Miss Obsessive is almost packed for Nationals. But here’s a few things added to my suitcase today that I thought I’d share.
Downy Wrinkle Release. I promise, I’m not a paid spokesperson for this product (but the Downy company is free to contact me for my endorsement), but I never, ever, travel without it. While it won’t replace an iron, it can’t be beat for getting wrinkles out of a cotton shirt or something that just got rumpled in transit. A few sprays, a shake, and let dry. Voila! (I’ve converted Marilyn; the other Playfriends should be believers by the end of the week.)
An umbrella. Turns out, the forecast for Atlanta is stormy. While I don’t intend on leaving the hotel all that often, I don’t want to be caught unprepared. And, you never know whom you could lend it to for good will (see below).
Tampons. No, I’m not violating the Too Much Information Act here. There’s a story circulating about a writer at Nationals who entered the ladies room and was asked by a woman if she had an extra tampon. (Not an uncommon occurrence, as we all know.) Susie Writer did and happily handed it over. The woman thanked her, then pulled out a business card. Turns out, Desperate Woman was an agent. The agent told Susie Writer to send a full of her current book, mentioning in the cover letter that she was the writer from the bathroom, and the agent would give it a read. Legend or not, there are worse ways to get your name on an agent’s radar, right?
Ziplock bags. I always put shampoo and other leakable things in Ziplocks before I travel, but it never hurts to bring a couple of extras. They come in handy for the strangest reasons.
My Swiss Army Knife. Scissors, nail file, small knife, corkscrew, and tweezers all in one compact, handy item. You never know…
What’s the strangest thing you’re packing?
PC
8 comments:
There are two items you've forgotten. The first is a travel alarm. Wake up call systems have been known to fail and power outages can happen in hotels,too. When I traveled on business, I was told to rely on my travel alarm and I always did. Therefore, I was not one of the people checking out of the hotel with a wet head of hair at 7 a.m.
The second item is a flashlight. PC made me travel with a flashlight just in case there was a fire in the hotel and I needed light to see my way down the fire escape. She also made me have my purse, a pair of solid sole shoes and a robe laid out with the flashlight so I would have everything handy to make a speedy escape.
A helpful hint I learned through experience is if you do not pack a travel iron, iron your clothes the night before. The hotel staff is not very helpful when it comes to finding a working iron at 5:00 a.m.
I hope you all have a great time!
PC's Mom
Hey Mom! 'Bout time you commented on a blog.
(Waving) Hey, PC's Mom!!!
Good ideas, everyone! I'll add my alarm to my packing list.
I can't think of anything else, except don't forget to pack any chapter/award pins you might want to wear. I know conferences are the few times I get to wear my RWA PRO pin.
Angel, I wear my PRO pin on my 'job interview' blazer. ^_^ Makes me feel more professional...
The flashlight/sturdy shoes/robe combo are an excellent idea. I've had to leave hotel rooms because of fire alarms before (fortunately, nothing ever happened).
The one thing I can't travel without? Ear plugs. I'm a light sleeper, and room mates and next-door honeymooners might equal a vey bleary-eyed conferencee otherwise...
In other notes, I'm in awe at how much luggage people are taking! As a well-seasoned traveller, travelling light has been drilled into me with a very sharp, pointy slipped disc.
One piece of luggage you can carry in one outstretched arm per week. And if you go for more than a week, you can wash what you packed.
It's served me well. You'd be surprised at all the things you DON'T need when travelling...
Or maybe not.
I'm a pretty light packer too, although this year, I'm trying to overpack to keep up with the Jones's. Or the Kira's, as the case may be. I try to color coordinate all my clothes so the same shoes and pants can be alternated with different tops and whatnot.
Anyway...weird... I've got a Tide Stain remover pen and a lint roller. Gotta have that. Cell phone charger. Mini sewing kit (that came in handy last year when the hem came out of my good pants as I put them on to go to my editor appointment!) I always just set the alarm on my cell phone as a travel clock. I do have a mini flashlight I carry with me too.
Hmm...no wonder I don't have room for clothes...
SP
Hey! I resemble that remark. But it isn't like I'm packing frivilous things. I do have the booze after all :-)
Instigator
Verification
pclovby
I'm not quite sure what that means but I know it has something to do with PC and love :-)
I've always been an overpacker. Unfortunately, so is my husband, so we end up with lots of luggage. But I figure if I'm willing to carry it,then I'm allowed to take it. :)
With all the crap, uh, stuff you guys are packing, I can probably dump half my suitcase and just borrow from you. :grin: I mean if the fire alarm goes off, we can all get into our shoes and robes and follow PC with her flashlight, right? And we can borrow her Swiss Army knife and SP's lint roller
I'm packing my Turbi-Twist cause I hate having to try to wrap up my wet hair in a big hotel towel or make a small hand towel do. And the Turbi Twist also doubles as a nice shower cap if I need to take a shower but not get my hair wet.
I'll have a big bottle of Aleve that y'all are welcome to use. And a second bottle of Downy Wrinkle Release.
I envy folks who can travel with one carry-on bag. If I'm traveling for just pleasure instead of business I can travel lighter. Who cares at the beach if you wear the same shorts for 5 days and just change out the t-shirt? But at conference... I'm like SP and am trying to coordinate slacks and tops with one pair of everyday, flat comfy shoes. But then there's the parties and outfits for those and that's where I'm losing control of things.
PM
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