Packing

As I approach the departure date of our grand tour of Europe I have begun to contemplate the packing that I will do for this trip.  I say contemplate because despite all of my good intentions I never get my packing done until about three hours before the flight.  Packing is overwhelming.  It has so many emotions that accompany it; so many decisions to make.  You can pack too much, too little, forget things, and bring things you won’t need.  Should you bring the travel size toiletries or put your regular sized liquids into smaller containers?  Like I said, packing involves a lot of decision making and there is no turning back once you leave for that trip.  Half the time I just end up throwing whatever will fit into my suitcase and then sitting on top of it while I try to zip it shut. 

I really do want to travel light, but I always end up with way too much stuff.  I was looking at the Rick Steves travel site today and his main suggestion was to pack light and bring very basic items.  He suggests bringing a few pairs of pants, a few shirts, two pairs of shoes and he wants us to pack it all into a carry on.  While I have a deep appreciation of the work of Rick Steeves, I think he just doesn’t understand my situation.  My packing list includes a few more necessities such as makeup, hair dryer, flat iron, hair products, perfume, shoes (casual, sporty, heels, sandals, flip flops), clothes (for every possible occasion) all packed into a large bulky suitcase that will most definitely be checked at exactly the maximum allowed weight of 50 pounds.  I don’t want to be the girl with a million suitcases, and carry-ons, and “personal items” in the airport but many of these are necessities that a girl just can’t leave behind. 

I do always think about what real necessities are and what luxuries are when I pack and somehow luxury items become necessities and I end up cursing myself the entire duration of the trip as I lug all of my junk around hotels and airports. 

My goal for this upcoming trip is to travel easy and relaxed.  I don’t want to end up with a hernia because my suitcase was so heavy.  I am going to try my best to travel with only the necessities and remember that I am going to be in the presence of some of the most important historical sites in the world.  I will be organized but not go overboard with that either which is a whole other issue.  All of the gadgets on the market today that are designed to make traveling easier really seem to complicate the process even more. 

I’m going to find a happy medium between that of Mr. Steeves and my own philosophies about packing in order to worry less about what’s in my suitcase and more about all of the great experiences that I’m going to have in Europe with my family.