and a half. I am in a panic and she is cool, calm and collected, having made lists of exactly what she is taking for each of the 11 days of our trip. I want to be Debby, not Penny.

Actually how people pack reveals more about what they’re made of than they realize. “Confidence, organizational skills, and vanity all play a role. The world is divided between those who bring along an umbrella and antibiotics just in case and those who laugh at them and pack light not worrying about things that could happen. You can always buy an umbrella.”

One such light packer advises to lay out everything you want to pack and then bring half. She adheres to a three color and three tops to one pair of pants regime and wisely believes comfy always trumps uber chic! My sentiments exactly!

In Packing Anxiety Tips by Marcia Byalik (Better After Fifty.com), she discusses her daughter’s method, who travels all the time. Her daughter starts making piles of clothes a few days before the trip and then curates as the days get closer. “Who gets to come with me, she asks the dwindling pile and strategically finds a cozy place in her suitcase.” I loved this idea of choosing your favorites to come, rather than randomly throwing items from the closet into the suitcase, my usual way of packing.

Online research provides a myriad of packing suggestions for those of us who dread the task. There are sites both reassuring and overwhelming dedicated to making packing less stressful. Some suggestions make sense and some are kind of brilliant like including a dryer sheet in your luggage to give your clothes a fresh, just washed smell; pack your shoes heel to toe on the bottom of your suitcase and tightly roll tee shirts and pants to prevent creasing (seems counterintuitive to me).

While these practical hints are helpful, I need to reorder my priorities to extinguish my packing anxiety. I realize that getting organized and being prepared is the best strategy for me. The time I will spend making lists is better than the hours I will spend with racing thoughts. Positive thinking is everything. Here I go….

When I take the suitcase out of the closet, I will stop and remember why I am packing—to explore Israel (my only bucket list item) with my best friend and make memories. I will feel excited and alive in a way that has nothing to do with my clothes or accessories! XO Penny

Resources

Packing Anxiety Tips by Marcia Byalik

Packing Anxiety Disorder. Yes, It’s Real by Jennifer Dubow

Beat Holiday Packing Anxiety elephantjournal.com

The Best Methods to Cope With Packing Anxiety by Erica Ho maphappy.org

Packing Anxiety by Laura Smith, PhD blogs.psychcentral.com