There was a gentle debate at work today regarding how many bikinis one of the girls was packing for her week long, caribbean holiday.  She has seven bikinis, and has decided that she needs to pack at least four of them.

A male colleague was visibly horrified, “why would you need four, surely one would do, two if you wanted a choice?”.  The intake of breath from the female contingent was audible.

I’ve travelled a lot through work over the last seven years, and have learned the art of packing through trial and error.  The key to packing is a good list – and a good capsule wardrobe – I only buy things that mix and match.  I make a list of items I want to take, I then make a list of outfits for each day, usually decided by which shoes I want to take.  I then whittle it down to the right combination – which flip flops and wedges go with most outfits.  It works for me every time, but I do need time to plan it.  My worst nightmare is a panic pack.

My other half has a simpler method, he simply counts the number of t-shirts and shorts he needs and packs them (adds a few for emergencies) – job done.  It works for both of us.  We can usually go away for a week long trip with one check-in bag and a small carry on each.  If we can’t – it means I’ve overdone it.