Expat, Prep, Qatar

Packing is Tedious!

June 5, 2017

Packing is tedious

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Packing to go on a trip is stressful, at least for me. I make lists and usually pack a few days before just in case I have forgotten anything. So imagine packing your entire life up to move back to your home country! The packing is not only stressful, but it is tedious.

Every item that is in your house has to have a decision made about it. Every pen, every piece of paper, every book and magazine has to be touched and a decision made. Do I keep it, toss it, donate it or sell it? Obviously, storing anything is not an option.

Then you realize whatever you decide to keep has to fit into your suitcases since I am not using a shipping company to send my stuff back. This means you really have to get brutal with the keep, toss or donate decision. I am only taking my favorite clothes, shoes, books and the few souvenirs I have collected. I am hoping to go in four or five checked suitcases.

Why so little? Well, I technically don’t have a place to live in the US. All my things will go into storage at my parent’s house along with all the stuff that is in storage there already. I am very lucky they have enough space to keep my stuff, and I don’t have to pay for storage while I am on my long trip.

I know some people would have a hard time purging so much of their stuff because we all become so attached to the things we own. However, I did this when I moved to Qatar, and except for some furniture and one pair of shoes, I don’t remember a single thing I got rid of. Honestly, individual items of clothes and knickknacks, I have no idea what I owned now. So, I don’t miss those things at all.

After this move, I will write a whole post on how I have done this. Have you ever given away or sold most of your things when moving? Do you find packing tedious?

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27 Comments

  • Reply Jaina June 5, 2017 at 12:10 pm

    When I moved to Bahrain I did the same as you—took only the bare essentials that I needed. And like you I haven’t missed the things I left behind. Good luck with the move, and the rest of the packing 🙂

    • Reply Tiffany June 5, 2017 at 1:04 pm

      Yes, it’s hard but you don’t remember the stuff later. Thank you!

  • Reply Cindy June 5, 2017 at 4:46 pm

    I know it is tedious, but feels so good when you get everything pared down! Good luck on this new adventure. Hope we get to see you when you are in Dallas!

    • Reply Tiffany June 5, 2017 at 8:39 pm

      Oh yes it will be great in the end! Thank you. Yes, I will come to the office. I will be in Dallas for a month before I head out again.

  • Reply Lynn Caldwell June 5, 2017 at 7:11 pm

    Yes, tedious ending with a bit of a frenzy as things get thrown in or out randomly when time, energy and patience are spent. Good luck with the move!

    • Reply Tiffany June 5, 2017 at 8:39 pm

      It will be great when it’s done. Thank you!

  • Reply Caitlin Jean June 6, 2017 at 7:42 am

    Consider it part of closure and the ending one chapter of your life book. This quote helped me when I moved from Joburg to Doha.

    “It is so hard to leave—until you leave. And then it is the easiest goddamned thing in the world.”
    ― John Green, Paper Towns

    • Reply Tiffany June 6, 2017 at 5:35 pm

      I’m not really sad about the stuff. More annoyed at myself for keeping crap for so long. Lol!

  • Reply Roman @ TheTwinSpin June 7, 2017 at 4:02 am

    For most of us, packing bags is an ass pain. Really not the packing process, but to find something later in the packed bags. It is a good idea to number each bag and to have a full list of packed items in Excel file.

    • Reply Tiffany June 8, 2017 at 11:17 am

      Since I will be unpacking everything, finding stuff will not be an issue.

  • Reply vinneve June 7, 2017 at 10:41 pm

    Hi Tiffany! I was thinking about you today knowing about the “current news”. Good thing you are back home. Yes, it is definitely tedious and heartbreaking to say goodbye to some friends and even to material things just like what you said. Up to now, I miss our fave sofa back home (storage) in NZ. It serves me well and though it is not right to be attached we are only human and sentimental values matter. 🙂

    • Reply Tiffany June 8, 2017 at 11:17 am

      I am still in Qatar. It is a bit weird here but it will all work out. We all get sentimental about this stuff. It’s normal.

  • Reply Ritu June 11, 2017 at 11:45 am

    Oh to have a trip to pack for….

    • Reply Tiffany June 11, 2017 at 6:22 pm

      Well it isn’t as fun as it seems!

  • Reply Emmalene Fletcher June 11, 2017 at 12:35 pm

    I struggle to pack for a weekend away…can’t imagine packing my whole life up!

    • Reply Tiffany June 11, 2017 at 6:10 pm

      Haha! You could do it if you needed to.

  • Reply AnHistorian June 11, 2017 at 5:24 pm

    I had to when I moved back to Canada from Dublin when I finished my Masters- it was a tough process for me! I’m getting better about not being sentimental about things, but still, not the easiest process to go through for me. I also underestimated how long it would take! However, now I have started going through my things on regular basis to make sure it doesn’t build up 🙂 (That’s my project for July) I can’t wait for the post!!

    • Reply Tiffany June 11, 2017 at 6:12 pm

      I am taking most of the things that mean something to me. I just don’t like making decisions about stupid little things. I also wish I hadn’t stocked up on a ton of stuff in December. Yes, it is a good to do this periodically. Wish I had done it sooner.

  • Reply Angela Noel June 11, 2017 at 5:27 pm

    Hi Tiffany! I recently packed for a trip and I put it off as long as I could! It is tedious and comes with an extra backpack of stress about the decisions to be made. I remember reading a line in a favorite book where one character worries about what to pack for an international trip and his mentor says, “Mexico isn’t the moon, you know.” I try to remember this every time I’m packing. All things are just things, and unless its medication or I’m going hiking into the desert (or the moon), there’s always a way to get a “thing” I need. I TRY and remember this–I don’t always succeed! Looking forward to the long post!

    • Reply Tiffany June 11, 2017 at 6:13 pm

      I keep trying myself the same thing. I can always buy what I need where I am. I am sure there will be lots of posts on packing in the future including the long one on what I packed for the upcoming trip.

  • Reply ActualConversationsWithMyHusband June 11, 2017 at 5:59 pm

    I’ve had to purge with a move and also had things “lost” while I stored them with family… and yeah, most of the lost items truly aren’t missed. I do wish I’d kept closer tabs on the photo albums, but that’s what you get for believing people when they answer a question the same way three times, right? (Still bitter.) Ultimately, it’s just stuff and almost anything can be replaced… the rest, as it turns out, you can live without.

    • Reply Tiffany June 11, 2017 at 6:14 pm

      Oh no! I am so sorry the photographs have been lost. I would be heartbroken if that happened. Fortunately, my parents are storing my things and it shouldn’t be an issue. They have been storing my things from my initial move abroad.

  • Reply Unpacking Memories | A Girl and Her PassportA Girl and Her Passport June 26, 2017 at 7:00 am

    […] bug that hit me a few days after landing is finally over, which meant that I needed to tackle the six suitcases I brought home. The big issue with this is that I really don’t have a place of my own to put […]

  • Reply Tiffany@Snoopy January 4, 2019 at 10:11 am

    I was in the same situation, though my trip was just a 3 days trip. I had to try a lot ways to pack all things I want in a package but I finally left some unnecessary stuffs.

    • Reply Tiffany January 4, 2019 at 10:13 am

      I leave stuff on almost every trip. Helps me keep my stuff to a minimum.

  • Reply Rook April 7, 2019 at 3:22 am

    Oh I get mess everytime I have to pack stuffs for moving or travelling. My way is classifiyng them before packing that helps me find them easily after packing.

    • Reply Tiffany April 8, 2019 at 2:56 pm

      Packing for traveling takes practice

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