At any rate, we're leaving in a week. We have free Business Class tickets thanks to frequent flyer miles and our genius travel agent. We fly to London, travel via ferry to Normandy, then back to England, and home from London. We'll see the D-Day Beaches, the Bayeux tapestry, and my English cousins.
You'd think after four trips to Europe since 2008, I'd have it down pat, but I've been obsessing about what to take and what to take it in. I always travel with too much stuff, because you never know. That's the bliss and the curse of travel.
Anyway, if you're a person who makes it all work in a single backpack, read no further.
Dilemma 1. Will it be hot or cold? Based on past trips, I assumed fall temperatures would be cool, and I came up with pants and long-sleeved tops on the theme of black, gray, and white. Everything would go with everything else, and I was going to travel lighter, by God. All I'd need was a small roller bag to check and a tote to carry on.
Here's what I planned to take; note the long sleeves.
A few days ago, I checked the weather in England and Normandy. It's hot there now, and it's projected to be hot when we arrive. What's up, Europe? I have FROZEN in France in September.
Now what? Shall I wedge in a skirt and short-sleeved top and wear them every day until (if) the weather cools down?
Dilemma 2: Which suitcase?
Current options are, from left, a) too small; b) bigger but a bit small; c) big enough but way too heavy.
The bag on the right weighs 12 pounds EMPTY. Try filling that and then hauling it on and off trains. After two weeks of wrestling with it in 2008, I threw it on the platform when we arrived in Paris. I didn't care what happened to it. (Nothing; it's built like an armored car.)
Since then, I've researched and ordered and auditioned, and I ended up buying (for the two of us): two more 22" roller bags; a 25" roller bag; two roller carry-on bags; a duffel carry-on that doesn't roll; and a dud 24" roller bag from Ross, which lost a wheel and a handle on its first and only trip. Now there are way too many choices.
Dilemma 3: Which tote bag will be big enough but not too heavy?
Tote candidates: All three are Baggalinis. (I read recently that Baggalini was founded by two flight attendants, who now must be very rich and no longer waiting on people on planes.)
Left: That one's okay, but it has no pocket for my computer, plus it's so roomy that I load it up with stuff and then stagger under its weight.
Middle: Too small, but okay for short domestic trips. I had an idea that it coordinated with the dud Ross suitcase.
Right: A bag I just bought but worry may be too small. It does have a pocket for my computer, though, as well as a long strap so that I can wear it cross-body.
Further complication: Flying over, we're going to be sitting in the hump of a 747. I love the small cabin and better service, but there's no place to put much during the flight. Sizable carry-ons get piled into a giant closet. How can I corral what I'll need--book, slippers, notebook, Walkman, camera, and reading glasses--into a smaller bag-within-a-tote to have with me at my seat? Because you never know.
Upper Deck seats: Roomy for stretching out, but the shelf is for your feet, not your belongings, and nothing's allowed on the floor.
The last time we went to Europe, we stopped in Boston for a graduation (hot); stayed in an apartment in London (cool and rainy); in a hotel in Oxford (much rain); and proceeded to the Swiss alps (anticipated snow). To cover all possibilities, I took this:
That would be two pairs of jeans, a fleece pullover, a raincoat, and waterproof shoes just for the Switzerland leg.
The pile on the right (sans the hotel's furry pillow) didn't go to Switzerland with us but was stored in a car at Heathrow.
And then it didn't snow in Switzerland:
Wildflowers underfoot, snow on the peaks, and fleece pullover tied around my neck because it was too warm to wear.
Now, don't get me started on comfortable shoes.
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I'm going to write blog posts while we're away, which will appear on Travelpod . If you're a regular reader of this blog, you'll probably be on the e-mail list for notices/links when I've written a post. Do NOT feel obligated to read it! Or in mid-September you can go to travelpod.com and type in "LRandal."
