PACKING
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I don’t know which is worse: packing whilst you gradually lose control and end up throwing this and that into your suitcase at random; unpacking at your destination, then packing again (plus the things you’ve bought); or unpacking everything again at home and trying to quickly wash, dry, possibly iron it all before you have to – or are allowed to – head off again, or trying to reintegrate into the community of people/animals/plants/things at home, who’ve been getting on just fine without you in the meantime.
When it comes to packing, there are a few irrefutable truths:
- No matter how big the suitcase is, it’ll be stuffed to the brim by the time we’ve finished packing
- Everything we pack, we’ll have to carry at some point
- We don’t need to show everyone the full splendour of our wardrobe
Packing is and always will be a task we don’t particularly enjoy doing, to put it mildly.
Whether we’re packing for a guest performance – say, about 8 weeks – a concert tour lasting several weeks, or for concerts where we’ll be away for a few days: there’s always something a bit of a pain!
EVERYTHING WE PACK, WE’LL HAVE TO CARRY AT SOME POINT! –
be it just from the baggage carousel to the floor, when boarding the train, or up to a third-floor flat with no lift. And everything we lug about with poor posture can put a strain on our backs or even cause damage; but we need our backs for singing… So we should never pack carelessly!
On that note, a word about the baggage carousel: it’s best to grab your suitcase just as it’s about to pass you by, then pull it towards you with your back straight and as you breathe out (i.e. against the direction of travel), whilst avoiding any sudden movements!
When we’re on tour, flats WITH a washing machine are worth their weight in gold!
How do we resist the temptation to cram this and that into our suitcases?
If you’re travelling by car, you can of course pack as much as you like… But if you’re using public transport, there are bound to be one or two restrictions you can’t get round.
A few things to consider:
GUEST PERFORMANCE/S:
- Who gets to see our private clothes? Most theatres provide rehearsal clothes, so your outfit will only be on show on the way from the stage door to the rehearsal –is that worth it!? And nobody will know about the fabulous clothes they’re missing out on seeing because they’ve been left at home…
- Where there are no rehearsal outfits: take a thin skirt or a pair of light trousers with you and put them on during rehearsals. If there are no rehearsal shoes, you can ask for slippers or bring your own – there’s no need to ruin your own shoes whilst kneeling, crawling or fighting.
- Stick to two basic colours (one light, one dark) and one, or at most two, accessory colours. I must have been over 60 before I finally got the hang of it! For about 10 years now, I’ve been travelling with black, white and pink – it works a treat! Of course, it also works with dark blue and beige + one colour, or crème and burgundy + one colour – whatever suits you best. I used to take all sorts of things with me: that heavy green hoodie I love so much, the cosy jogging bottoms (which take up half my small suitcase), the lovely silk blouse, the quirky trousers, the smart dress ‘just in case’, the matching shoes, etc. etc.
- Check the weight of your clothes when you’re buying them: jeans are heavy, thick jumpers take up space, and shoes are the ultimate nightmare!
- Bulky clothes that don’t weigh much can be packed in vacuum bags, so you can even take that cosy fleece jumper with you.
- Underwear for 10 days is enough – after that, do a wash
- You can also get cosy in sportswear, so you might be able to leave those jogging bottoms at home.
- Cosy house socks are a mustJ
- Two pairs of shoes (one of which you’ll wear on the outward journey) should be enough – plus the ‘smart’ ones for your opening-night outfit and your trainers; that’s already four pairs anyway…
- Better to take two extra T-shirts and one less jumper. You can wear T-shirts under a jumper or under a waistcoat, so you’ll only need to wash the T-shirts to start with.
- Do you really need three pairs of jeans? Perhaps two, plus two or three pairs of trousers, will be enough? If you’re wearing dresses or skirts, take fewer pairs of trousers accordingly.
- Lay all your clothes out on the bed before you pack them and check what can be mixed and matched before you pack. Anything that doesn’t go together can happily stay at home.
- You can roll T-shirts, tuck socks into shoes, and place shirts/blouses (don’t roll them!) flat on top last.
- Toiletries: If you’re staying somewhere for two months – buy shampoo, shower gel and body lotion locally. You can pack your skin creams into lighter silicone containers to save weight.
- Writing bits and bobs/diary/notebook: Before you pack, empty the contents of your handbag or rucksack completely (I’ve always found I’ve accumulated a surprising number of pens) and only take as many pens as you really need!
- Sheet music/electronics: As well as the printed sheet music for the piece you’re rehearsing or singing, take your tablet or iPad with you, because if an enquiry comes in, you’ll want to be able to check quickly whether you’d like to accept or decline; plus, you can then sing something other than just that one piece in between. If you have a cover with a keyboard, you might even be able to leave your laptop at home, provided you’ve saved your files in the cloud or on Dropbox and you’re not in the middle of writing a book.
- Don’t forget your charging cables and AirPods or headphones!
- Leave a bit of space for the things you’re still going to buyJ
Ask in advance if you can borrow a yoga mat; if not, you could perhaps buy one to use for the guest performance period; the next guest will be delighted. A new yoga mat costs less than a visit to the chiropractor!
CONCERT TOUR
You won’t be provided with rehearsal clothes here; you’ll have to pack and unpack quite often and will need two concert outfits to change into, plus concert shoes. The good old garment bag is a practical option; it fits everything you need for the evening and doesn’t crease much. (@ladies: if you’re going on tour, choose concert dresses that are easy to transport and don’t crease easily). If your concert clothes do happen to get creased, hang them in the bathroom near the shower and run hot water over them, or do this whilst you’re having a shower yourself – that’ll get rid of the creases . Of course, you can also take a travel steamer with you, but that’s heavy and takes up space. In hotels, you can borrow an iron (always check that the soleplate is in good condition and that another guest hasn’t left rust, chewing gum or anything else on it; also test the steam function first before you put the iron on your clothes…)
Other clothing: Try to pack a colour scheme where you can mix and match items; it’s best to take an extra T-shirt with you for strenuous or sweaty rehearsals.
Toiletries: You can buy travel-size versions of your usual products (drugstores now stock almost everything in travel sizes) or transfer them into smaller containers.
Deodorant: everyone has their own tried-and-tested favourite here. A little tip: I cut a thin slice off the refill of my ‘Wild’ deodorant cream and squeeze the contents into a small screw-top jar (photo).
Mousse and hairspray are also available in travel sizes. You can transfer skin cream into smaller containers and take only as much as you need. Removing make-up is easy with a microfibre glove from the chemist’s – it weighs next to nothing and works a treat.
Make-up: You can transfer make-up primer into small silicone containers or aluminium screw-top tins; perhaps you only need two eyeshadows or a travel palette (next time at the airport, see if one suits). And do you really need to take all your lipsticks with you?
Shaving foam is also available in travel sizes, by the way.
There’s a hairdryer in the hotel, but you’ll have to lug a curling iron around (is there a way to tie your hair up?).
Writing materials and sheet music, see above.
Books: they weigh too much – take an e-reader or just ONE bookJ
Medicines: When travelling abroad, familiar medicines often have different names or aren’t available (Silomat cough lozenges, for example, aren’t authorised in France). You should always carry the medicines you take as soon as you feel an infection coming on (Echinacea, Metavirulent, Meditonsin or similar). Even the small cold inhaler from Omron or similar doesn’t weigh much and can be a lifesaver. And then, of course, each of us has our own secret remedy for emergencies. Be sure to take these with you too, even if they’re ‘just’ sage leaves – infections tend to strike late in the evening or at the weekend, and certainly never when pharmacies are open…
Experience shows that, no matter how big the suitcase is, it ends up being packed to the brim. A huge suitcase gives a false sense of ease, for which your body then pays the price through overexertion. It’s better to go for a medium-sized one straight away – it holds plenty – and take a small rucksack as well. Mine’s from Avanda; they’re the ones with the cool advert J
Wallet: this can add weight too. Perhaps a smaller one would do for the trip(s)? Do you really need to take all that loose change with you?
Handbag: the lightest options are the Sakazip bags which are made out of one very long zipper from the summer market, or a nice ‘banana’ or bum bag; of course, these aren’t designer handbags, but they’re fine for carrying a bit of cash, your phone and your house keys…
An umbrella or rain jacket should be within easy reach – you never know how the weather might change.
Too much luggage takes its toll on our health – you can get by with very little if you have to: when I did the Camino de Santiago and had to limit myself to 7.5 kg in my rucksack for two weeks, I realised how well that can work and that you don’t have to look scruffy either. 7 kg is, of course, unrealistic in our line of work, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be 25 either!
There are some really amusing packing videos by professional butlers, especially for packing long trousers – enjoy!
Here’s one for a carry-on.
Here’s one for a larger suitcase.
Happy packing – leave that massive thing at home!
All the best and see you soon,
Hedwig
