By Jinks: 30 May 2026
Lately, I have spent a lot of time traveling and it has made me realize that I really suck at packing. For a long time, I thought I was good at it, but, no, I really am not. I bring too many of one type of clothing, not enough of another, overpack on unessential items, and under pack on the essentials.
This applies to both my checked bags and my carry on bags. It also doesn’t matter where I travel to, I always seem to inappropriately.
A week in Cancun: I didn’t bring enough shirts with sleeves so I was frequently kicked out of restaurants at dinner time.
A month in Peru: I had too many athletic outfits and not enough dress up outfits so I didn’t fit the scene when I went to the bars. I also had the wrong type of bags making ti difficult to find any of my clothes.
A week in Costa Rica: I didn’t bring enough clothes and didn’t anticipate how many outfits I would actually wear each day.
A weekend in Canada: I brought too many fancy outfits and not enough comfy outfits making it hard to relax in my room or participate in activities.
A weekend in Chicago: I brought a full size microphone that got me extra attention with airport security.
A weekend at a music festival: My luggage was too full that I had no room for souvenirs.
These are just some of the examples from my travels in the last year. If I go back farther, I could fill an entire book with how bad I am at packing.
But I don’t want to get into most of those topics I mentioned. I really only want to talk about the things related to my hobbies.
Such as writing podcasting.
If I have learned anything from the last year, it is that I really need to improve how I pack my carry on. Especially for my hobbies.
When I first started traveling years ago, I was under the impression that I needed to be prepared for every occasion, which included boredom. Honestly, if I was to pick a time this started, it was when I started going on roadtrips across the country. I would bring books to read, a gameboy and several games to play, a computer with movies to watch, and a notebook to write and draw in.
All of this worked in a car because I had room, but as I soon realized, it was not very appropriate for a plane. There isn’t a lot of room on a plane. Yes, things can be checked, but you don’t have access to them while flying. Things can be in a carry on, but the carry on may be in the overhead compartment and not as easy to get to, or security might question it when they are inspecting it. The carry on can also go under the seat in front of you, but the more stuff you put there, the less leg room you have.
All that considered, packing for a trip is a balancing game. A balancing game that I am slowly coming to terms with.
As a writer and podcaster, I like to bring a few different things with me. I like to have something to write on, something to record audio with, and a camera to capture every moment.
All of that seems like it would be easy to pack, but it is also very easy to go overboard with.
When I went to Chicago, I brought my full sized microphone in my carry on, and that act caused TSA to question what was in my bags. I was forced to stand there as they completely emptied my bags and checked everything inside.
It wasn’t the end of the world, but it would have sucked if I had been in a hurry. It would also have sucked if there had been something fragile in my bags that they broke because they weren’t being gentle.
Knowing this, I still bring a microphone on every vacation, but I have since upgraded to a smaller, more portable travel microphone, and it has improved my time with TSA. I have not been stopped for my new microphone.
When I went to Canada, I brought a large book with me. This seems like a simple thing to bring, but I had an issue with it. The book I brought was the sequel to the book I was actually reading at the time. I was so close to finishing the book I was reading that I knew I would finish it before I boarded my plane, so I wanted to only bring one book, which happened to be the sequel book. This meant that I initially packed both books and finished the first book in the parking lot of the airport. Not wanting to be stuck in this kind of situation again, I have decided that I need to switch to more digital books so I can save space in my carry on bags, and have more options to read.
When I traveled to Peru, I brought a lot of different notebooks with me. I brought one to write stories in. I brought one to doodle in. I brought one to write trip notes. I even brought one to write contact information in. Overall, I had too many notebooks with me, and considering I already had too little space to work with, I really overpacked on unessential items.
Since then, I have again switched to a digital form of writing. By bringing a tablet with me, I can write as many things as I want and not have to worry about taking up too much space in my luggage. All I need to worry about now is making sure I charge my tablet.
While this may not be appropriate for everyone, these realizations have made me better at packing and limiting how many I actually bring on vacation. I now can get by with a messenger bag as a carry on and a checked bag.
If you find yourself as the type that overpacks the nonessentials, this may be the route for you, but on the other hand, you may have different hobbies and travel needs so your packing may be completely different.
Either way, I hope my experiences with traveling help you somehow.
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