Last week The Guy had to go out of town on business. He wanted me to go. Since the biggest pressing thing I had to do was proof, I figured I could do that in a hotel room. And it was only going to be for two nights. Less that 48 hours.
One would have thought we could have had a small bag each and maybe a few hanging work clothes for him. Not so. First there were the electronics: Two laptops, two tablets, two cell phones, a Kindle and everything it takes to charge all that plus track balls, cables, and power supplies. There was also unrecognizable stuff (to me) that he needed for his work. I didn't ask. I don't care.
I like to proof from a hard copy and I like to proof in a bigger, different font because I find the typos easier, so I had 348 printed pages. It took up a whole tote bag.
Haunted by Rhonda Nelson's inability to get diet Mountain Dew in her hotel in Texas last week, I had to load up on that. Fearful that I would eat candy bars and potato chips out of the vending machine, I figured I'd take some fruit, Laughing Cow Cheese, and Triscuits. That led to paper plates, napkins, and a knife for spreading cheese and slicing apples.
Then there were our clothes.
Do you see where I am going with this? When did it get to the point where we had to have so much stuff? One could argue that we didn't need tablets since we had laptops, but they are so handy. And after all, they only took up a little space in our messenger bags.
Time was, I could travel light. Now it seems that I need almost as much for two night as I need for two weeks in Europe.
Can you travel light?
I could travel light, IF I didn't need to do my hair or put on make-up, which involves a 15X magnetic mirror these days.
ReplyDeleteOften I try to remind myself that IF I forget to pack it, I can always go out and buy it. Gone are the days when it was so hard to find stuff to replace your stuff. You can find just about anything on vaca or business trips now. ;)
I'm with you though. Can't leave the laptop, cellphones, plugs, electronic hardware, etc... Even toting along a camera can be a chore.
Yeah. Seems like at one time I could make do with a bar of soap, a toothbrush, and some mascara. Okay. Toothpaste.
DeleteThe older I get. . . .
Travel light? Hahahahahahahaha!
ReplyDeleteYou jest.
Maven Linda--You must check out this link. It's a vintage Louie Vuitton shoe trunk from the 1920's. It's a long boring story how I even ran across it, but I thought of you. It's only $68,000.
Deletehttp://www.luxist.com/2011/03/04/rare-1920s-louis-vuitton-shoe-trunk-for-sale-at-68-500/print/
See, shoes are one reason "traveling light" is only a theory for me. For 48 hours, I'd need at least four pairs of shoes. But $68,000 is a bit steep; I don't care how rare it is. Do you know how many SHOES I could buy with that amount of money?
DeleteI can, if traveling alone and there are no award ceremonies involved or tiaras needed.
ReplyDeleteI tried instituting the backpack concept years ago with my family. But Honey's Italian and has that shoe thing genetically wired in. And now there are three of our four that MUST have the shoes. Country was left on the side of the road in spasmatic pain while Italian fashionably sprinted on down the road.
Electronics? Bah! Though I will say, I didn't take anything but my phone to Europe last fall and I survived just fine. Moleskins still work! :D
But what's the point of traveling if no tiaras is needed?
ReplyDeleteBackpacking? Oh, no. No.