A Student’s Travelogue: How to Pack without Stressing Out

Vacations are an unending source of hope for those of us burdened with never-ending project submissions, the forever scary assignment deadlines, and the countless nights spent studying before term finals. The only possible means of encouraging our weary souls through the challenging weeks full of submissions and stressful preparatory leaves are days of pure bliss to be spent as far away from even the shadow of university exams as possible. For all the times we spend planning our eagerly awaited vacations, we spent infinitesimally lesser time packing our belongings for them.

Here’s something to make your packing easier:

Make a checklist of things to do

Once you are free from giving exams one after the other (the ones you thought were never going to end in spite of the abundance of tears, sweat and blood you gave to appease the monstrosity of atrocities they called exams). Of all the possible things to do before you leave to travel during your college vacations is the daunting task of getting your belongings in order. Making a checklist simplifies this task to the T.  You can not only keep a track of all the tasks you plan but also make changes to the list according to your priorities later. Jotting all of this in a travel journal goes a long way in not only packing your belongings but also planning the details of your stay, arranging activities and collecting memories along the way.

Get your papers in order

One can never be too cautious in keeping your identification documents guarded safely. A clever hack I learned on one of my vacations last year was to make your passport cover as recognizable as possible. Imagine having to search for your passport in a post-apocalyptic world, (imagine textbooks, handwritten and photocopied notes, assignments and endless diagrams all piled on the floor of your room) and having to search through the heaps of unwanted papers. The more visibly different your passport cover, the higher are your chances of retrieving them before being more than fashionably late for your flight. I got my personalized passport cover just the way I wanted it to be. You can design yours to be as visibly appealing to suit your tastes.

Grab travel accessories that are recognizable

Packing your belongings gets much easier when you know your bags will not be mistakenly clustered with others’ belongings. Getting customized bag tags, customized key chains online for your locks and keys, wallets that scream ‘you’ so you don’t confuse them with other peoples’ wallets is a sure way to own accessories that are recognisable. While you are at it, you can customize all your belongings to a single theme so you can track all of them when you place them. 

Run a check a few hours before you leave for the airport

Having to return when you are on the way to the airport for stuff you left behind can be a huge roadblocker in your plans to unwind. Going through your list of items to grab before you leave is a good idea so you can avoid multiple trips back and forth. Imagine finally making it to the highway connecting the airport after the millionth time (that one last time was really my imaginary pet dog’s fault for hiding my favorite trekking shoes) when you realize you forgot to grab your tickets. Checking through your list of essentials, toiletries, snack bags, and documents can considerably reduce your travel hassles.

So, be sure to avoid all the pre-travel jitters by planning right and making sure all things within your control are thoroughly managed to make your travel as stress-free as you can make it!