I normally love to travel with just a backpack and my portfolio bag. I like having everything with me, traveling light, and not worrying about my stuff.
But for this conference, I ran out of room. My bags were so stuffed and heavy, and I had 3 hour layovers to lug all that stuff around. I sighed, and decided to check a bag.
What I packed:
- 3 tops. One for Friday and Saturday and one just in case. I stuck with a black and white theme.
- 2 Black slacks
- black cardigan
- Pajamas- I wear yoga pants and a tshirt. I figure if there was an emergency where we needed to evacuate, I wanted to be covered.
- Compression socks, a pair for each day. I wear compression socks when I travel on the plane, but I also like wearing them for the conference because it’s a lot of sitting and standing and not a lot of moving.
- flip-flops for the hotel room and shower
- black skechers go walks.
- medication and first aid stuff
- My portfolio
- Business cards
- Promo post cards
- stickers
- pens and pencils
- sketchbooks ( I bought moleskin cashier sketchbooks, they’re small but handy!)
- peppermints
- my favorite tea- I know hotels have tea, but sometimes you just need your favorite with you.
- Kindle
- Phone
- Chargers and wires
- Headphones
- Earplugs
- Sudoku puzzle book
- wallet-cards cash ID
- travel documents, receipts, boarding passes, confirmation printouts
What I wore on the plane:
- yoga pants
- comfy black blouse
- black and white cardigan
- raincoat
- tennis shoes
- book bag
Though I didn’t use everything, I was glad I had it. Things I wish I had packed were a sewing kit, and a scarf to use as a pillow on the plane.
And I admit that checking a bag was really nice. I didn’t have to gate check my bag because I only had my backpack, and it was nice to walk around with a light load instead of lugging everything around. I think I’ll check my bag again next time I go to a conference!
