Professional Packing

I'm notorious for waiting until the last minute to pack for trips. Oh, I fret about it and think I need to start early but the reality is that most of the places I go to are so familiar that I'm packed in ten minutes without even thinking about it.

Calgary? Sweaters, jeans and my boots.

Key West? Shorts/capris, sandals and tank tops.

Mexico? Shorts or jeans, t-shirts, sandals and a light jacket. (Actually, this packing list gets adjusted according to the season.)

I have a fully packed toiletry bag with its own set of cosmetics and hair products. I also have a curling iron and blow dryer just for travel. All I need to do is move them to the appropriate suitcase or bag.

What I've discovered about packing early is that you end up adding things. "Oh, I may need a sweater." "I should take some closed toe shoes in case it gets cold." Before you know it, you've packed twice as much as you really need. So, there's a method to my last minute madness.

Packing for Belize was a little more of a challenge than for my usual haunts. I had no idea how far we would be toting our luggage so I decided to use just my weekender bag for the whole week.

I found out they had hair dryers in the room so that created some open space in my bag. I could have done without any makeup because I didn't wear any after the first day but I did pack it. I decided on three pairs of shoes: sandals, tennis shoes and some really old pull on Rocket Dogs for wearing in the ocean. Other than that, it was mostly shorts and tank tops with one "nice" shirt. Oh, and three bathing suits. The only thing I didn't wear was a skort that I brought in case we went somewhere nice.

My bag weighed 27 pounds and everything fit!

My roommates, however, did not pack so light. I couldn't believe how much stuff they brought!

My small bag is the one in the center on the right

I thought their luggage was way too much but Susan's shoes were really over the top. She brought ten pairs! Ten!

And, get this, they had laundry done while we were there, too. I have no idea how they found the time to wear that many clothes.

We were only there 7 days!

Not only did they have stuffed suitcases when we got there, they also bought a ton of souvenirs. So, they ended up with really overfull bags. I'm surprised they didn't have to pay for any extra weight. Though, now that I think about it, they could have and I just don't know because I left on an earlier flight then they did.

My bag on the way home came in at 27.5 pounds. The half pound I picked up was my toga and a Belikin baseball cap I bought for Steven. I'm not so much into the souvenirs.

My goal for our next trip to Belize (in two years) is to bring even less than I did this time. I can ditch the tennis shoes for sure. And, the skort and the makeup. Heck, I might even be able to get into a duffel.

I've got time to fret about that all though.