WEBVTT - Pack a day before

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is to pack about a day before a major trip.

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<v Speaker 1>There is no point packing a long time ahead of time,

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<v Speaker 1>as you will run out of clean clothes and maybe

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<v Speaker 1>spend more time packing than you need to. But if

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<v Speaker 1>you've got at least twenty four hours, then there is

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<v Speaker 1>usually time to solve any major problems and think of

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<v Speaker 1>anything you forgot. I have a lot of children, and

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<v Speaker 1>even if I am only traveling with a few of them,

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<v Speaker 1>travel tends to involve a lot of logistics. If we

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<v Speaker 1>are flying, we aim to travel carry on only. That

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<v Speaker 1>means pack needs to be strategic. I'd like to think

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<v Speaker 1>I'm pretty good at it. However, one strategy that is

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<v Speaker 1>particularly helpful is not just thinking about what I pack,

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<v Speaker 1>but when I pack. If I personally am traveling solo

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<v Speaker 1>on an overnight work trip, I can throw my stuff

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<v Speaker 1>in my bag in five minutes. If I'm traveling for

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<v Speaker 1>several days, on the other hand, and traveling with kids,

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<v Speaker 1>then I follow this rule pack at least twenty four

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<v Speaker 1>hours ahead of time. There is no need to pack

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<v Speaker 1>multiple days ahead of time and less. You're doing something

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<v Speaker 1>so incredibly specific that you need to procure and make

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<v Speaker 1>sure you have lots of special equipment. Packing expands to

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<v Speaker 1>fill the available space. If you give yourself five days

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<v Speaker 1>to pack, your packing will fill five days, and who

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<v Speaker 1>needs that? But giving yourself at least one day to

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<v Speaker 1>pack is wise. You can do a load of laundry

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<v Speaker 1>if it turns out you need to. If you need

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<v Speaker 1>to buy anything, you still have time to run to Target.

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<v Speaker 1>You probably don't have time to order from Amazon, though

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<v Speaker 1>sometimes same day shipping is an option, say you might

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<v Speaker 1>not even need to rule that out. You also have

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<v Speaker 1>time to think about what you might be forgetting. If

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<v Speaker 1>you realize you don't have enough reading material, you have

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<v Speaker 1>time to grab something from the house or download an ebook.

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<v Speaker 1>That is always an option. You can think through whether

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<v Speaker 1>you will need another snack. As you are walking around

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<v Speaker 1>the house that night, you will see something like a

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<v Speaker 1>pack of earplugs and realize, hey, that might be wise

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<v Speaker 1>to stick in my bag. You will double check that

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<v Speaker 1>you have all your prescription medications, and maybe you will

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<v Speaker 1>grab some tile in all or other such things that

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<v Speaker 1>it is just convenient to have. If you have a

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<v Speaker 1>tendency to overpack. Filling your suit case about twenty four

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<v Speaker 1>hours ahead of time also allows you to reconsider. You

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<v Speaker 1>can see that not everything is fitting and so you

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<v Speaker 1>will need to do some editing. A little bit of

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<v Speaker 1>time allows you to do this thoughtfully versus as a

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<v Speaker 1>last minute rush. In any case, there is no perfect

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<v Speaker 1>packing job, but it generally doesn't matter that much. Most

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<v Speaker 1>places around the world have stores, so if you forget something,

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<v Speaker 1>you can buy it. On my recent trip to Spain

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<v Speaker 1>with my two older boys, we wound up buying a

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<v Speaker 1>hoodie when it was colder than expected. We bought two

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<v Speaker 1>more umbrellas when it was rainier than expected. All good,

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<v Speaker 1>but as with much in life, planning and preparation are

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<v Speaker 1>always about optimizing within certain constraints. Doing too much ahead

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<v Speaker 1>of time as a problem, as it takes more time.

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<v Speaker 1>Life can change, and it is frustrating to do a

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<v Speaker 1>stellar packing job for a trip that gets canceled or

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<v Speaker 1>shifts significantly. But you don't want to be underprepared either.

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<v Speaker 1>I think packing about twenty four hours before is a

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<v Speaker 1>good balance, so that is what I do, and maybe

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<v Speaker 1>you would like to make it a general policy too.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and

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<v Speaker 1>here's to making the most of our time. Thanks for

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<v Speaker 1>listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback,

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<v Speaker 1>you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast this is a production of iHeartMedia. For more

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<v Speaker 1>podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

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