Annette packs the night before, and usually finishes up when I pack just before we head out to the airport. We do make sure we pick up the essentials a few days prior to leaving like new sunscreen, new mugs, a box of vino, AIWC, 5-Hour, and anything for the theme nights.
Jim is basically all packed 2-3weeks aheado of the trip. Why, you might ask? Well, Carrie will be packing up to the very last minute as well as taking-up a good percentage of Jim's ONE bag, so this way, Carrie knows how much space she has for shoes, accessories, UnMentionables... oh yeah, the Airport Inspectors love goin through Jim's bag & findin a balance of man stuff mixed with lacey see-thru stuff ! Truth be told,we play it up when they do...:icon_redface:
I was still packing 5 minutes before we walked out the door for the airport. Not how I usually do things, but mine and the husband's insane work schedules didn't allow for a more organized packing experience this vacation. I recommend a list and being more organized. We forgot a few important items (like sunglasses).
Luckily we fly charter so we each get a suitcase and carry-on. I take an insane amount of shoes. I've visited with Karen before. She gets me taking 5 to 7 pairs of sunglasses, too. Most don't!
I start weeks before by lining up everything I might possibly take, coordinating outfits and accessories, and slowly narrowng it down to what I will probably use, then dividing that between my carry-on and the bag we'll check. I usually take it all out and re-pack at least once--sometimes twice--because I have some weird packing OCD! Todd, however, starts packing the night before, right when I want to go to bed. For 15 minutes--while I give him the stink eye for keeping me up (we usually leave for the airport at 4:30 a.m.)--he shoves t-shirts and swim trunks into whatever space I left him. Then, the morning of, I generally wind up running around and shoving things like Mardi Gras beads and more shoes into the bag "just in case."
You're not alone. I do as well. I have to co-ordinate his shirts and shorts...doubling up on the shorts with 2 shirts...the less he takes the more room for me! We have a suitcase for the bathing suits that never gets unpacked (well, they get washed and then put away). This weekend we'll start on the hanging stuff and the folded stuff for the big suitcase. We also have to wait until my son goes to his dad's house that way I can give Robbie the proper show of my outfits. D
We just have both suitcases open in the spare room and just whatever we see that we want to take on the trip and put them in the suitcases as we go. The suitcases are about half filled.
packing Did you say Packing or Shopping???/ can't pack until you have been shopping on Wicked Weasel, Malibu Strings, Adam and Eve, Wicked Temptations, Victoria Secret, Fredricks and Zappos, then you can pack......and that would be yesterday.....43 more days and I can unpack in Cancun........