HOW TO: Pack for Conferences (Including Printable Download)

Okay, okay! So I’m going to BlogHer Conference 2013 this week, YAY!!!  I get to hang out with my fabulous roomies: Paula of Thrifty Mommas Tips, Margarita of Downshifting Pro, and Jennifer of Genuine Jenn and traveling buddies: Wendy of Funny Things are Everywhere and Christy of FrecklesMom (that’s 16 hours of fun in a 2013 Ford Explorer, on the way and back from Chicago! WOOT!)  Good times are gonna be had.

I’m even speaking in the Geek Bar which promises to be all kinds of fun again. If you’ve ever questioned the hows and why of taxonomy (categories and tags), come visit me on Friday and/or Saturday, and I’ll try to sort it out for you!

I wish I thought of it sooner; I’d love to be all ironic by wearing a blue shirt in the Geek Bar, like this…

I swear, if I get a chance to do the Geek Bar again next year, I’m going to beg for this “uniform”, LOL.

But I digress, I need to pack and get there first!  Heys Luggage was kind enough to provide a couple luggage cases to me for all my conference trips, as there are quite a few of them every year!  There’s BlogHer as I’ve just mentioned, but then there is also Blissdom Canada and possibly LINK for me in the near future.  I love meeting up with fellow bloggers, ’cause as much as I love talking on my blog, I love talking with bloggers about blogging, heh.  (I swear that sentence makes sense!)

Packing is a BIG DEAL^TM when it comes to conferences.  Quite possibly much more than when you’re going on vacation.  And the main reason for that is attempting to fit swag in your bags on the way back home!  So you’ve got to try to leave ample room for the ride home, while packing for all occasions, and my occasions include everything from yoga in the park to cocktail parties, panel going, expo adventures and luncheons with leading chefs, and don’t forget the trip there and back which will be roughly 8 hrs each way for me.  Essentially, I need to pack for comfort and style, and ensure that I’m not stuck wearing a cocktail dress while executing the tree pose in Millenium Park!

Okay, so not quite the cocktail dress, but you get what I mean?

And its not just clothes, I also have tons of toiletries, accessories, handbags, travel and hotel snacks and tech to bring with me to boot!

See?

What you don’t see are the four pairs of shoes that I’m bringing (though they are in the pic, can you guess where?), as well as a few bits of clothing that I’m not prepared to post on my blog yet, lol.  The bright white pile in the back of this picture, beside my handbag is my pile of clothes all flattened down.

So yeah, wanna see the results?

Packing for #BlogHer13! How am I going to fit everything I need?? https://t.co/UODuuOaW2A

— Aeryn Lynne ????∞???????? (@AerynLynne) July 20, 2013

Luckily, with the help of Heys’ luggage and their packing cubes, I’m gonna have one heck of an organized luggage both to get there and home! One thing I love about their luggage is the tech involved in making them.  Have you even seen the TSA approved secured locking system?  Or if you’re familiar in trying to negotiate your luggage around a whole bunch of people in massive lines at the air port, these babies just glide right by without stressing you out on trying to lug it by that disturbingly large duffel bag without catching a handle or around that group of people that love to stand in a circle exactly in the path you need to take.  Stress free traveling, can you imagine?

So I’m one of those worry-worts that always second guesses if I’ve packed everything I need.  I’ll spend hours going from room to room to just look around and think distressingly, “Did I leave anything here that I’ll need there?”  This year, I sat down and wrote out a “must have” list.  I like lists.  Lists means I can think up everything I need all at once and then check that stuff off when I get around to pack it later.

So I’ve created a list and decided to post it here for your printing pleasure if you need one too!  Granted this one is geared with women in mind; I may create a unisex version in the future since quite a few men go to blogging conferences too!

GeekWithStyle Conference Packing Checklist

If the Scribd app above doesn’t work for you to print, you can download the pdf here.

I do have some suggestions that you might not think of for while you’re packing:

• Get one of those TIDE To Go markers should you accidentally spill anything on your clothes,
• and pick up a spray bottle of Downy wrinkle releaser too! (Should be able to find this in the travel bins at your Walmart/Shoppers Drug Mart.)  I don’t know about you, but no matter how well I pack, my clothes always have a wrinkle or two when I get to my destination. 
• Q-Tips are your friends, so bring some!
• If you wear contacts, always bring an extra pair wherever you go, but particularly when you’re out of town.
• If you can find your fave shampoo and conditioner in travel sizes, pick up enough of those bottles to last for your trip. The less packaging you need to bring home the better.
• And if you can’t find your fave haircare in travel sizes, pick up a travel case and pour your brands into them!
• Dr. Scholl’s has a heel balm, and if you’re planning to walk a lot, you’ll want something to ease any aches and pains in your feet each night.
• Dr. Scholl’s also has this Rub Relief tube, if you’re prone to blisters n’ such with your shoes.
• and finally, bring a travel packet of water-free face cleanser wipes.  Especially if you’re sharing a room with three other women! Getting into the shared bathroom may be particularly difficult first thing in the morning and just before bed, so knock back some of the time you need in the bathroom by using these wipes instead.  If you can find one that is oil-free, all the better ’cause hotel and conference air will make you oily, I promise.

Whew! Yeah I think that’s all the tips I have for you today! 🙂  What are your favourite tips for traveling?  I’d love to read some in the comments below!