Packing

We’re getting ready to go on a big vacation, and I’m breaking one of my habits. I’m laying out clothes early.

I never do this. I scoff silently at those who do—sorry, but I’ve always wondered why this is necessary. Of course, we haven’t gone on any big vacations in a long time, so obviously I was scoffing out of ignorance.

Because we’ll be gone for two weeks and I have no idea how to pack, what to pack or how I’m going to fit anything into the suitcase.

Originally, I thought I could take the big suitcase, so I didn’t worry about it. An entire suitcase to myself? No problem. The weather will be warm, but there’s air conditioning, and potential rain and different outfits and shoes and stuff. But a huge suitcase to myself? Awesome.

Then I found out the big suitcase was too big for some of our air travel. We lent the perfect sized suitcases to the Princess for her world travels, leaving less than ideal ones for us. My husband showed me what he thought might work and I yelled. Because there was no way two weeks worth of clothing would fit in the small suitcase. 

He measured and figured and measured and borrowed and measured some more. He bought new suitcases to get me to be quiet and they’re still awfully small. There’s no way I can fit my clothes in them.

Then again, I can’t visualize worth anything. Just ask anyone whom I feed. I’m convinced we’ll need way more food than we actually do, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise I can’t visualize what will fit.

The Princess even asked me to help her pack for her travels, but when she saw how I was doing it, she asked me to sit in the corner and look pretty while she did the work (I might have slightly exaggerated my ineptitude in order to get her to do the work, but still...).

So I decided that maybe, perhaps, there might be a reason people who travel more often than we do start laying out clothes ahead of time.

There is. I did a first round laying out and I think there’s a chance I might be able to fit my clothes in the suitcase my husband is suggesting for me to use. Of course, I haven’t yet done shoes. Or toiletries. But we’re not camping, so I should be able to get anything I can’t bring with me. 

I still have two weeks to play around with things. But I might have learned my lesson.