My First Packing List to Not Follow
As a child, I have never been bothered with packing since my mother assumed the responsibility. Whenever we travelled, whether for a weekend trip or a one-week trip, mum managed the packing for the family of four with just one bag (or two at most). That's how lightly she packed, bringing only the essentials.
Then comes the phase when I rebelled against the one bag rule. I wanted to carry my own bag instead of sharing a bag for all of our clothes. I sometimes overpacked by bringing extra clothes or extra books, when we travelled to my hometown, or when we travelled anywhere by car. I packed non-essentials and was nagged by mum.
My mother always taught me to “bring only what you need” when travelling. Pack lightly so that we are not tied to our belongings and are free to roam about as we please. Travelling with a large/heavy bag is cumbersome, and carrying many bags is inconvenient. “If you have to carry a luggage in one hand, you have only one hand free. If you carry on the shoulders, you can have both hands free.”
(By the way, we conversed in Hokkien.)
It wasn't that I had constantly refuted her standpoints. In fact, I prefer the practical way instead of being bogged down by bulky bags, not to mention that I have no body strength whatsoever for it. As the years went by, I even embraced minimalist packing as I realised I could always have done without much. I can stay away from home for a week or two with everything I need in a school backpack.
In early 2016, around four and a half years ago, I was excited to be packing for my first long-term travel. My job was taking me to subtropical Hong Kong in February for five months. That meant packing to dress for winter, spring and summer.
I prefer and tolerate the cold better than heat any day, undeterred by the lack of body fat. I had been known to wear shorts while others were covering up in cold places. But still, I can't risk freezing...
Choosing the luggage first, I settled on a 40l-ish wheeled duffel bag plus a 16l-ish backpack as a carry-on.
Here's a rough idea of what I took with me:
Clothes
Short-sleeved t-shirts
Long-sleeved t-shirts
Tank tops
Cropped top
2 Jackets
1 Long cardigan
2 pairs of shorts
2 or 3 pairs of long jeans
Dress
Skirt
2 or 3 sets of t-shirt and shorts for sleeping in
Underwear
Socks
Skin-coloured stockings for work
2 pairs of black heels for work
Sport shoes
Flip-flops
Toiletries
Makeup – Liquid foundation, foundation powder, BB stick, concealer, blusher, eyeliners, eye shadow, mascara, lipsticks, lip liner, makeup remover
Hairbands, hairpins, and hairnets for work
Hairbrush and comb
Tweezer
Nail clipper
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Facial cleanser
Shampoo
Conditioner
Bodywash
Disposable feminine hygiene products
Pretty sure I brought hair gel or hair spray too.
Medicine
None. Was it amiss? Luckily, I did not need any.
Actually, I cannot remember if I brought some Panadol. But since I didn't remember or know if I packed, and didn't touch it if I did pack, it's useless mentioning it on the list now, isn't it?
Miscellaneous items
Handphone
Charger
Adapter
Notebooks
Stationery
Foldable travel bag
Padlock
Documents
Employment contract, and terms and conditions
Medical certificate, and other training certificate
Letter of guarantee
Passport and book
E-ticket
Sounds like I was all set.
What I packed, and didn't pack, was the start of disaster experience.
I was starting the new job with a batchmate and we travelled together to Hong Kong. Looking at her luggage, I felt like I underpacked, by A LOT. Her suitcase was about twice, maybe thrice, as big as my bag.
Upon arriving at the workplace, we were ushered to our accommodation for the following months by a colleague. A crew, who I then found out as a senior co-worker, passed by, noticed the size of my luggage and remarked if I brought any formal clothes to wear for work.
What was he talking about? The grooming checklist mentioned that uniforms would be provided.
After we put down our bags, we needed to do medical clearance at the clinic.
I handed my medical form to the nurse.
"Your full medical lab report?" asked the nurse.
"Not this medical certificate?"
"The rest of your medical reports from the lab test?"
My full medical laboratory report. My medical reports were sitting at home.
.....
I could have cried. I had completely missed out and left behind a folder of important documents required by the employer. I always judged that type of person. When I went through the checklist at home, I had thought that medical form was it. How come I didn't have the sense to confirm with Human Resources?
Also, how come I had to fly over 2,500 kilometres to find out uniforms actually weren't provided for my job position?!
Fortunately, they allowed me to arrange to have the documents delivered from home within the next few days. I could get some office wear from home at the same time. I felt slightly relieved when our colleague let us connect to her mobile data to contact home for help.
Thank you mum and dad for getting my documents and clothes at home and delivering it to me in HK.
Even my batchmate didn't pack office attire in her large suitcase. In our defense, we didn't know that the same grooming checklist given to us, stating that uniforms were provided and that essential items to bring included at least two black heels, skin-coloured pantyhose, makeup, hair gel / hair spray, and black hairnets and hairpins, wasn't meant for our job position. I went shopping for the whole lot of cosmetic items and accessories, which I didn't regularly use and didn't actually need. If you knew me, I wasn't a makeup person, and am still not.
Luckily, we had a few female colleagues who lent us some extra office wear until we received our clothes from home.
Since arriving, we had training everyday, and only after two weeks, we had some time to explore the city a little bit. It was hardly cold outside then. I needn't have worried about winter dressing.
I thought I would wear my cropped top or tank top during the warmer weather. But I didn't even wear them at home, so I had no idea why I thought I would.
Instead of staying for five months, I stayed for six months plus because the probation was 180 days, which I was aware of but didn't realise it would be a continuous duration.
In the end, I shopped several times and bought a bunch of clothes to wear throughout the months. I mostly brought back the new clothes with me when I returned home and left mostly the old ones behind, because really, I couldn't fit triple the amount of clothes I originally left with. I became a bit of a spendthrift since I started receiving salary and traversing the city's shopping districts, from luxury malls to street markets. I didn't buy a new suitcase like most of my colleagues did. I did use my foldable travel bag and regretted that I only half-filled it.
That’s why I cannot remember exactly what or how many items of clothing I brought to put in this list. I lost clothes that I liked and could have lasted me for years. I no longer keep even some of the new ones, which had quickly became old ones.
Come to think of it now, I'm not sure it was the 40l-ish wheeled duffel bag I used. It was probably smaller than that. I have no idea where the actual bag had gone.
And that's my useless and uninformative packing list. I may call myself a minimalist packer, but I am still learning to be a minimalist. I still take lots of time packing for each long-term travels. Trying to be ruthless is stressful. Because I want to keep minimalism while having more clothing options.