Last month, we heard about Tracee Ellis Ross’ fabulous solo travel adventures, in which she proudly declared herself an overpacker. Y’all had some great comments about traveling and overpacking. As a fellow overpacker (more on that below), it’s nice to be among friends. Keegan-Michael Key also has some packing advice for the class. KMK is now an ambassador for the Choice Hotels brands like Radisson, Country Inn, Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, and more. During a National Waffle Day appearance at a Comfort Inn, Key shared some of his own insight about traveling and packing. According to KMK, there is no such thing as overpacking! He also believes that the key (pun intended) to success is to pack the night before and “bring extra socks and extra underwear.”
“If you think you’re overpacking, you’re not,” Key says with a laugh. “You’re going to feel so good when you’re in the hotel and go, ‘Oh, I forgot the—wait a minute. No, I didn’t. It’s in the second bag.’ Everyone says you only need one bag, but that second bag full of miscellaneous stuff? You always end up needing something from it.”
He also swears by one simple rule: “Always bring extra socks and extra underwear.”
“There’s going to be a day where you’re like, ‘Oh, I didn’t know we were going on that hike,’” he explains. “Then you come back to the hotel all sweaty and think, ‘I’m so glad I packed that extra underwear.’”
Because he frequently travels for work (a recent favorite was to Sydney, Australia to film Play Dirty with Mark Wahlberg, out on Prime Video Oct. 1), says he’s learned to prep smarter over time.
“Pack the night before,” he says. “This is something I’ve changed about myself. I used to try to get more sleep and pack in the morning, but now we do everything at night. Literally the last thing we do is take out the garbage and zip up the bags.”
The shift, he admits, came after a few debates with his wife, Elle Key. “I have to go on record: She was right,” he says. “Even if you sleep a little less, you’ll sleep more soundly knowing everything’s done.”
I both agree and disagree with KMK here. Where I agree: Pack at least 50% extra pairs of underwear. Ladies, if you’re traveling to some place warm, I’d also recommend a pack of pantyliners. You just never know what the sweat factor will be. I’m also a big advocate of packing the night before. I’m generally a last-minute person (thanks, ADHD), but in this case, I make an effort to do as much as I can in advance. That said, I still often end up doing a last minute unpacking and repacking because I just can’t help but pack too much on my first attempt! Packing cubes are the best, but sometimes, it’s a struggle to account for difficult types of outfits. Are you going for cute? Comfort? Athleisure? What if you eat something on day two that disagrees with you and you need an outfit that accounts for bloat?
That said, I disagree with KMK’s opinion that it’s all fine and dandy to just check a second bag. It’s $35 per checked bag on most airlines! Sometimes, the budget only allows for one checked bag per traveler, if that. I’m very jealous of my husband, who is such an efficient packer that last month, he managed to pack for 10 days in San Diego while only using a carry-on sized suitcase. I still don’t understand how he did that. Also, while we’re on the subject, I stand by my theory that there are also two types of unpackers: people who unpack immediately or those who leave the suitcase half-full until their next trip. I unpack immediately. I get anxious if an unpacked suitcase is laying around for more than a day.
Photos credit: M10s/TheNews2/Cover Images, Jennifer Bloc/Future Image/Cover Images
