"Stop dancing around like an ass."

I've always hated packing. For every trip I've ever gone on, I put it off until the last painful minute. Then I call my friend Shauna, who absolutely delights in the process. It's like I'm doing her a solid just by asking her to pack my bags. Knowing I am embarking on the world's most epic pack -- and since she moved to New Zealand and has done it herself -- she sent me her famous e-tips:

--Lay out everything you're even remotely thinking about taking with you on your bed/floor/etc. All in one location - but separate them into piles of 'I must take this for I will die without it', 'I really want to take this', 'this would be useful but i wouldn't go postal if they take it off me at customs', 'I don't care if i have this or not' and 'haven't worn/used in over a year and should probably give to goodwill anyway'
--Then, actually get rid of the goodwill stuff and start packing from the first list first. you'll end up doing a lot of negotiating between the piles but it's a good place to start.  
--Don't waste packing space with things you can buy there easily (i.e. ankle socks, deoderant) and don't pack anything that's not in decent shape (socks with holes, unds with skidmarks) - why bother.
--I have often packed an additional box if i absolutely can't make everything fit and then ask grace to send it in a few months.  
Shauna has earned her packing credentials after seven years of going back and forth between the U.S. and New Zealand -- and their customs are hardcore. Just ask her about the confiscated pinto beans incident. 

Of course, I deviated from these suggestions by dicking around excessively. Grace took a day off of work to crack down, and when I decided I should try on a bunch of clothes before packing them, she told me to "stop dancing around like an ass" and get a life. Four days later, my bags are packed and I'm not freaking out at all (about what I'm bringing; the flight? the major life change? Absolutely). My tips:

--Know the specifications for baggage for your airline (this site is awesome for that sort of thing). I can bring one carry on (not to exceed 22" x 16" x 8" and 18 lbs) and one suitcase (not to exceed 62 linear inches and 50 lbs). I'm paying the $50 fee to bring a second piece of checked luggage. But yeah, that's it. 
--Motherfucking space bags. REI sells Eagle Creek space bags, and they are great. You load your clothes in and stomp all the air out (these aren't the vacuum-cleaner-assisted ones you see in infomercials). I met the weight limit before I ran out of room in my bags, and I credit these for that outcome. 
--Rolling clothes is also a good idea, and one I employed for all my britches. Check out this New York Times slideshow where a flight attendant gets 10 days worth of gear into a carry on. 
--"Avoiding airline fees" is my Indian name, so I used a luggage scale (borrowed from a friend) to make sure I wouldn't exceed my allowance. 


Now I'm off to hurl.