Why am I writing a blog? There are a few reasons, but I’ll sum up the most important:
1. I like to write – and a blog is the easiest way to get published these days. Whether anyone will want to read this or not, I don’t know – but I want to write it – so here it is.
2. I began my own business back in October. My travel agency is called Traveling Together (my web address is http://travelingtogether.agentarc.com) and this may be an effective way to advertise it, share the benefits of my experiences with others, and give potential clients a resource for simple things like packing checklists, photos of areas they’d like to go, and just maybe find me a few new clients here and there.
3. A blog is a more “liberal”‘ communication tool than either Facebook or Twitter. I mean, really – who can sum up their travel experiences, wishes, nightmares, or tips in 140 characters? Nobody – that’s why all the travel writers who “tweet” often will “tweet” several posts in a row – effectively getting around the 140 character limit.
So, why are my bags packed right now? I’m leaving for Miami on Thursday for a “fam” trip – a trip to familiarize myself with the Miami area, the Carnival Imagination, and get a little training in at the same time. I’ll be gone for 8 days total, returning on the following Friday evening. My 17 year old daughter is traveling with me – she’s on break from college until the 18th of January, so the timing is right. Over the next 10 days, this blog will feature our travel preparations, experiences, photos, and general tips for those who might be traveling a similar itinerary to ours. There are so many different options for a trip like this – reading what we do might just help someone along.
First things first – how do we get ready to go? I have a standard packing checklist that I use when traveling – I start there … then, depending on whether we are doing anything special, I may add to or subtract from my list. The list is basic and customizable – here’s a link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SZLvKEhXtDZs4L1iC5SOTtHWVvCpaa0GCOfFtOdy7lY/edit
After years of traveling for business and pleasure, I’ve pretty much got the packing down to a science. If I’m traveling for business, my list looks a bit different – business casual wear, nylons, etc. find their way in to the list – along with business cards, my planner, and my laptop. Either way, I’ve learned to pack clothing for this length of trip into a single carry-on sized piece. If I’m traveling with a family member or two, and we don’t have to have immediate access to all of our clothing, we’ll pack in a 1 checked bag. Bringing clothing that can serve a dual purpose, mixing and matching, and making sure that you have an adequate supply of undergarments and socks is the key. If worse comes to worse, you can always find a spot to do laundry. Most hotels and cruise ships have facilities that are readily available.
Many people don’t feel it necessary to carry a passport when they travel. I always do when leaving the USA. In country, it’s not as important, but if you find yourself needing to fly back to the US unexpectedly, the best option is to have a passport available. If you’re interested in horror stories of what happens without one, they’re readily available on the internet – I’m not interested in becoming the subject of any such stories, so I always have mine handy. Along with my passport, I keep copies of all the tickets, reservation confirmations, and communications with the hotels, rental car agencies, excursions, etc. to be sure that I have back-up if what happens “on the ground” is different than what I expected/was promised before leaving home. This documentation has saved me time, stress, and money in the past – and earned me an upgrade or two when things didn’t go quite as planned. These items do NOT go into any checked luggage, but are kept with me – just as my camera, MP3 player and medications (if necessary) are. I also tend to keep one change of clothing in my personal bag, just in case – and especially when (as this time) flying out of cold, snowy Chicago and into warm, sunny climates. This allows me to change in the airport and be comfortable upon arrival – going from 20 below zero to 75 plus degrees can be a shock to the system (in a good way) and it’s nice to be able to make it a little easier.
The biggest danger in packing is OVERPACKING! It’s a huge temptation – but hauling an extra-heavy bag, finding room when there is limited storage space, and the frustration of unpacking things you didn’t even wear greatly outweigh the slight inconvenience of wishing you had brought your green shirt instead of your black one. My best advice? Lay everything you think you’ll need out on your bed, in piles according to what it is, then cull it ruthlessly until you’re down to roughly half of what you had originally set out. You’ll find that you still have too much … but at least it’s a start. Shoes – yes, ladies, I went there – are one of the biggest space hogs in your bag. If you can make one pair of shoes work with all your daytime clothes and a different pair work with all your evening clothing, you’ll save a lot of space. My new favorite pair of “travel” shoes is a pair of strappy wedge heeled sandals – they’re black and gold, so they match almost everything. Plus, they’re comfy to wear, look great, and if my planned outfits don’t match them, they don’t go in the bag. Starting with your shoes is one of the simplest ways to make sure you don’t overpack. Pick a pair of casual shoes for daytime wear (good for walking – slip on/off is best if you can find a pair like that – they work great for airport security lines, too!), your exercise shoes, a pair of flip flops/sandals, and your evening shoes and then make sure your clothes work with your shoes instead of doing it the way you would at home.
I usually pack a few days before I actually leave. That allows me time in case I remember something after I zip the bag – you can’t usually turn around once you’ve left for the airport – but the good news is that you can find WalMart or something similar almost everywhere you go – for this trip, I’ll actually complete my packing tomorrow. That allows me a full 48 hours before I leave “just in case”.
I hope this has been helpful – and that at least the packing list will help someone along the way. I have a cold weather trip planned for February and will post the cold-weather list before that trip. Stay tuned… next up – navigating the airport!
bagsrpacked 