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You're listening to Life Kit from NPR.

Hey, it's Mariel.

It is truly annoying to be on vacation and have to buy something you already have

at home because you forgot to bring it.

But what's worse?

That or coming back from a trip with aching shoulders from lugging around that huge suitcase

and realizing you didn't even touch half the clothes you brought.

Packing for a trip is hard to get right.

And if you get it wrong, that can make an already unpleasant travel day go off the rails

or send you into a tailspin in a foreign country.

Christine Sarkas at the travel website Family Vacationist says she has a rule of thumb.

You want to make sure that everything you're carrying is worth the stress of carrying it.

When you heed that advice and you bring what you'll actually use and nothing more,

the whole trip tends to go more smoothly.

On this episode of Life Kit, Christine and other travel experts are going to give us packing advice.

They'll teach us how to customize our packing lists depending on our group, the weather, how we're getting to our destinations, and more.

By the way, there are tons of incredibly useful objects you may never have considered bringing on a trip.

I always pack an eye mask no matter where I'm going.

Some kind of bug bite relief, the tampons you like, and then hair conditioner.

...