Don’t get me wrong: I love to travel and I’m grateful for the fact that I’m able to do it once in a while.
But man, do I hate packing! I hate trying to anticipate the weather in a foreign country and knowing that no matter how much stuff I’ll take, I’ll never feel like I’m wearing the right clothes: too hot, too warm, not stylish enough, too dressed up, not ready for the rain, etc.
No matter how much time I’ll spend picking the perfect suitcase or backpack, I know it will not be appropriate for my next trip and I’ll feel like I need a new one. Don’t even get me started on a daypack. Backpacks make you feel like the ultimate tourist but anything else is too small or too uncomfortable for a long day of walking through the city. And do you bring a purse to go out at night?
Picking the right shoes also makes me nervous. They have to be comfortable since I’ll be walking for hours, but what will I put on my feet when I want to wear a skirt to go to a nice restaurant? Shoes are heavy so you can only bring so many…
And how about toiletries? What if I forget my contacts or my glasses? Should I really bring a hairdryer? Will it work with a power adapter or will it fry my hair like that stupid dryer did in France? Will I just leave my hair curly and hate myself on every single picture? Has that bottle of sunscreen expired? Will I remember not to carry the pointy nail file and the scissors in my carry on so I don’t get busted at airport security?
Which book should I bring? Isn’t that one too heavy? If I bring that small book, will I be done reading it before we land? Will I really have time to read or won’t I just be too tired at night?
Then there’s the electronics: The camera, the memory cards and the battery charger with the appropriate adapters. Should I bring my PDA (and its charger)? How about my iPod (and its charger)? Should I really bring it since I’m not traveling alone?
And what if they don’t transfer my bag during the short time between my connecting flights? Will I have to stay all day in the apartment I’m renting to wait for the damn thing to arrive (that is, IF they ever find it).
Yikes.
If I were rich I would never ever bother packing. I’d just spend the first two days of the trip buying all new stuff.
There’s a reason that people used to travel with huge steamer trunks. Maybe you should go a la Room with a View? Just get Ed to carry your luggage :-)
Man, those are some quality dilemmas. ;)
What would you do if you were a backpacking student with a few dollars for a daily budget?
Jeans, a couple of T-shirts, walking shoes, all-purpose waterproof jacket… The only toilettery available is to take a shower, if you’re lucky enough and your $12/night hostel has running water. The towel is not a bad hair dryer, but some imaginative people use the pillow case! Books on the road? one can consume those without leaving the TV couch! iPod in a foreign land?!! this is like chewing gum while wine tasting — it spoils the aromas. Cameras are good when one wants to capture the moment, not quite live it. Here’s a minimalist backpacking trip, somewhat a la Thoreau: andrewhuckins.livejournal.com
Not that there is anything wrong with traveling in style ;)
Georges, I get your point but this isn’t the minimalist backpacking trip. This is the trip of a woman who is going to Italy for the first time and who is going to turn 40 while she’s there, so screw the 12$ night hostel. They wouldn’t let me in anyway!
This being said, I stay at hotels that are in the lower price range and I travel fairly light, which is why I’m having dilemmas about what to bring…
I wasn’t going to bring the iPod but we are going to spend hours on trains and planes and my beau made me realize that I have a splitter for headphones and that it might be beautiful to listen to music as we sit on the train and watch the country go by.
Yeah!
Ton billet est tout � fait synchronis� avec ce que je vis pr�sentement. Je pars en vacances samedi et je suis exactement dans les m�mes dilemmes. �a m’a fait sourir de te lire. :-)
J’ai au moins un dossier de r�gl�… J’ai trouv� une paire de chaussures Merrel tr�s l�g�res avec un look � la fois f�minin et funky (pouvant aussi bien aller avec les pantalons de plein air, le jean, la jupe d�contract�e ou les capris). Je vais aussi m’acheter des semelles athl�tiques en gel du Dr Scholl’s offrant un bon support aux pieds pour les longues marches.
Bon courage pour tes pr�paratifs et dis-toi qu’il y aura probablement moyen de t’acheter un ou deux trucs l�-bas si jamais tu es vraiment prise au d�pourvu.
Et tant qu’� y �tre… Bon voyage et joyeux anniversaire � l’avance!!! 40 ans c�l�br� en Italie! Wow!
What a fantastic way to celebrate a birthday! Bon voyage donc. L’Italie c’est comme nulle part au monde…
For what it’s worth… they’d let you in, gladly ;)
Je comprends parfaitement ton probl�me! Quand il s’agit d’aller dans les colloques, je suis une « empaqueteuse » compulsive et toujours insatisfaite. Mais je me suis rendue compte que je pars toujours avec une valise de trop, puisque je mets, en fin de compte toujours les m�me v�tements! Les extras (robes et souliers « fancy », pas n�cessairement confortables) restent toujours au fond de la valise… mais c’est quand m�me rassurant de les avoir sous la main!