Tuesday, June 11, 2013

How Not to Pack



I like to think of myself as a fairly savvy traveler, but I fail miserably when it comes to packing for a trip.  I like to have options in my wardrobe choices each day.  Several options.  I cannot seem to pack lightly.   
 My Aussie husband picks out a couple of pairs of pants, maybe some shorts depending on our destination, and then throws some coordinating shirts in.  Done.   
I wish!   It also doesn’t matter if we will have access to a washing machine during the trip – I have to have a full contingent of clothes for the entire duration.  For instance, I have to have several different tops for each day, in case I am not in the mood to wear what might be the obvious choice.  Fortunately, I can pack a lot into any given suitcase, but it most certainly will be checked luggage.  Which came back to haunt me on our last trip…    
As I packed for our trip to the South of France, I thought, “We will have a connecting flight and be changing planes.  What happens if one of our bags gets lost?”  and so I split up the clothes so that some for both of us was in each of the 2 bags.  I thought I was being pretty smart!  Until we arrived at our destination, but neither of our bags did…  Sigh.  The truly sad part of it was that we also had a small carry-on that I *should* have put a change of clothes into, for just such an emergency.   
It all turned out ok in the end, as the airline delivered our luggage to us that next morning, but I have learned a valuable lesson.  Unfortunately that lesson is not to pack less so it fits into a carry-on bag, but to pack MORE so that I have an extra outfit with me at all times.

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