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If you're a veteran healthcare traveler, you've probably perfected the art of efficient packing. If you're new to the game and still lugging everything but the kitchen sink to your assignments, it's time to lighten your load. By packing smart you can eliminate the headaches and body aches caused by overstuffing your car and handling too many heavy boxes on moving days. Here are 10 guidelines to help you improve your packing technique and lose the excess weight you've been carrying around.
Know What to Expect
Find out what will be provided by your company. Many apartments will be fully stocked, from furniture down to pots and pans. Ask your recruiter for a detailed list; you don't want to waste space packing a telephone and television if those items will be in your apartment upon your arrival.
Create a Packing List
Make a list of belongings to bring on your assignments. Reuse the list for every new assignment. This list will prevent you from forgetting essential items and will keep you focused so you don't overpack.
Think Light
To determine what to put on your list, tag or write down all the items you use at home in a one-week period prior to your departure, says professional organizer K.J. McCorry, founder and president of Officiency in Boulder, Colorado. Then cross off the items you will have at your destination and highlight the items you think are essential. Consider which of the remaining items you would like to have with you. Delete those that you don't have room for and pack only those items you can accommodate.
Start Packing Early
Don't pack the day you are leaving. You will be frazzled, forgetful and more likely to toss unnecessary stuff into your suitcase.
Streamline Your Wardrobe
A healthcare traveler who is on a typical three-month assignment should only pack two weeks' worth of clothes and should plan on washing and dry cleaning those items, says professional organizer Barry J. Izsak, president of Arranging It All in Austin, Texas, and president of the National Association of Professional Organizers board of directors. Stick with basic color schemes that you can mix and match. Use wrinkle-free fabrics.
Conserve Space
Roll your T-shirts and clothing. Stuff shoes with belts and socks, and stuff fragile items into the toes of shoes, Izsak says. "Compartmentalize" your belongings by keeping like items together in your luggage or in milk crates. Consider buying an oversized fish and tackle box for your toiletries.
Stay Organized
Purchase a plastic file box for your personal and financial documents, McCorry says. You won't want to go through a mountain of paper at the end of your stay, so try to file documents as they come to you. Consider creating a file box with tabs for financial files (like bills, bank statements and tax information), work files (information related to your current assignment), action files (documents that require immediate attention) and health/medical files (records that should be kept with you in case of emergency).
Minimize Purchases on the Road
Healthcare travelers may collect or buy things they really don't need when they are away from their home base because of the feeling that they have "nothing" at the moment, McCorry says. Try to avoid impulse purchases.
Go High Tech
Laptop computers and personal data assistants can store a huge amount of information in a small amount of space. Only bring high tech gadgets if you use them regularly, however.
Follow the Golden Rule of Packing
If you have to think twice about whether to pack something, you probably don't need it on the road. "When in doubt, leave it out," Izsak says.
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