Vacations are an amazing part of the year for everyone. Whether you're relaxing on the beach, heading up into the mountains for a camping trip or taking a cruise, all of these trips have one not so fun thing in common: packing.
Ah yes, packing, the dread precursor to vacations. Usually the one thing standing between you and an amazing week of relaxation.
Even when it sucks, we all have to do it. Here are the five stages I often go through when packing for a much needed vacation.
1. "I have plenty of time"
This stage usually starts a week or two before the actual vacation. You look at the calendar and see that huge block of days, thinking to yourself, "Eh, I don't need to start yet. I still have eight days until the trip even starts!" I'll take it easy tonight and worry about getting started tomorrow afternoon. This stage can often span a large amount of time as each day seems to become a cycle.
2. "The Procrastination Sensation"
As the date of your vacation begins to loom overhead, there are suddenly a million other things you'd rather do than start the seemingly endless task of packing. You may play games, go out with friends or start tackling smaller, more manageable tasks, but regardless, the packing does not get done.
3. "The False Start"
While some people may skip this stage, others may randomly kick start their packing at a seemingly random moment. This may begin as a result of boredom or a sudden burst of fear at how much needs to be done. This stage can be tricky because while it may last for a few hours or even a day, but no matter what this stage will come to a halt at a random moment and the "procrastination sensation" may then resume.
4. "The Reluctant Start"
At some point it will become inevitable. Regardless of how much you don't want to, you have to truly begin packing. This stage is often coupled with groaning, moaning and the dragging of feet. At this point you will gruffly grab your suitcase, force yourself to write a list of the things you need and begin searching for them. For some people, this is luckily enough the last stage of the packing experience. Others, however move on to the horrors of stage five. This all depends on at what point the packer in question has reached stage four.
5. "The Frenzy"
If you're the unfortunate soul who somehow manages to make it to the night before without hitting stage four, you may very quickly become a victim of stage five. While some people are lucky enough to escape this phase altogether, others are stuck in its panic-inducing embrace. This stage mostly consists of realizing that you're leaving for vacation within the next day and madly throwing a large amount of clothing, toiletries and other items into a suitcase and hoping for the best.
With all the stress of packing, at least you have your vacation ahead to help you unwind!
