Any other last minute packers out there?

[chrissyk]

I'll admit it...I pack at like midnight the night before we're leaving for vacation. This is usually only after my DH reminds me 100 times that we have to pack, LOL I see these posts of people packing like a month ahead of time and I just can't believe it Will anyone else 'fess up to packing at the very last minute?

I should add that we leave for the BCV on Sunday, and I haven't packed a thing. Heck, I haven't even gone to the store to buy the sunscreen and other vacation necessities yet!!!

 

[spiceycat]

oh yea - I call and say I will late picking up people - the reason I haven't packed the car.

so yes if I can it the night before I am in good shape - but I generally have to get up at 3:00am, we like to leave at 4 but sometimes haven't made it because I kept forgetting something one time it 10:30 am before we left.



and each time I promise myself I won't pack late again - HA!!!

 

[jel0511]

I'm a late packer, trying to reform. On our last trip, we waited until the night before to pack. We finished packing at 10:30, I couldn't sleep dur to all the stress/excitement. And we has to get up at 3:30 for a 6:45 flight to MCO. Not a good recipe for a relaxing first day!!! On our next trip in July, I'm hoping to pack the Sunday before we leave. We'll see if I follow through or am up all night again.....

 

[shelly3girls]

We leave tomorrow. I have the clothes packed, but I have had them set aside since I put away summer clothes last fall. Atleast I have a list of things I need to pack......I leave straight from work tomorrow I guess it is going to be a late night.

 

[sheryl0521]

Our toiletry bag is always packed, I just don't unpack it! I opened it up last weekend to see what needed to be refilled or purchased. So that is done.

We will start to pack clothes on Thursday for our Saturday flight. Try to get a day or two ahead of it for sanity sake.

Can't start too much earlier, because the dog gets stressed out when she sees the luggage come out. (Bad experiences at the kennel.) She now stays with grandma & grandpa when we go away, but she still gets a bit stressed.

 

[lenshanem]

Packing is always a nightmare to me since we had kids.
Last trip I tried a different approach -
I packed for one person each day, starting with hubby since he required less extras and he'd be at work anyway and wouldn't be using casual clothes, then my oldest, me and finally my youngest since she had more "baby" stuff to take.
This was much easier!
Will I use this approach this coming trip?
We'll see....

 

[lsutiggeratwk]

I pack "in my head" for weeks but don't actually put stuff in the suitcase until one or two nights ahead of schedule. The first time we used our points and were driving vs flying, I did pack a few things at a time, like extra kitchen items, laundry supplies, etc ahead of time. It somehow made the waiting time go by faster.

I don't think I've ever packed at the very last minute. But you never know .....

 

[travelbug]

I am definitely queen of the procrastinators when it comes to packing. I despise the whole process, even when I'm packing for a trip I'm very excited about. Every time, I tell myself that I'll get an earlier start on the packing next time. Even if I do start earlier, I still finish at the absolute last possible second.

 

[Mickmse2002]

Is there any other kind of packer? I just thought everyone waited until the last minute.......it adds to the excitement of the trip, trying to remember what you left sitting on the washing machine instead of throwing in the suitcase.

 

[mrsdon]

Oh my gosh..
Im a last minute packer too.
I usually try to make a list and try to follow it.
I HATE to pack.
On our members cruise, we were packing the morning we left..
DH thought he packed a baathing suit, but when we got to ship he couldnt find it. He bought one at Castaway Cay.. when we got back to the room, he found it tucked into a drawer..LOL

 

[Pumbaa_]

I usually finish packing the morning I am leaving. I can't finish packing until I am ready to go because I have to use the things I am bringing! (ok, that is my logic anyway)

I will bring the suitcase out a week early and start piling stuff about, but final packing occurs that day, and I finish as it is time to leave for the airport.

I keep telling myself that someday I will do it another way, but I think I am just placating myself

 

[KNWVIKING]

For our trips, I handle all the logistics and finances, DW is in charge of packing. What makes it difficult for her is that we leave Friday evenings at 6:30. She would love to pack on Thursday nite, but her job has strange hours. She works 7 am till 3 pm T,W and F,Thursdays 7am till 11 pm- a double shift. The trade off is Sat,Sun,Mon off every week. So she can't pack Thursday and by end of work on Friday she's beat and the last thing she wants to do is pack.

We have gotten pretty good at it though. We have a "hygene" bag -the kind that unfold and hang from a door- that we always keep full of basically EVERYTHING we could possible need. When we return, she's very good about restocking it. My packing is a breeze- two packs of brand new unopened crew socks, (in-laws know this is all I ever want for Christmas from them so they load me up), five or six swim trucks,couple tee's and tanks and an extra pair of sneakers and I'm done. She then fills the remaining 9 tenths of the steamer trunk with her parafinalia.

 

[WDWfantasy]

I'll admit it....I am a last minute packer. But for good reason. My poor little spoiled dog just hates to see the luggage come out of the closet. She always knows that it means we are leaving...usually without her. I can't stand to see her mope so I wait until the last possible moment to try and sneak the suitcases out to pack. In fact she is napping next to me right this moment. Guess I better tip toe down the hall and start packing.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

I start the night before and finish aout 10 mins. before I leave the house. I cannot see packing way ahead of time, I might need the stuff.

 

[SleepyatDVC]

I try to START parking early - about a week before. I do laundry during the week before. I wind up finish packing at the last minute, of course. Since I always work late the night before any trip, sometimes, it is in the wee hours of the night before I take a nap before our flight the next day.

Can't start too early because what would my kids wear with all their good clothes packed up in the luggage?

This thread is motivating me to start packing for our trip in 3 WEEKS!!! Need to start putting in some late nights at the office too to get things in order before leaving.

I HATE packing. Wish I could just buy everything new when we get there, except for the $$ and the lack of time! But one thing I hate even more - UNPACKING!!!

 

[CarolA]

I am a last minute packer, but I am also kind of a professional at it. I travel on business so I can stand in front of my closet late Sunday night and do an entire week. Disney just requires a few modificaitons.

 

[MaryJ]

The earliest I start to pack is two days before we leave. My MIL will call me a week or more before and say "Are you getting ready?" because that's what she would do. However, she has a spare bedroom where she can lay clothes on the bed and decide what to pack. If she doesn't get finished one day, the clothes can just stay there till the next. In my case, I only have the bed in my bedroom, and we would need someplace to sleep at night!