The Struggles of Packing for Break

The Struggles of Packing for Break

I find packing to be frustrating and fun at the same time. To me it is like a game. How much crap can you fit into one container!? I am not master at packing but I have slowly over the years been decreasing my luggage with each trip. Winter break is always the trickiest since there is a whole month that most students are home and they tend to bring half of their dorm room with them. I figured I would put together some suggestions for packing... just because.

Things to Bring

Toothbrush. A toothbrush normally is an item forgotten. I have a toothbrush at home and in my apartment so that way I never have this problem.

Underwear. That doesn't mean as many as you brought to school. Bring about a weeks worth. You can always do your laundry at home. There is no point in bringing more than you need, unless you constantly crap your pants... then you might want to bring some extra pairs or invest in diapers.

Bras (for ladies). Pick a regular bra, strapless, and a sports bra. That is all you should really need. This way you have all of your options open for various outfits.

Pants. Honestly I only bring two pairs of jeans home which consist of my nice, clean skinny jeans, and the other being my old, ratty, ripped "art/work" jeans for dirty jobs. You can always re-wear your jeans multiple times without washing them so you can get a good week's use out of them. A comfy pair of sweatpants is nice too.

Sweatshirts. I bring two hoodies typically, because, like jeans, they can be re-worn multiple times without looking like a dirt bag, plus it's chilly in the winter time. 

Shirts/ Tank Tops. I usually bring two of each. Again, you want to minimize your load. You are an adult so you can just do your laundry twice over break.

Socks. I bring about a five pairs of socks.

Shoes. I bring a pair of snow boots, nicer "dress boots", and a pair of heels home, plus slippers. Technically the heels aren't necessary, but just incase any modeling opportunities come up it is good to have them on hand!

Hat and gloves. It's winter so a pair of gloves and a hat should always been in your car for traveling purposes anyways!

Formal Attire. I normally try to being something that is a little more dressy for occasions when my family may go out to dinner or if I have a date night with my boyfriend. 

Medicine. Any medicine that you take on a daily basis like vitamins or (for girls) birth control! <---- Don't wanna forget that!

Contacts and Glasses. Being blind for a month would probably blow for those who need corrective lenses... if forgotten you better start learning how to read braille! 

Deodorant. Don't sweat it! ;) (How punny)

Shampoo or conditioner or body wash. Only bring these things if they are not found at home. If not lighten your load by leaving them behind!

Hairdryer/ straightener. Only bring if necessary. There are extras in my home.

Hairbrush. No one likes a ragamuffin or dreads that aren't intentional... 

Tampons/ Pads (for girls... I hope...). Chances are you are going to hit that time of month. Thank mother nature for ruining a week of your break.

Laptop. If you forget this, the robots might take over.

There may be some other things you may want to pack, but this is the majority of it. You wanna keep a light load. This should fill up maybe a bin or a couple bags which is not too bad to carry back and forth. Plus since it will be the holiday season, you will be bringing back more (such as gifts and parents that like to send goodies back home with you).

Things Not to Bring

Fish. If you have fish at your place, try to get an automatic feeder. I have fish and they are the most pain in the butt thing to transport back and forth. Of course depending on dorm restrictions it is impossible to avoid. I ended up leaving my big aquarium of fish in my apartment and taking my separate goldfish home. Be sure to put new batteries in your feeder before you go (don't use an electric plug in feeder incase of power outages). I didn't and I lost a fish. Poor thing starved to death. RIP Clark the Rainbow Shark. 

TV. There is no reason that you need to lug a television back and forth with you. I see kids do this all the time. Many times they get scratched, broken, etc when being transported. Every home nowadays, on average, have more than one television. Use one of the TVs you have at home. It may actually force you to socialize with your family. 

Multiple gaming systems. If you have multiple gaming systems and you can't live without your electronics, pick one! Also, don't bring back every game you own. Choose your top three. You will be really upset when you make your way back to school and forget to bring your entire stash of games!

Alcohol/ Drugs. Granted many college students are under 21 and shouldn't have these things... but cops know when schools have their breaks and they patrol the roads more. I see many students that get pulled over for speeding and it turns into a big mess. Sometimes we have Boarder Patrol that stops cars to decrease drug trafficking with dogs on site. It would be a bad way to start break by getting arrested or fined. 

Musical Instruments. Unless you are a hardcore player, leave them at school. I always want to bring my guitar and when I do I only end up playing it three times, if that.

Cash. A decent/ reasonable amount of money is good to have on hand, but don't bring it all with you. You don't want to end up spending all your money on break. We are poor college students and need to save up as much money as we can. If you have extra money, open up a savings account and put it in there if you haven't already.

Recap

Just be sure to pack as light as possible. The less to bring back the better, plus if you are carpooling with someone else, you want to be sure to save room for others that are traveling along. The only extra stuff you should bring home is if you have items in your dorm or clothing that you originally packed and realized is just taking up space. If that is the case bring it home and leave it home, this way there will be less to bring back home at the end of the school year.

I hope this helped! Feel free to comment on things I may have missed or suggestions of your own!