How to pack for IVFDF

I'm looking forward to a lie in, just no idea when that might happen.

How to pack for far too much travelling, three days of dancing, presented in the medium of Things Organised Neatly. 

Spring is busy time in my life. Just a busy little season. Something planned every weekend from The beginning of Feb to the end of April. Maybe I'll get a nap some time in May. 

Last weekend featured a wee jaunt down to Glasgow, with a very late bedtime. Next weekend sees "bedtime" entirely thrown out of the window. Like a tv in a rockstar's hotel room. The entire philosophical concept of bedtime will be torn in to small pieces and then used to make very small origami boats, which will be set alight and then floated out to sea. I will be away from Aberdeen from Thursday to Tuesday, during which time I will spend two nights on buses, two nights either awake dancing or sleeping on a gym hall floor, and one precious night in a B&B. In between all of these things I will squeeze in as much dancing as is absolutely possible, which is substantially more than is safe or even generally advisable. 

For this will be IVFDF. For the uninitiated amongst you, here is the link you need.

My master plan involves getting to the train station straight from work on Thursday, and I had the brainwave that I could save myself some stuff-carrying by doing a sneaky bag-drop and leaving my kit in the office on Wednesday night when we'll be close by with the car. Which means I need to have it packed by Wednesday morning, which is tomorrow, and as I'm off out tonight that then means that all of this packing had to happen yesterday. Tonight's post then, is all about the strategy and planning that goes in to packing a bag for IVFDF. 

#1 roll up the carpet and prepare for battle. 

#2 the annual pre-IVFDF shopping trip. 

Each year I am allowed to buy brand new socks specially for IVFDF, because when you're planning to dance your feet off, any help is good help. And brand new bamboo socks are very good help. This year I bought a set for me a set for L, because I give all the best presents. Also pictured here are our shiny new travel cushions, because I am getting old and soft.

#3 the absolute essentials.

Dancing shoes and musical toys.

#4 everything else!

Jeans, airbed, towel, trainers with memory foam insoles, trousers, more trousers, special IVFDF trousers, pump for airbed, hankies, safety pins, about 7 vest tops, pants, weekend bras, more trousers, dance shoes, socks, phone charger, whistles, sleep-mask and buff, massive rucksack, t-shirts, nice warm top for travelling home in, fluffy socks, sleeping bag, wash kit, notebook with all the magical booking references in, pen for writing down exciting new dances, cotton shirt, really warm jammies, camera, lipbalm, Swiss Army Knife, strapping, painkillers, not-non-drowsy antihistamines, and my purse. Boom.

I don't intend to, but should I lose this bag, that Police report would be really easy.

#5 get it all squished in

Every time I pack a case, I try to be clever and think about the placement of all the heavy things, and then I end up jumping on it and just cramming it in any old how.

Bit of a beast

#6 repack so it stands up

Because that one bag that always falls over the moment you put it down is a right pain in the arse.

#7 appoint a guardian

Happy Tuesday everyone!