How To Pack: Travel Smart for Any Trip by Hitha Palepu is exactly what it sounds like: a non-fiction guide to packing for trips. However, the title is a bit of a misnomer, because the book isn't really about packing for ANY trip--Palepu's main focus, which is very accentuated, is on air travel. Since most of my travel consists of road trips, with the occasional rail excursion thrown in, I found this to be a disappointing and frustrating oversight (probably on the part of someone at the publisher, rather than Palepu, herself), so I wanted to make sure readers understood that going in. However, The cover is a completely adorable mock-up of a suitcase, complete with a faux luggage tag graphic featuring the title and author. (The brown parts which are made to look like leather actually have a different texture and feel.) So, I'd say the cover design is a total win.
How To Pack has some good features--most notably, an end section comprised of perforated packing lists, all ready to tear out and use. They are laid out in the format Palepu recommends (and demonstrates earlier in the book), and this is a real value-added component for travelers. However, most people could simply print a packing list online, and such a list would be more easily tailored to their specific needs. The illustrations are cute and helpful. Common packing strategies and methods (fold vs. roll) are debated and illustrated.
In addition to the fact that a book subtitled "Travel Smart for Any Trip" is really only focused on air travel, and not other types of travel at all, I have a few other complaints. ...my first (and biggest) one being that a book with lists and diagrams and such, designed for people to use while doing something active with their hands--such as packing--should've been made to lay flat on the surface of the packing station Palepu repeatedly recommends. This was a huge oversight on the publisher's part. Also, Palepu suggested many specific go-to products for traveling and packing. Since the end section of the book is comprised of perforated pages, why didn't the publisher think to add a tear-out list of Palepu's product recommendations with contact information on where they can be purchased? That seems like a handy little extra the publisher should've thought of. (Hmmm, so far all of the negatives are oversights on the publisher's part....)
My complaints about things more within the authors purview are numerous, as well. The flow-chart-style guide for selecting which type of suitcase would be best is confusing, and would've benefited from both clarification and illustration. Many of these packing tips feel recycled, and I've heard them time and time again. Is Hitha really a travel expert, or did she just have a subscription to Real Simple in the early 2000s? Also, her product recommendations are absurdly priced. I'm not sure who exactly her target demographic is supposed to be, but if she was going to make a habit of telling me to purchase things to help me do a better job of packing that cost more than my trip does, she could at least have the decency (and creativity) to include a list alongside it of budget-friendly options alongside the splurges. Or, even better, some suggestions for handy around-the-house substitutes instead of stuff that has to be bought specifically for this purpose--things that maybe don't have lifetime warranties or cost as much as the average person's rent in my world, but will help someone get organized before their trip in a pinch. That type of inclusion might have made this book worth buying.
Also missing in action: a discussion of which fabrics do the best when packed, any tips specific to car travel (how to pack a car for a road trip, for example) or train travel, tricks for how to pack necklaces without them getting tangled, suggestions on packing medications, and what to do if you don't want to spend your whole trip wearing dirty clothes, as she suggested. How To Pack should really be called How To Spend Money On A Book When You Could Find Better Information More Suited To Your Needs For Free Online. But, since the advice is tailored to rich people who fly a lot, they probably won't care anyhow. Thank you to Blogging For Books for the free book provided in exchange for my honest review.
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