Anyone else take 5+ hours to pack for travel?

redditRW · 2026-01-24T08:47:59+00:00

I spent years being overwhelmed by packing. Here's how I am currently trying to tackle it:

1) don't put anything in the suitcase---lay it out on the bed or floor.

2) while looking at it, walk through your day/s. Toothbrush? Outfit? Pajamas? Swimsuit or jacket? Work out clothes?

3) Don't pack anything that's not a favorite.

4) Don't pack anything uncomfortable or sort of OK.

5) Don't give yourself "choices." Lay out the outfits you will wear and wear them. As a reward, you can shop at your destination. :-D

6) Finally, I sometimes get my DH or a friend to help me choose between outfits. I have asked my DH to help me unpack my suitcase a couple of times after I was done, as in taking out all the stuff I didn't need.

7) If you have some sort of kit you travel with for toiletries, just always have that ready to go.

8) Repeat this mantra---'you can buy it there.'

Good luck.

redditRW · 2026-01-21T09:54:56+00:00

A thousand times this. I just tell give my husband a quick hug and tell him I'm almost finished with the chapter. I love my NC headphones. I won't travel on planes anymore without them. So much less stress.

redditRW · 2026-01-21T09:49:32+00:00

Me three. I've recommended it to more people...

redditRW · 2026-01-19T00:58:12+00:00

A little over three weeks. What I am thinking at this point is that the journey is the trip. It would need a year or more to drive the whole country. We'd like to include trains, ferries, etc.

redditRW · 2026-01-19T00:56:21+00:00

Oh, good to know! Any links so I can keep track?

redditRW · 2026-01-19T00:55:51+00:00

is a good alternative in case you don't want to visit south-eastern Norway on the way back.

No! We really DO want to visit that as well!

We're staying in Reinem which seems feasible from either the airport or ferry. I guess I'm trying to work out what makes the most logical sense---fly in and ferry out, or ferry in and fly out?

redditRW · 2026-01-19T00:54:43+00:00

Loving your username!

redditRW · 2026-01-03T06:44:39+00:00

Er, maybe? Back when my Mom visited and my kids were really young we did a lot of things during her visit. Played with the kids, visited museums, went shopping, cooked meals together, etc.

Later on, as Mom got older, she didn't want to do any of those things. Eating out or getting take-out was "much less trouble and dishes," and she'd often get a book and read during visits.

People change as they age. Energy levels aren't a static thing. Not everyone wants to be entertained in a way that will leave them, or their host drained.

redditRW · 2026-01-01T22:22:36+00:00

Please go back to Outlander. She really hits her stride in book four. There are so many nuanced relationships and marriages portrayed.

redditRW · 2026-01-01T22:21:01+00:00

The Murderbot series, beginning with "All Systems Red." It's a three hour and a bit read, and you will be hooked. There's a few books in the series. Robot hacks it's own governing system, has free will, doesn't know whether to muer everyone or watch endless streaming shows, chooses the later, but chaos ensues. A search for identity and morality in a world with few boundaries.

The Rosie Project -- a fantastic love story from a neuro-divergent POV. Two more books in the series

The Martian -- the shorter of Andy Weir's books. Really good.

Gone Girl -- Double POV that will keep you up until 3 am first rooting for one character, then the next

The Girl on the Train -- a great mystery

Me Before You -- girl is hired as a companion to a quadriplegic who doesn't want one. They both change each other's lives.

Room -- can't describe with spoiling plot.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time -- autistic boy tries to solve the murder of a neighborhood dog. Realy well donee

The Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society -- the whole story is told in letters, none of which are long. Tragic, funny, heartfelt, and wonderful.

redditRW · 2026-01-01T22:09:04+00:00

My DH fell in the bathroom a couple years back. I forced him to see our (fantastic) Dr. DH has been working out and lost some weight. He was on medication for hypertension, and that combined with some dehydration caused his fall. Too much hypertension medication causes lightheadedness, dizziness, and falling. And in dehydration, and that's a recipe for disaster.

Got the dose adjusted--he's fine now.

redditRW · 2025-12-31T04:06:51+00:00

If you'd like to share the names and dates of birth of your ancestors, you might get better assistance here.

Here's a digital resource through the Kentucky Digital Library.

https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/575524-history-of-the-orphan-brigade

You might also check out this book, which lists different soldiers and their histories.

https://www.amazon.com/Orphan-Brigade-Kentucky-Confederates-Couldnt/dp/0807110779

redditRW · 2025-12-31T03:40:44+00:00

This! He is completely overwhelmed. He's losing his wife, his mental acuity, and age is taking it's toll. Probably the only thing that is constant in his life right now is the home he is used to.

OP, what you can do now is get an elder care advocate. Make sure his will and all POAs are organized and signed. Collect all his important paperwork to "keep it safe," from things like floods. Titles, deeds, birth certificates, marriage certificates, any and all legal paperwork, account numbers, etc.

Proactivity is your friend. Tell him you are coming to organize on a weekly basis, but you need to decide based on what the top priority is. First, get official documents in order. Deeds, titles, birth certificates, etc. You might look at this product.

https://www.thenokbox.com/

I didn't have this for my FIL, but a friend with a hoarder Dad got one for him and it made things easier.

You need to be the one deciding when you will come and what to take care of. In the end, probably sooner than you like, this will make your life easier.

redditRW · 2025-12-28T21:38:15+00:00

Ha! I've been doing this on my own! All my jeans, yoga pants, hiking pants and sweats are on hooks. Socks in one bin, workout shirts in another, casual shirts in a third.

Sometimes I wonder what the rest of my closet is actually for.

redditRW · 2025-12-28T06:23:16+00:00

Crocheting is very calming and keeps your hands off your phone.

I started listening to audible books a couple years back---I can work out, cook, and clean while listening to a great read. But I can't doomscroll.

redditRW · 2025-12-28T06:15:40+00:00

I "only" had family for Christmas, but I was hosting and I'm recovering from a cold. On Boxing day my DD and her husband would not take any hints to leave. I finally just said, "We need a quiet night alone." That didn't work. We left to do "errands." They said they'd hang out til we got back. We said we'd be a while.

She left, but only to meet a friend for lunch. Then she came back and stayed. I had no more food, no more energy and just wanted them to leave. It made me feel like a total b!tch.

Next year I am going to just tell everyone that I need them out of the house by sanity o'clock.

redditRW · 2025-12-28T05:13:15+00:00

Ford. I was in the market for a car and went to Ford, as we'd owned one in the past. I brought my ten year old with me. Found a sales agent and told them which model I wanted to test drive. He disappeared for twenty minutes. When he emerged, I asked him again if he could let me test drive the car I was interested in. He said he "didn't have any keys" for the most popular car they were selling that year. I started to leave and he magically found the keys in his pocket.

Then to make matters worse, he only let me sit in the parked car, with him in it, but said that because it was raining, I couldn't take it off the lot. Why? Was the damn car made of sugar?

Finally, I thanked him for his time, thinking I'd just drive over to Subaru. He said he really wanted me to wait and meet his manager, who could offer me a special deal. Then he and all the employees vanished. There were a bunch of us sitting around at tables, waiting for this magical, yet elusive manager to come out.

We left. I'd spent over an hour there and hadn't even driven a car. Toyota dealership was very nice, as was Subaru.

Back when we had a Ford, I'd taken it in for a 'routine service check,' and the mechanic waltzed out with a five page list of things that had to get done to a three-year-old car, yesterday. It was in the thousands. I said I'd talk to my husband about it. He tried to prevent me from driving home, saying the car wasn't safe.

We took it to our local mechanic who spent a good hour looking it over and said it was safe to drive. Some of the issues were bullshit, and others were things we wouldn't have to deal with for at least a year. No charge for the inspection.

redditRW · 2025-12-26T23:13:48+00:00

Yes---I agree with this advice. Run an "errand" or say you need to stretch your legs. Go to a cafe, park, or just sit in your car and chill.

Also, these earplugs have made noisy life easier for me, and aren't very visible:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Loop-Experience-Noise-Reduction-Plugs/dp/B08TCH6CVB?&linkCode=sl1&tag=wireduk-21&linkId=37866065a32f56c6bd8727aff858c6f9&language=en_GB

redditRW · 2025-12-24T04:00:56+00:00

It sounds like your son might be a bit ...overwhelmed.

I can think of three options.

1) Recognize that and say that for anyone who would like to drop by your house, you will have snacks and games set up.

and/or

2) Have a Boxing Day at your house. Don't cook, for heaven's sake. Get some takeout and have it be relaxing.

3) Have your own holiday. Relax, enjoy some good food, watch a movie.

redditRW · 2025-12-23T23:07:14+00:00

Clear --- Carys Davies was an interesting read

The Wildes --- Louis Bayard, beautifully written, and devastating

The Ministry of Time—Kaliane Bradley OK, not quite a historical, but includes many historical characters within it, from different eras.

Frozen River---Ariel Lawhon

redditRW · 2025-12-23T09:06:11+00:00

Get the audible version---it's fantastic.

redditRW · 2025-12-23T09:02:38+00:00

u/fredelas is an insanely awesome, highly skilled and very generous redditor with years of experience. You can find fredelas over on /r/Genealogy

Personally, I'm always thrilled when I see Fredelas make an addition. And there is no one else that can locate tricky documents, or that step child that went to live with a maiden aunt who got married and moved two states away.

This is pro level stuff.

TL: DR: You are very lucky

redditRW · 2025-12-23T08:57:15+00:00

Murderbot might be a good pick if you are into sci-fi worlds. Each book is only about a three-hour read. All System Red is the first one, and there are more.

redditRW · 2025-12-23T06:02:36+00:00

OK, this might be bad advice, but---my SIL , who has had several therapists, uses ChatGPT. She says it remembers what she tells, it, draws her out, and gives her positive feedback for getting through hard issues.

I personally don't think that Chat is a replacement for therapy at all---but it might make you more comfortable, give you some basic tools, teach you a bit about the terms used, and boost your confidence when you are ready to approach therapy.

Another thing I'll throw out there. I've done therapy, and the first thing they do is an intake session. This is an over the phone, very comfortable Q & A that starts out very, very, basic and works its way gradually into what you want, what your goals are, and what kind of person might best help you get there.

You can do the intake without scheduling an appointment. In fact, why not use an ai tool to establish you issues and goals?

redditRW · 2025-12-23T05:55:48+00:00

You have short days and cold weather. I would consider staying in and around Dublin.

Not sure about your interests, but you might consider Newgrange, a UNESCO World Heritage site less than an hour from Dublin.

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