I like lists. Especially packing lists.

I love creating packing lists.

Actually, I love what packing lists represent: freedom. Freedom from having to remember things. Freedom from the worry that something important was left behind.

Over the years, I have continually refined packing lists. Because we travel frequently, travelling light — and hopefully carefree — does take a bit of planning. Packing lists are a big part of that planning.

I’m still getting used to the idea of an RV packing list. It is a bit different when traveling around in a house on wheels. There is already a fair amount of stuff in the coach.

I have built a packing list that spans three pages. Here is page 1:

I broke the packing list down into the following categories:

• Documents
• Electronics
• Household
• Bathrooms
• Kitchen
• Linens
• Pet Supplies
• Tools
• Miscellaneous
• Clothing

As the forthcoming trip will be our third expedition with the coach, I will be vetting the list to ensure that we have all that we need, and nothing more. As we get closer to the travel date, I will finalize packing list and use it to check that the items are on board and ready to go.

This takes a lot of the stress out of preparing for a big trip. And, if we have forgotten something, it gets added to the list. Or, if we really did not need to bring something along, it gets dropped.

Who knows. Maybe in a few years, the very idea of a packing list becomes obsolete as we travel around full-time. But for now, it helps me to be prepared.