You know in guided meditations when they tell you to imagine a place in nature and visualize yourself there?

Well for me, that’s often the forests of the Pacific Northwest, where I grew up (or the North Shore of O’ahu, but we can talk about that another day).

There’s just something about the tall firs, fragrant cedars, and verdant big-leaf maples that inspires that sense of awe, wonder, and spaciousness I crave. And I often forget how much I miss them until I come back.

If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you know that I’m back in the PNW now, and it’s giving me life. I’ve gotta tell you, there are few experiences better than summer in Seattle.

The weather’s pretty perfect (think 75 and sunny), the sun sparkles off Lake Washington and Puget Sound, and Mount Rainier and the Olympics show themselves almost daily.

Grocery stores and farmers’ markets are full of sweet Rainier cherries, plump berries, the juiciest peaches, and the freshest corn.

I’ve been spending my days here going on morning mini-hikes at nearby parks, catching up with family and friends, checking out waterfront restaurants, working from my parents’ lush back patio, and picking wild blackberries and huckleberries with my cousin’s kids. (Coincidentally, they also live in France, and it’s so fun to see them turn a corner on a forest trail, see the giant trees all around, and go, “woooooooaaahhhhhhh!!!!”)

It’s pretty idyllic.

But I have to tell you, Reader, the chill vibes started even before I left Paris, because packing for this trip was SO QUICK AND EASY. And now that I’m here, getting dressed each day has been easy too.

How? Why?

Because I use a packing list.

It sounds too simple. And for many years, I thought I didn’t need one. But inevitably, I’d overpack, or forget something, or (likely) both.

But think of it this way: Pilots use a checklist every time they fly to make sure nothing gets missed. Instead of trying to remember everything—and there’s at least as much to remember when it comes to prepping for a trip as there is for prepping an airplane—it’s all right there on paper.

So a few years ago, I finally created a list for myself, and now I use it every time I travel.

And if I skip it because I think I’m too busy or that I’ll remember everything, guess what? I overpack or forget something (or both).

Last week I asked you what free resource you’d find most helpful when it comes to packing, and my packing list was the #1 response (#2 was a wardrobe planner, which I’m working on—along with some other things I’ve been cooking up—stay tuned).

​So here you go: my personal packing list.​

Literally. I just added an intro and changed the font.

The basics are on there (clothes, toothpaste), and so are some things you might not have thought of (zip ties, backup headphones).

It’s in a Google Doc so you can make it your own: delete the hair straightener if it doesn’t apply to you, add glasses or contact lenses if you can’t function without them. If you travel regularly with kids or pets, or for a certain kind of trip (adventure, business, winter sports), add a section for that.

​Download it, add some stuff, delete some stuff, then print it out and use it.

I PROMISE it will make packing easier.

Maybe not as relaxing as a hike through the cedars … but way less stressful than realizing you forgot underwear (been there, done that 🙋‍♀️).

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE PACKING LIST NOW

• How to use a journal to improve and deepen your travel experience​
• This Korean-inspired no-recipe tofu recipe—I made it for dinner last week (served over brown rice and topped with thinly sliced celery and celery leaves), and it was super addictive

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