Universal trip packing list generator
I hate packing for trips. I will put it off until the last possible moment, and even then some. Part of the reason I hate it is that I’m never quite sure exactly what I need to pack.
If you’re in the same boat, you might find the Universal Packing List site as interesting as I do. Basically, the site is a very compact user interface that asks you a set of questions about your upcoming trip, ranging from your gender, to whether you will be washing your own clothes, if you wear glasses, and where in the world you’ll be traveling to.
Once you’ve completed the questionnaire, it spits out a very comprehensive list of things to pack, as well as a to-do list to take care of before you leave. When I say the list is comprehensive, that’s a bit of an understatement. For a hypothetical 3 day trip with my kids, here are just the headings it came up with:
- Things to do before you leave
- To do for most trips
- Clothes
- Unisex clothes
- Shoes
- Optional clothes
- Clothes for cold weather
- Clothes for babies
- Clothes for kids
- Money and documents
- Basic documents
- Optional documents
- For carrying money and documents
- Maps
- Books
- Equipment
- Things for packing
- Things for sleeping
- Cooking equipment
- Food stuff for children
- Miscellaneous equipment
- Extra things for children
- Hygiene
- General Hygiene
- Hygiene (optional)
- Health
- General health items
- Health and Hygiene for children
- Pills, tablets and medicines
- Electrical stuff
- General electrical items
- Digital Camera equipment
- Generic photo equipment
- Music items
While at first glance this seems like a ridiculous list (and imagine how it looks with all the items populated in each category), the thing is, it’s pretty much dead on. Now, for a three day trip it’s probably overkill, but make it a two week trip and it’s pretty much dead on the money.
This is one site I’ll be referring back to next time I’m planning a trip. Maybe it will help me get packed sooner, knowing where to start.
