In order to destress from vacation anticipation, use these four tips when packing your bags and preparing for any trip

While traveling can be relaxing, there’s a good deal of stress to go along with it as well.

I am chronically late for everything. I always have been. I’m even starting this lifestyle on the day it’s due. I’m also always running behind when it comes to packing for trips. No matter what, I’m shoving my clothing and soap and books and everything I’ve forgotten into my suitcase at 3 a.m. the night before I leave. Given I’m leaving for New York City (yay, but pray for me) in four days, and I’m heavily procrastinating packing my bag, I thought it would be fitting to give some tips on how to avoid the aforementioned late-night panic. I might seem underqualified to share advice on this particular topic, but I always manage to leave on time, despite my chronic procrastination. 

Okay, hear me out. Maybe it’s just me, but if I start working on something more than a couple of days in advance, I only get more stressed. The key is to focus and devote an hour daily two or three days in a row before the trip. There’s already a ton of hype and anticipation built up in my head, but when I’m actually packing, it feels so much more real. If I’m packing for more than two days in a row, the only thing going on in my brain is how much I have to get done, all the clothing I have to fold, and a million other things. But I’d really rather not, and I will absolutely take any chance to postpone my anxiety for as long as I can manage. Though it seems counterintuitive, panic is definitely the solution. 

• Assembly Line

In order to use the “Panic” technique, one will need to really lock in for the 30-60 minutes that will be used for packing. Who did it best? Henry Ford with the assembly line. First, I’ll lay out all my items into categories (clothes, toiletries, makeup, etc.), and then I can plan out the actual engineering of everything, like how the actual shapes of everything will fit together. Now, all the hard work is done, and I can chill and listen to music while I idly pack my suitcase and watch as everything fits together perfectly, thanks to my planning ahead of time. It speeds the whole process up, so I don’t have to spend as much of my day packing. It means everything will be much more organized, reducing my stress. Plus, if I can convince someone, this can be turned into a group project, and that allows me to hang out with friends or family. For me, an assembly line is definitely a drastic improvement from naively shoving multiple very thick sweaters into my suitcase the night before I leave.

• Get Excited

Not to say I don’t like going on vacation, but it can be stressful, especially if I’m the one organizing it. I’ll often get caught up in all the preparations, the itinerary, and all the ins and outs of each and every day of my vacation. I’ve learned to get rid of this stress by essentially lying to myself in order to get my brain to stop panicking. It’s a little aggressive and intensely cliche, but the power of positive reinforcement, no matter how harsh, can’t be understated. I personally motivate myself by recording TikToks to document whatever I packed that day or, if I went shopping, what new things I got. Am I chronically online? Quite possibly. But nothing beats a cute little TikTok about my day, so I’ll keep posting.

• Vacuum Seal

One thing about me is that on any given trip I go on, it’s an absolute guarantee that I will be packing all the makeup I own and bringing it with me. I don’t really have a set routine; when I step into the bathroom, I typically have absolutely no plan other than slapping colors on my face and hoping I like the outcome. In order to accomplish this, I’ve learned how to DIY vacuum seal my full collection of makeup into a gallon-sized Ziploc bag. The most important step to remember is to pack everything flat. Not only does this keep everything from getting squished under the lid of my suitcase, but it allows for more space to get every item into the bag. Once everything is packed so tight to the point where I can’t possibly fit even an eyebrow pencil in, the zipper is then closed all the way except for the width of a straw, which is left open. Then I simply suck all the air out and watch as a perfect seal of plastic covers the surface of each and every brush and liner. This is possibly one of the most satisfying things to witness and allows me to continue being high maintenance. 

No matter where I’m going or how long I’m staying, I need to stay calm and productive when packing my bag for a trip. For me, a healthy dose of panic, an assembly line, some light self-gaslighting, and vacuum sealing my many makeup items are essential to this success.