I am an organizer. I'm good at my day job because I organize well. I'm comfortable in my home because everything has a place, is in that place and goes right back in that place when I'm done with it. Organizing is part of my travel. I hardly ever forget something and when I do it's not really that I forgot it, it's more like I thought of it then dismissed it as not being something to bring with me. When the thought of it pops up again is when I think to myself I forgot it, but only until I remember why I dismissed it in the first place. If I can't remember why then I rationalize with myself that oh well, you don't have it so deal and don't let it bring you down.
I'm cheap and lazy when it comes to travel and suitcases (and other stuff, but I'm talking about travel right now). On my second time flying I flew to Louisiana with my brother and sister. I was 18 and they were 17. Because it was the second time I had flown and because I was the big, mature sister in college I was in charge of making sure they got to my grandmother's place in one piece. We checked our bags when we got on the plane in Burlington, VT and when we retrieved the bags in Houston, TX before being put on a rubber band plane to Alexandria, LA, we found that the bags had been opened, rifled through and some things missing. We were never given a good reason but my brother's electric razor was missing and we were told that possibly it had started making some noises and that was the reason for breaking the locks and stealing things. When you are 18 and your connecting flight is leaving any minute now you hold back the tears of frustration and shuffle your brother and sister to the gate.
Since then I don't check bags unless I'm on the stairs to the plane, they tell me there is no room left in the overheads, I don't have to pay for it, I see them put the pack in the belly and I know I'm going to see them pull it out and be able to retrieve the bag as soon as I land. My laziness goes along with it, too because I only have my carry on and back pack. It's all hanging on me and I don't have to hold anything. Even my jacket will be draped over the carry on along with my trusty scarf.
You can't see it well, but the umbrella is in the back of the pack.
Back pack ~ Carry on ~ Jacket ~ Scarf
My scarf does not match my jacket at all, but I love it and it goes everywhere I go. It's my rescue scarf. One day when the kids were little we went to the Mickey D's in Stowe (rip Mickey D's in Stowe) and in one of the booths was this big, beautiful plaid red and blue scarf. I truly panicked for whoever had left it there. At that time the three of us were the only customers in the place. I picked up the scarf to take it to the counter in case the owner came back for it when I saw that it was full of burrs. There's fringe on both ends and they were matted and burred and it was just so sad. You have to realize at that time I was a low income mother of two and to see something so expensive and beautiful tossed away because the owner didn't want to take care of it really hurt. I took that scarf home, cleaned it up and have loved it ever since.
Another favorite of mine is my 36" umbrella that opens up to about a 40" diameter. Yes, it may be long and bulky and gives flight attendants fits when they see it popping out of my back pack but I need this umbrella.
1. It could rain at any moment.
2. I wait in lines at ticket counters and toward the end of the day it's nice to have something to lean on.
3. It's a good cane for the two hundred some odd steps to some really cool thing I insist I need a picture of.
4. I'm a pleasantly plump person and my big fat umbrella keeps my big fat butt dry when I actually use it in the rain.
When I went to Las Vegas, NV three years ago I didn't take any toiletries with me - shampoo, stuff like that. I went with a friend and we decided to buy that stuff in Vegas, split the cost and leave the left over for housekeeping. It made sense for that trip because I researched and found there's a pharmacy a block or two from where we were staying. Not taking stuff and having a plan to get it works but you must have a thought out plan.
Most trips I've been good at not bringing too much or too little, though I do tend to bring too many books thinking I'll read during the down time. What I end up doing is sleeping or watching tv. I don't have cable at home so it's like I dun gone to the big city and found 'lectricity. This time around I'm bringing one book and have down loaded a bunch of crap novels on my laptop in case I actually finish the real book. I'm hoping to actually read any books I buy at museums while on the trip and not wait until I get home because if I find something in the book that interests me I may want to take the opportunity to go back to the museum to see the whatever.
Ok, bags are packed, dishes are washed and put away, all the recycling is on the porch, all the garbage bags are empty and I'm off to down town to catch a bus to the airport. Cheap trumps lazy in this case because I'd rather walk the quarter mile with all my gear and pay $1.25 to get to the airport than wait at home for the cab to take me and charge $14 and the driver to expect a tip.
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