So here I am on the eve of another flight to another country to another race. I come across an article about over packing. The plan is this: if you have problems with over packing, the solution is to pack everything you desire, then remove half. That sounds like a great plan, not! What's the point of packing if you're not going to overpack? Or better yet mega pack! Mega packing differs from overpacking. Instead of packing 7 T-shirts for a weekend trip, you pack for every imaginable event that could occur on your trip. Mega Packing is  like Bonobos for travel, an outfit for every occasion.

Imagine if you will: You're in Milan, standing in front of La Scala. You're there in a pair of baggy 501 jeans with a Patriots T-shirt feeling oh so cool. Go Tom! Suddenly, Sophia Loren walks by. She looks at you, smiles, walks into the opera house. You're thinking it is on! You walk to follow her and suddenly you realize...it's an opera house! Bet you wish you brought that tux now! And by the way she wasn't smiling at you, that was a laugh. (Turns out she's a Jets fan)

James Bond, a mega packer, always attends every event impeccably dressed. That white tux jacket is killer, and perfect since he's licensed to kill. Assassinations, inaugurations, celebrations, he's ready to go. And you never see him rolling his Tumi down the terminal aisle. That's because he checked his 30" roller.  And no rolling of clothes to save space. You never roll Armani.

The point is that he has clothes for every occasion. Light Columbia jacket for breakfast coffee, sleek Hugo Boss ensemble for scaling the outside of Blofeld headquarters, elegant Armani tux for cocktails and dinner with his new femme fatale. And then back to a newer, sleeker Hugo Boss black jump suit for the late night walk of shame and breaking into the main laser control room.

When you travel, it's great to make plans, but when you travel abroad, you should over plan. It happened to me, I started the day wearing casual loose fit jeans, this was years ago, don't judge, and a comfy t-shirt that reflected the sporting nature of F1 racing, but also indicated I was a total tourist. What did I care? I'm going to the race then back to the hotel in no certain terms. But after the race, I had to walk the track at Monaco. So my buddy and I are walking along the swimming pool chicane, and we hear music. Oh oh. Next thing we know we are sneaking into the party at La Rascasse. Drinking, laughing, dancing, it ranks up there with one of the great party nights ever. Then, one group we were hanging with, drags me along for the after party. Oh oh... I'm going along, a little more than 3 sheets to the wind, and suddenly realize we are in line at a Monaco night club. And me standing there like a tourist with my Gap loose fit jeans and souvenir t-shirt. Oh crap. Of course we were turned away at the door, and I learned a valuable lesson: Always have a white tux jacket at the ready.

The concept behind Mega Packing is that you don't duplicate your clothes, unless of course you are repeating the actions of your travels. Yes, when I pack for a race, I include racing shirts for each day of racing. And as a mega packer, I then pack dressings for after race activities that contradict the race wear. What... there's a casino here? Ok, smooth uptown city style now. Oh, Russian Ballet is making a stop the night we're arriving? Good thing I packed a jacket. And dress shirt. And tie. Now based on the number of days of my trip, I may not need to duplicate extra cirricular packing. Usually one jacket is enough, but maybe multiple dress shirts could be in order. But yes, if you bring your white dinner jacket, then you may want to bring a black jacket as well. Hey, that's up to you, but I wouldn't wear white to both a Vueve Cliqcout cocktail party and a Russian ballet. And that's the fun of mega packing, having the additional clothes inspires you to be more adventurous in your travels.

One of the push backs of Mega Packing is the service aspect. That so called "lugging" of baggage is easily remedied. That's what sky caps, bell caps, and all the other caps that provide a service for us are for. Not to be arrogant, it's their job. It's what they do and what they enjoy. That's how they pay their bills same as the work you do pays your bills. You don't go into a restaurant and then not use the waiter? "Oh never mind, I already told the cook what I want. I'll get it in a minute or so."

Feel free to allow them to help. And don't forget to tip. I like to do $2 - $5 depending on the situation. And it's not a big deal. Let's say $5 for sky cap, then $5 for hotel bell, and then reverse, that's $20 per trip. And for a trip that's you're spending hundreds, if not thousands, this extra little bit, the same amount you're probably spending on Starbucks, makes your trip just that much more special. The more work you do in a trip, the less it feels like a luxurious getaway. And nothing feels more luxurious than getting dressed up for special occasions, so pack those bags and have someone carry them for you.

One point of caution is the dreaded luggage weigh in. These days most airlines will allow 50lbs (23kgs) for your first checked bag. Remember to have a travel luggage scale on hand. Pick one up from Amazon or your local Target or Williams-Sonoma if that's what's in your area. The scales can be off 1-3 lbs, so don't load it to the max. Also, you need to leave room for goodies coming home. Surprising how much a box of Belgian Chocolate-dipped Meringues can weigh.

For that reason, it's also a good idea to pack a backpack or a duffel bag in your suitcase. If you run a foul of weigh limitations, grab your heaviest items and throw them in the backpack as a carry on item. This is one place where men get the better deal. That one carry on plus one personal bag, which for women is the sanctified albeit limited storage pod of a purse. For men, we can use a nice size mini-case of a backpack to store half a suitcase of goodies for the return flight. That could include a pair of Gucci sandals, brown De Laurentis double buckles and your favorite Prada payment leather in black. And still have room for iPad, assorted chargers and a box of Starbucks Via.

Travel elegantly and Bon Voyage!