See that tiny case in the photo above? I travelled long-haul, for two weeks, with just that. Yay, go me. Travelling with hand luggage is a lot easier than I thought it would be. On the other hand, I haven’t flown international since pre-covid. Either I had forgotten just how bad jet lag can be or I am getting old.
Hand luggage only
If you recall, I made the decision to travel light after a recent trip to Greece. Long story short, I’d packed too much which stressed me out and left me feeling rubbish. I thought that if I had less space, I’d be forced to take only the things that I really love. And by taking what I knew I would wear, I’d eliminate any stress. I’d also be forced to leave behind those judgmental clothes that were too tight for me but that I insisted on taking with me anyway.
When I packed for Greece it took me all day. Trying on outfits, pairing them with different shoes and then just throwing everything in because I couldn’t make a decision. This time, I did it in half an hour. And with the help of my Away packing cubes I managed to fit in way more than I thought. In the case alone, I took:
- 4 dresses
- 7 pairs of shorts
- 2 t-shirts
- Too many vests to count
- Underwear & socks
- 2 bikinis
- 1 set of workout clothes
- 4 pairs of shoes
- A day bag and a night bag
- A baseball hat
- A book
Some exceptions
Full disclosure, I did put my toiletry bag in my daughter’s hold luggage. As it was my first time travelling light, I was a bit nervous about the liquids thing. But, I definitely had the room in my case and on my next trip, I am going to be brave and go the whole hog.
I did one load of laundry while I was away, mostly because there were washing machines at our LA hotel and I liked the novelty of it. Besides, it washed itself whilst I sat by the pool so I can’t complain. I also bought a jacket because LA mornings and evenings were chillier than I expected. But, buying coats when I am on holiday is a regular occurrence, you think I’d just check the weather. I also bought a pair of Lululemon yoga shorts because the (very) short purple shorts (more about these later) that I packed were fine for yoga on my balcony but less appropriate for the group practise that I joined at the hotel.
Packing and unpacking at both hotels was much less stressful and by mixing and matching clothes I always felt comfortable and fresh.
Too much
I still packed too much. I didn’t wear some of the vests, any of the dresses, nor the workout clothes (wishful thinking). And I only wore a of the pairs of shoes once. They rubbed my foot and they now belong to my sister. So next time, I can pack lighter still.
I had the realisation while I was away that I used to pack as a form of control. Snacks in case I couldn’t get food. Medication and first aid in case of an emergency. Too many clothes so that I didn’t get caught short. It was freeing to let go of all of that. I never went hungry and guess what? They have shops and even chemists in America.
Jet lag
If my packing situation was a dream, then jet lag was a nightmare. Around seven-hours in to our outbound flight I looked at my watch and only two-hours had passed. Despite the entertainment and the more expensive seats, it felt endless. Then they only fed us twice … in 10-hours. I was starving. Sometimes being controlling is a good thing; I only survived thanks to the snacks in my backpack.
The time difference, 8-hours in LA and 11 in Hawaii, made us all grumpy. My husband and I had a huge (and ridiculous) argument because I couldn’t find that pair of purple shorts I mentioned earlier and my daughter was apparently “too tired” to leave the hotel room which meant an war of words every time we went out. Our first morning saw us wandering Santa Monica Boulevard at 6am searching for breakfast. Come early evening, we were all snoring having just made it through dinner. Tiredness meant that we didn’t see as much of our destinations are we would have liked which was a shame but, you know, first world problems.
I read that it takes a day for every hour of time difference to recover from jet lag. I thought that I’d crack it in one if I could just stay up the day we arrived home. After an overnight flight with no sleep and a 2-hour car ride back from Heathrow, I couldn’t make it past 6.30pm. Then we were all wide awake at 3.30am, ravenously eating tea and toast. The dog looked at us like we were crazy and went back to bed.
I need another holiday
Nine-days later I am still exhausted. I have been lethargic all week, my motivation sorely lacking. Despite my best intentions, I have done nothing productive in the way of work. That lack of productivity, combined with the broken sleep, has meant that my mood has also been low. In fact, we have all been walking around like grumpy bears coming out of hibernation; snapping at each other over the slightest thing.
I feel like I need a holiday to get over my holiday. Thank goodness then, that I am off to Portugal next week. I’m hoping for a week of rest and relaxing and that I’ll come back recharged. I’m sure that my family are just hoping that I’ll return home in a better mood.