Packing and Other Worries

So here’s the thing:  I am only taking a backpack with me.  Yep, it’s true.  When I have it packed, I’ll post of list of items.  Most people think it’s crazy, but here’s how I’ve learned the hard way that it is brilliant!

In 2012, I got a call from Katie who was a sophomore at the University of South Florida.  I was walking into a meeting when an excited voice shouted, “Mom, I’m going to Italy!”  Within months Katie was in Florence, completing a semester of college and I met her there at the end.  Each of us had a huge, heavy suitcase.  In fact, there was so much stuff I spent $100 to mail a bunch of our stuff home.  From Florence we took a train to Rome.  There was nowhere to put our suitcases except in the train car.  The only reason it wasn’t a problem was we mostly had a car to ourselves.  A young woman got on and road a ways with us.  She had only a backpack and had been traveling for weeks.

When Katie decided to work and travel in Europe in 2015, we took her to a local camping store.  The guy there said that most people take way too much when they travel.  He said you should take your most comfortable clothes and shoes, not your new shiny stuff you bought for vacation.  So Katie left with only a backpack.  When Todd and I joined her, we each brought only a backpack also.  It was absolutely liberating!  Every few days we would wash our shirts, socks, and underwear.  Usually we would dust off our jeans and declare them “clean enough!”

Since then I have traveled to Toronto, Mexico City, Virginia Beach, and Michigan with only a backpack.  It’s the only way to go.  So that’s my plan.

Of course, thinking about going to Japan and who knows where definitely feels different.  Yes, I’m worrying.  I mean, I’ve been using the same soap for 35 years–what if they don’t sell it in Japan?  But really, am I gonna travel with 4 bars of soap?

So through this blog I am setting up a mailing list for people to send me soap.  To sign up…..just kidding (sort of).

Ok so my hair is another consideration.  Most of you know that I have extremely curly hair.  I straighten it a lot because it’s so much easier, but that requires special products that I cannot even bring in a carry-on, plus a hairdryer, flatiron, hairbrush.  So……….I’m thinking of wearing dreads.  LOL I know, but I’m seriously researching it.  That or dying my hair blue.  Standby for hair updates 🙂

Photo:  Stairs at AirBnb in Paris, 2015; 5th floor, no “lift.”  (Imagine lugging heavy suitcases up!) If you can zoom in, that is Katie’s face at the very bottom looking up.