Since
I’ve gotten married, my inter-city travelling has literally increased ten-fold.
A few years back, while studying, going back home from the hostel was usually
for longer periods of time; spring break, winter and summer holidays, etc. Not
for a whirlwind weekend or overnight trip. Boy have things changed now.
I
often say to my friends that if you’re married and live in Sialkot then you are
likely to be in a never-ending loop of travelling between your hometown, Lahore
and Sialkot. Why Lahore, you ask. Well when you move to Sialkot going to Lahore
every other weekend (sometimes midweek/every weekend) becomes a huge part of
your life. I’m sure the same holds true for people from other cities on the
outskirts of Lahore too – Gujrat, Gujranwala, etc. That’s because when you live
in a small town you need your big-city-fix from time to time. I’m sure you’ve
heard the common cribbing by Lahoris “uff
yeh jo chotay shehron say log weekend par aa jaatay hain na”. Yup, *raises hand sheepishly* that’s us, the
‘chotay shehron walay’, we add to the
traffic, noise pollution, and generally swarm your city on weekends.
In
the past 16 months of being married, I’ve probably been to Lahore over 50
times. All these short trips of course require me to take all my essentials
(sometimes non-essentials too) with me. Plus, I am originally from Islamabad so
I go back home a lot (although those trips are slightly easier to pack for
because in case I forget something I can always borrow/steal it from my sisters).
But in order to ensure, to the best of my ability, that I don’t forget anything
I use the oldest trick in the book; lists!
I’ve
used my list so often that now I know it like the back of my hand. I’m sharing it
below. You might not need all these things on every trip, or you may need more if
you’re going to attend a particular event. The list is in no way all inclusive,
it’s just one that satisfies my basic packing needs – you can of course tailor
it to your requirements. I also want to add that since I don’t have any kids,
this list would probably not suffice for people who do – I’m sure packing for
them is a whole other ball game (that I won’t even pretend to know at this
stage).
1. Clothes
-
Kurtas/Kameezes/Shirts
-
Pants/trousers
-
Undergarments
-
Sleepwear
-
Active/sports wear
-
Scarves/Sweaters/Jackets
(winter wear, basically)
-
Polos/ T-Shirts
-
Pants
-
Belts
-
Boxers/Briefs
-
Socks
2. Shoes
-
Bathroom slippers
-
Heels
-
Flats/Sandles
-
Loafers/walking shoes
-
Joggers/Sneakers
3. Electronics
-
Laptop
-
Laptop charger
-
Cell phone chargers
-
Car charger
-
FitBit charger
-
Headphones
-
Hard disk/USB
-
Kindle
-
Kindle charger
-
Battery bank
4. Toiletries
-
Face wash
-
Face scrub
-
Toothpaste
-
Tooth brush
-
Tongue cleaner
-
Tongue cleaning spray (we’re kind of OCD about oral hygiene)
-
Mouth wash
-
Floss
-
Body wash/shower gel
-
Loofa
-
Contact lenses solution
-
Contact lenses case
-
Shampoo
-
Conditioner
-
Razor
-
After shave
-
Badger brush
-
Shaving gel/mousse
-
Body spray
-
Deodorant
-
Tampons/Pads/Panty
liners
-
Powder
-
Dry
shampoo
5. Skincare
-
Hand
cream
-
Body
lotion
-
Face
moisturiser
-
Sunblock
-
Makeup
remover
-
Makeup
removing wipes/cotton pads
-
Eye cream
-
Toner
-
Essence
-
Night
cream
6. Hair
-
Hair
brush/comb
-
Hair oil
-
Hair wax
-
Hair
dryer
-
Curling
iron
7. Grooming
-
Nail
cutter/clipper
-
Cuticle
trimmer
-
Nail
polish removing wipes
-
Nail
polish
-
Tweezers
-
Scissors
-
Nail file
-
Cuticle
oil
8. Medicines
-
Panadol
-
Prescription
creams/oral medication
-
Canker
sore ointment
-
Multivitamins
-
Bandages
-
Salicylic
acid (we both have acne prone skin)
9. Jewellery
-
Rings
-
Necklaces
-
Bracelets
-
Earrings
-
Watch
10. Makeup
-
Foundation
-
Press
powder
-
Blush/highlighter/contouring
stick
-
Makeup
brushes/sponges
-
Eye liner
-
Kohl
pencil
-
Lipsticks
-
Eye
shadow palette
-
Makeup
setting spray
11. Other essentials
-
Notebook
-
Pen
-
Prescription
glasses
-
Sun
glasses
-
Sleeping
mask
-
Water
bottles
-
Umbrella
(during rainy season)
-
Baby
wipes
-
Tissues
-
Perfumes
-
Swiss
army knife/pocket knife
-
Hand
sanitizer
-
Neck/traveling
pillow
12. Hang bag
I won’t give any ‘tips and tricks’ or instructions
on how to pack, I’ll just tell you what I do, and maybe some of you will find
that helpful. Firstly, the list serves a dual purpose, it of course ensures
that I don’t forget anything because as I’m packing I keep ticking things off
of it. It’s second purpose is to help organise my packing. Things listed under
each heading (i.e. toiletries, makeup, etc) go into separate pouches. This way
when I reach my destination – I know where everything is and I don’t have to
rummage around in my suitcase trying to find particular items.
Although before I got married, I used to write down
lists on paper, I now use the OneNote app on my phone (available on iOS and
Android) to maintain my packing list (credit for this shift goes to my
tech-savvy husband). I thought that I would miss making those little tick marks
by hand but I now love ticking off the little boxes on the app or highlighting
the items I still need to pack, so I don’t overlook them. Do check out the app,
it’s great for maintaining lists and even notes. I usually also pack for my
husband, because I like for the packing to be neat and organised and know where
everything is (control freak alert)
but in case he wants to pack certain things himself, we both always maintain
the packing list in a ‘shared note’ on OneNote. That way either of us can make
changes to it/check items off the list and it automatically gets updated to
reflect that change.
When I’m travelling out of the country, then I have
an even longer checklist* which includes things like travel documents, credit
cards, Go Pro, selfie stick and random stuff like mosquito repellent and
torchlights (depending on where I am going). If you are the kind of person who
is anxious before or on your travel day then you’ll find that maintaining a
packing list really helps calm your nerves. It gives you a weird satisfaction
at the back of your mind that you aren’t forgetting anything – because you’ve
penned down literally everything you could possibly need and packed it! I know
people say you can always buy whatever you need when you arrive at your
destination, but it’s just so much more convenient to have essentials with you
instead of having to go around shopping for them on your first day in a foreign
country.
If you have any packing rituals or advise, feel
free to share in a comment below, I’d love to hear from you!
*Let me know if you’d like me to share this list
with you.
