Packing was not something I was particularly concerned with until a few weeks ago when I had a bizarre nightmare. I was running late for my plane to America because I'd spent too long deciding what to eat for lunch at a random bakery that was nowhere near the airport. In the nightmare it was only on that day (the day of the flight) that I realised packing would be a good idea. Needless to say much panic ensued and I woke up feeling utterly compelled to create a list of essentials to pack. Also, some of the ladies I will be at Disney World with have been discussing what to pack. And of course there was that time I went to New Caledonia (in real life) and forgot half my underwear and a razor to instill a bit packing fear in me. This is all too much. I'm "packing it" a little.
My American Adventure will be my longest overseas holiday. It will span two states with wildly contrasting climates. There will be so much more to pack than for the other numerous (ok, actually only two) overseas trips I've been on. So not only am I concerned about what to pack, but how to pack. Enter "The Fine Art of Packing". I can't remember exactly where I saw this piece of advice, but one tip is to pack things like rolled socks and underwear inside your shoes to save space. My shoes are quite small so I'm not sure how much space that will save.
Another trick I've tried before is to wear as many layers of clothing as possible on the plane. This will prove handy when I arrive in freezing New York, but not so handy when travelling from Miami into the middle of an Australian summer.
If I happen to do a bit more shopping than anticipated and run out of room in my suitcase I'll just leave things I don't necessarily want anymore, like socks, behind. Or I could donate them to my sister as a little "thanks for letting me stay with you" gift.
I still haven't created that packing list and I do not even want to begin thinking about which articles of clothing and shoes I will have to leave behind. I'm not a big fan of the whole buying things in a foreign country that you already own in your home country. But there really is no need to panic just yet. I'll start some serious panicking if it gets to the day of the flight and I find myself in a random bakery having done no packing.
