Packing, digitally

Everyone needs to pack, no matter where you’re going.  And if you’re anything like me, you use lots of scraps of paper, or maybe one page of your journal, criss-crossed with scribblings, and then you forget something anyway.  On my last trip out of the country, I forgot earplugs; “No big deal,” I thought.  “I can sleep through loud tribal drumming, people shouting, and street festivals…I’ll be fine.”  I forgot about people who snore.  Two of the girls in our dorm decided to hold Snoreapalooza 2008 and, while it may have been audible from the street, Party Central was my room.

So here are some ways to make your packing easier:

  • Universal Packing List — This awesome little website allows you to customize a packing list based on how long you’ll be gone, temperature, and what you like to do.  You can see comments from other travelers, recommendations, etc.  Only downside is that it’s not a neatly itemized list, but rather something that will help jog your memory for things you may have forgotten on the neatly-itemized list.
  • Treo HandyShopper and Zenbe for iPhone — Specialized apps for your PDA that help you make lists, sync lists with other online apps, and share lists with other people.
  • The Power Traveler’s Checklist parts One and Two — This website duo offers lists of things you might need to do before departure day, and then on the day of, before you head out.  Lots of handy links, useful things you might have forgotten, and lifehacker is such a useful website overall, you might follow the other links and find some useful info not related to traveling that you didn’t know you needed.
  • Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush — Ad-heavy cousin to Universal Packing List — this is not quite useful yet, but on its way there.  Someone on lifehacker pointed out how funny it was that DFYT’s advice for the day before you leave is “Tell your husband or wife you’re going away.”  I hope you did that before, actually!

Posted by | Comments Off on Packing, digitally  | December 29, 2008
Category: General, Notes from the collective travel mind

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