6 Responses

  1. Catherine
    Catherine at |

    Have a lovely trip. The Balkans are countries that I haven’t visited but are becoming popular and I have heard good reports about them.
    About packing … well I hate it. Tends to take too much or too little.
    I hope you strike the right balance.

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  2. Ann Skelcher
    Ann Skelcher at |

    I so wish that you’d come and pack for me. One week in London – I need your list!!
    P.S. I’ve never seen you without the right shoes – you must shop wisely.
    Have a fabulous time, Colleen!

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  3. Lynda
    Lynda at |

    Carry-on Nirvana. Lovely line! I’m with you on that. It truly would be Nirvana if there were no weight stipulation. My case can be less than full but easily 5 pounds overweight. That means putting the extra in a purse/tote. Alas, no Airlines have considered the extra weight generated by an umbrella, plus a laptop, camera and chargers–important tools for writers.

    I can also relate to low grade anxiety and desire to anticipate uncertainties. I worry less about clothes & shoes as comfortable & classic business dress can be taken up or down with a few accessories.

    Though I must always fight the temptation to take “just a little” more, for years I’ve relied on my 8 tops, 3 bottoms & 3 shoes formula where every bottom works with every top and one of those tops is a jacket. If you layer and wear the bulkiest bits on the plane, that leaves 5 tops, two bottoms and 2 shoes in the case.

    Pyjamas don’t count in the formula, but I’ve reduced those to 1 pair yoga pants and tank top which double for sleeping and exercise. Mind you, I don’t travel in winter or do winter sports. That helps.

    Toiletries are all minis and easy to replace abroad. Medications are trickier. If sick while travelling, finding a pharmacy and medication when there’s no English labels is such a stressful waste of time. Then, because I rarely get sick; somehow, all the meds I stock up on “in case” before the next trip expire. I throw away a fortune in unused pills.

    My first rule of packing is to take nothing that I haven’t tested or worn. Everything I take along must be comfortable and make me feel good. A colleague wasted a trip in hospital from a severe allergic reaction to a face cream she’d never tried. I prefer to learn from other people’s mistakes rather than my own.

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