Benjamin Franklin monument, USA.
Emergency Exit Suitcase
In earthquake-prone Japan, the Japanese, with experience and foresight, keep an emergency bag by the front door to grab in the event of a quick evacuation.
If the taxi to the airport arrives early (which it should, in case you have a last minute hunt for your passport and tickets) you are ready to go. (The Americans like to say, alliteratively, good to go.)
'A place for everything and everything in its place,' said a well organized and much travelled American, Benjamin Franklin. Another daying I like is: Don't put it down. Put it away.
Smaller seal-tight boxes can be used in suitcases or backpacks when packing for trips. On the outward journey to keep all your underwear or your swimsuit and swimming hat and goggles in one place. Or your night clothes quick to find when you land in the middle of the night. To protect clothes from rain when your suitcase is sitting in a pile on the runway waiting to be loaded.
For bringing home dirty laundry. Wet swimsuits. Washed items not quite dry. And things you need in a hurry which would be hard to locate in a suitcase, such as a sewing kit or toothbrush, face flannel, or small towel. Ideally packed in the inside pocket of the suitcase, far right. If there's no inner pocket in the suitcase,
When I was a busy traveller and travel writer, before Covid-19, I often kept one small suitcase ready packed with a swimsuit and night dress and spare underwear and shoes and a reversible dress, ready to go in a hurry. Or ready to tell an impatient panicky spouse, "I have already packed!"
The secret to quick packing is to know where everything is. Your packing list can be pasted inside your door to the wardrobe or clothes closet. A second copy to pack so you pack quickly for the return journey and don't leave behind the slippers under the bed, the bathrobe behind the door, the hat in the top of the hotel bedroom wardrobe, the contraceptives under the pillow, the child's toy in the cot or in the empty drawer, your jewellery on the bedroom basin when you washed your hands, your jacket on the chair of the breakfast room in the hotel, your umbrella in the boot (Americans say trunk) of the taxi (whose lost and found number is on your packing list). Your valuables in the hotel bedroom safe, or at reception. Photos of all your suitcases to show the hotel porter (bellhop in the USA) or airport staff when you are hunting for the missing item, looking around the carousel for the fourth suitcase, or making an insurance claim, or showing that the item was not damaged before check-in.
The passport and tickets should be in a set place, always.
Your night dress and slippers, maybe a short light robe. Swimsuit and swimming hat (plus goggles and a tiny towel). Spare shoes or evening shoes or walking shoes or beach shoes. cosmetic kit. Medicine or prescription. Spare reading glasses.
Today I sorted a drawer. Underwear. First thing in the morning, when I have energy. And need to select underwear.
If I sort one drawer a day, by the end of the week I shall have done 7. By the end of the month, one room will be completely sorted.
If I did one drawer in each room each day, the whole house would be done by the end of the month. Make that, the end of three months or a year.
Since I need to stand up from the computer, it's a welcome break. Instead of eating, I shall do sorting.
Sorting Underwear
I used to lay everything flat. I thought that saved space. When packing a suitcase. So the same applies to drawers.
But each time I pulled out an item, the whole lot got jumbled and would not fit back in the drawer. Urgh!
Then I saw Marie Kondo, folding things into a drawer on video, on Youtube. She rolls everything or folds it, folds it again, and again, and stands it vertically. Then you can see the colours. Her method looks neat.
Bought dividers - advantages and disadvantages
Dividers are the best thing. Many of them come flat packed and slot together. In theory, after buying a set, if it fits, or doesn't, you can copy the design on card.
Where do you find card? Inside and behind a new shirt packaging. The reinforcement at the base of a paper tote bag which is falling apart and will be thrown away or used as a carrier for recycling.
But sometimes bought dividers are too small. Not everything fits into a tiny space. Oblongs or honeycomb, all the same size.
Any divider is better than none. You can start with an empty Kleenex tissue box. Cut diagonally with scissors towards the four top corners. Fold down the four flaps. They reinforce the edge of the box. You now have easy access. You can see the contents better.
How To Cut Down A Box
If necessary, if your drawer is shallow, you can cut down the vertical seems an inch or two, and fold the flaps lower. You might want to measure the height of the drawer, mark the height, less a centimeter, on the box. Use a metal ruler to score a line with the tip of the scissors and make a neat horizontal crease in the cardboard, holding the metal ruler to keep your edge straight and prevent jagged tearing.
Advantages of dividers are that you see each item. You do not move anything else when you empty an item.
You can sort by colours. Your favourite on the right. Unless you are left handed.
So either black goes on the right, or red, or white. If black is on the far right, white is on the far left. Or vice versa. Intermediate colours go in the middle. If bright red is your favourite, and dull brown your least favourite, put the red on the right, the brown on the left. On the other hand, if you favour earth colours, put brown on the right, with orange and green for autumn, the luminous yellow and turquoise and summer colours on the left.
You can also sort from front to back by size. Thin and small thongs at the front, thicker and bigger granny knickers, corsets or pantaloons at the back, or vice versa.
Seasonally - winter stuff goes at the back in summer. It moves to the front in winter. Or maybe an opportunity to put items into storage, on the top shelf, labelled in a suitcase, with an email to yourself in a folder labelled storage, or in the attic.
Moths and Mould
You also want to add moth balls, and/or take things out and shake them out regularly.
Don't put clothes in the garage. They are likely to get dirty or mouldy.
See-through Dividers
You might have see-through dividers or boxes sitting taking up space in your kitchen drawers. They can be moved to divide drawers.
Whilst travelling, you might like to see the memorials to Benjamin Franklin in Washington DC, Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; and Craven Street, London WC2, England, UK.
Finally, pack a list of Americanisms and British English.
UK - USA
autumn - Fall
bonnet (car) - hood (automobile)
boot - trunk
car - automobile
chemist - pharmacy
garage - gas station
high street - main street
lorry - truck
luggage - baggage
momentarily - briefly
motorway - autoroute
pants - underpants
porter (in a hotel) - bellhop
tap - faucet
trousers - pants
turn right - make a right
windscreen - windshield
Useful Websites (more will be added shortly)
www.fi.edu/exhibit/benjamin-franklin-memorial
Philadelphia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin_National_Memorial
Washington DC
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Benjamin_Franklin_(Washington,_D.C.)
Read more posts by Angela Lansbury, travel writer, English teacher, tutor and trainer, fashionista. Everything you wanted to know and need to know for your fun trips. Read posts on destinations, travel clothes, packing, preparing to learn languages and famous authors' statues, travellers' homes, trails, museums, historical houses - plus fun food, and bargain shopping.
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