Last week a friend emailed me and asked me if I had any packing recommendations for her trip to New York.  She had never been before, and wanted to make sure she was prepared.  I told her some random things that have helped me over the years traveling to New York:  like bring a day bag or purse – because I fee like people always forget to pack that.  The last thing that you want to do as a tourist in New York is to be shopping and walking around with your giant carry-on bag that you took on the plane.  Oh, and hand sanitizer must go in that day bag.  If you’ve been on the Subway in NYC you have totally been there:  dying to wash your hands, but with no acceptable public restroom available.  My friends and I went on a quick trip a few months ago…and everyone made fun of me for bringing a bag full of goodies…until they needed hand sanitizer.  Don’t hate people.  Don’t hate.

Then I decided to reply back with my packing list I made.  Not just for New York, for all my trips…ever.  I have a copy of it on my phone and I check off items on my list as I pack at home.  Anyway, the conversation went something like this:

B:  “Did you really send me a .pdf of your packing list?”

Me:  “Yes, why?  Could you not open it?”

B:  “No!  I could open it.  Who makes a .pdf of their packing list?!  And it was COLOR coordinated.  What do those colors even mean?  You are a freak.”

Regardless…I was made fun of for a little bit.  I am a freak.  A total freak.  Lists are my life.  If I don’t make a list, it doesn’t happen.  If I don’t complete a task…it was because it wasn’t on my ‘list’.  I have a list for work, I have a list for household assignments, I have a cleaning list for my house.  Hence my 50 Days of SUMMER list.  On my laptop I have lists for things we want to do before we have children, financial goals we want to accomplish, baby names we love, places I want to go with Zach, DIY projects to make.  It’s that bad.

But Zach is a freak too, you see.  He is a freak about packing.  I am sure you have heard me say this, but Zach is a packing Nazi.  I have to pack everything in a carry on bag, and I cannot check a bag.  This is both for faster traveling and for cost.  It is convenient just to walk off the plane and go, instead of waiting for your bag to show up at baggage claim…or the risk your bag getting lost.  The only time in recent memory that we checked a bag was when we went to Paris for our anniversary.  And we had to SHARE one checked bag.

Anyway, my friend went to New York and had an absolute blast.  I was drooling a bit while looking at her pictures.

Then she emailed me.  She told me I had to share my packing list on my blog, even if I felt stupid [which I do].  But first, I have to clarify [and justify] my craziness.  [There is a PDF link to download the whole file at the bottom of the post].

First of all, this list is customized to me.  I don’t have a bouncing babe, so all of the kiddie stuff if you have children is not on here.  I guess, one day, I will have to add all the babe stuff to my packing list.  But for now, I am sticking to these items.

What do the colors mean?  Easy…

Turquoise are all items that I need, but can also be accessed on my smart phone.  For example, I use an app on my iPhone that has all my travel itinerary on it, I use my iPhone for my alarm clock, and it has all my contact information and other contacts on it already.

Red are items that are only needed if I am going out of the country.

Purple is a little embarrassing, but I know that my mother-in-law does this too, so I don’t feel as dumb.  Purple are the items I already have packed.  I have minis of all these items in an overnight travel bag.  They are all in plane approved liquid amounts as well.  When I pack for a trip, I just have to make sure they are filled.

In my mini first aid kit (I got all of these ideas from Zach’s mom – she packed this with Zach on our study abroad trip and the pain killer and sleeping aid saved my life when I got hurt on the plane…long story).  I usually have a pain killer [a hard core one like a loratab, thanks to Zach] and a sleeping aid in there.  Most people are more hard core than I am, but everything else in there is mostly band-aids, Immodium, some tums, a mild laxative, an antibiotic, and standard pain relievers.

Why ear plugs?  If your hotel has ever been next to a busy street, in a hostel in Europe, or had a frisky couple next door…you would def want a pair of them.

Anyway, you are all welcome to laugh now.  Katie the packing freak.  Primed to perfection by her cheap husband, over prepared mother-in-law, and medically educated aunt.

The most embarrassing part?  I can fit ALL of these items in one carry on bag.  Yup.  The end.

Thanks B.  Glad my freakiness helped one person out over the course of my life.

For the full list, click here:   MY PACKING LIST