I am not known for travelling light. Like most women I know, I tend to overpack “just in case”. It stresses me out though because I’m knowingly putting things into my case that I’m not going to wear. It’s like I’m thinking, “who cares, I’ll let future Kerry deal with that.”
When I was preparing for my recent trip to Greece, I could feel it getting me down. I was only going to be there for four nights, but I was filling a large suitcase as though I was moving house. As I have said previously, my body is going rogue at the moment, which means that I don’t feel comfortable in the clothes that I would have worn when I was smaller. Anything fitted or things that are tight around the waist make me feel constricted. I have gained some weight, I know, but I also blame the pandemic. After you’ve only worn clothes with an elasticated waistband for two years, jeans feel like a prison. So putting in all of these clothes, that I knew would make me feel rubbish, was dampening my excitement.
Just pack it all
So, I packed everything: clothes, swimwear, work out gear, shoes, hair stuff, and too many toiletries to mention. It just felt ridiculous. I was going to Greece with the girls, not to Paris fashion week, or to some remote island where the nearest shop was a boat ride away.
When I got there, I did what I do every year. I hung everything on the three coat hangers provided in the hotel wardrobe, then I wore the same, favourite pair of shorts every day. I came home with more clean clothes than I did worn, but now they were all creased, which meant ironing, and hanging them all away again. And if there’s one thing I hate more than packing, it’s unpacking.
I should take a leaf out of my husband’s book. He just chucks random clothes into a suitcase and says, “if I’ve forgotten anything, I’ll buy it when I get there.” Actually, he’s a bad example. On holiday, his clothes rarely match and last year, in Italy, he forked out a small fortune on a pair of linen trousers due to the hotel restaurant’s no shorts policy.
Travelling light for 2-weeks?
Knowing there had to be a better way, I did some research. Some of the travel blogs make it sound super easy and now, I reckon that I can travel much lighter. So, I’ve decided that from now on, I am going to travel hand-luggage only. My next trip? A two-week holiday in America. Gulp!
Of course I needed a new suitcase … and packing cubes … and a new toiletry bag. But, no worries; they’ll save me time and money in the long run. And I’ll need to wash clothes when I’m away. That’s no hardship, I delight in a foreign laudromat (evidenced below, doing laundry in Cape Cod).
In my head, packing light is totally doable. In reality, I have just tried to whittle down my clothes and I’m already considering stashing stuff in my daughter’s case. The thing is, I’ve made a big deal of it now. I’ve told everyone that this is who I am now, the person who only travels light. I’m going to have to commit to it, even if it kills me.
Seriously though, I’m excited to try. I have visions of me gliding through the airport with my tiny suitcase. Of my smugness at the baggage claim when mine is already in hand. Of the ease of unpacking on my return home. It might be life changing.
I’ll let you know!!