Traveling Lightly to Literary Events: How I Do It

At one time, I was that woman on the subway with the oversized rolling suitcase and the stuffed-to-the-max rolling briefcase trying to navigate her way from the train up several flights of stairs. But after four years of regularly visiting places where writers gather, I am no longer that sweaty, apologetic person. I have finally learned to leave the bulk of my junk at home.

My secret? I fight the impulse to pack everything I “might” need and only pack what I will actually use.

Here’s my checklist of the things I carry from lightest to heaviest for a four-day trip:

Stuff:

• Ear plugs
• Gum (preferably bubble)
• Glasses, contacts, sun glasses
• Cords (for all electronics with me)
• Magazines (People is a must)
• iPhone
• Makeup/Jewelry (just the minimum)
• Wallet (w/cash, credit cards, and license)
• Umbrella (small but not the travel kind)
• Laptop (back it up before you pack it)
• 2 Clipboards (one for presentation/schedule/reservation docs and one for current projects I’m working on while in transit)
• Digital camera
• Flip video cam
• Extra batteries

Clothing for four days:

• One or two dressy outfits (one in black)
• Three t-shirts (two in black)
• Two pairs of nice jeans (one in black)
• Two nice tops (colorful)
• A tank top or two (if needed)
• A jean jacket or shawl (if needed)
• Boots (in black)
• Sneakers (comfortable)
• Dress shoes or dress sandals (comfortable, if needed, in black)
• Plenty of underwear, socks, and stockings
• Jammies
• Baseball cap (my favorite Writer Mama one, of course)

Things I Leave Behind:

• Business cards, flyers, and any other marketing materials
• Books
• Extra shoes or boots
• Too many outfits
• Too many coats or jackets
• Extra sleepwear items

I can fit everything above into one carry-on-size, rolling suitcase plus one shoulder bag, which saves a considerable amount of money in luggage fees. If the overhead bins are full by the time I board the plane, I simply check my rolling suitcase at the gate.

And if I’m taking a much shorter trip, like the one I took to New York City recently, I can fit everything for one night’s stay into my rolling briefcase, which is a breeze to maneuver, even in the subway.

As far as the things I used to carry that I now choose to leave behind, I have found that the most important thing when I appear at events is to be 100% present. And often fumbling with books or postcards or business cards just gets in the way. I’d rather go someplace and just be there, not be thinking about how I’m going to slide someone my postcard. Besides cards can get lost but Google makes me pretty darn easy to find. I’m right here at ChristinaKatz.com.

If an event is located in the hotel where I’m staying, I will carry almost nothing around during the day but my room key, my iPhone, and some form of money.

What I’ve found is that if I travel lightly, either in the air, in the subway, or when extending my hand to meet someone new, the less stuff that comes between us, the better. So don’t forget to pack your smile because it is ultimately what people are going to remember.

So have a little faith in yourself the next time you travel to a literary event. Have a packing phase and then an editing phase, where you pull out everything extraneous. The things you don’t need won’t get in the way if you leave them safely at home.