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Have Packing Anxiety? This Customizable Spreadsheet Is All You Need to Ease Your Mind

Technology + Gear
by Morgane Croissant Apr 17, 2024

No matter if you have the best packing cubes in the world, the backpack with the most practical pockets, and the most functional check-in suitcase, when it comes to packing, you’re still vulnerable to forgetting some of the most essential stuff. Sometimes it’s something crucial but easily replaceable like your toothbrush, and sometimes it’s something that will be tough to live without and will cost you a bundle to buy again, like your laptop charger, or, God forbid, your headphones.

One way to stay on top of it all is to grab a piece of scrap paper and a pen and make a list of everything you’ll need for an upcoming trip, adding a little check mark beside each item once it’s in your luggage. But if you travel frequently, you might want to take a leaf out of Tiktok’s luke.scarpino’s book and have an extremely thorough packing Google sheet that you can use over and over again.

@luke.scarpino Is how i pack for vacation normal? #travel #productive #excel #googlesheets #finance #packing #suitcase ♬ original sound – Luke Scarpino

Scarpino’s Google sheet does not only list all the things he needs to pack but it also includes a color-coded drop-down menu of where each item must go: toiletry bag, backpack, duffle, checked suitcase, and even “on person” for the stuff that he needs to have in his pockets. The icing on the cake, however, is probably the section of the Google sheet that tells him the packing ratio of each bag. Once he hits 100 percent, he knows he’s done.

Some might think that Scarpino’s too fussy for his own good, but you have to give it to him: He’s one organized traveler who’s pretty unlikely to forget the essentials. And as one of his viewers commented, “The fun thing is if you use this same list when it is time to return home, you will never forget something at a hotel again.”

Kindly, Scarpino has shared his packing list template with the world, making it available for free on his online shop. You can download it and edit it to suit your own packing needs — Scarpino added some instructions to help you out in the process. You’ll never forget your toothbrush ever again.

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