Packing for a 21-day trip

Well, this week we leave for our trip from Venice to Dubai at last.  It seems like I have been planning, buying, and packing for weeks!  I watched LOTS of YouTube videos to see what tips I could find for packing for a long trip.  Ours is a bit unique as we will be visiting and experiencing at least three climates:  coldish (40s-50s – yes, that is cold to a Southern California chick!) with possible rain, moderate (60s-70s), and then warm (70s-80s).  The added challenge is dressing for the cruise: bathing suits, dinner attire, gym clothes, etc.   Probably the best tip I’ve seen was to lay out what you think you need, then remove one third of that!!  Another great tip was to pack by outfits. Being an educator, I mostly travelled in the summer months where you threw your swim suit, a couple sun dresses, some shorts and lots of t-shirts in your bag and could mix and match as needed.  For this trip, however, I am rolling my clothes by outfits so that I don’t have to think too much about what to wear.  I have quite a few things that are black and white, so I can still mix and match as needed. I am also using packing cubes and a packing envelope for the first time.  I purchased these, in eggplant, from Travelsmith; they were on sale and pretty inexpensive. I bought the same for my husband, (in red) and he is also going to try the vacuum bags.

Here is a summary of some of the best tips I found in my research:

• Wrinkle release in small spray bottle
• Laundry sheets (for washing small things in the sink)
• Highlighter and pen (for selecting activities)
• Lounge chair clips (keeps towel from blowing away)
• Decorate TOP of suitcase (easier to find for cruises)
• Pictures of all documents (store in the cloud)
• Cash for transfers, tips (ATMs work most everywhere for additional money)
• Dryer Sheets in suitcases (for freshness)
• Business Card in luggage tag
• Dramamine, and all other meds, of course
• Saran Wrap over tops of bottles, then tighten the lid
• Power Strip (cruise ships have limited plugs)
• Sunscreen (expensive to buy on ship or in port)
• Bandaids (for inevitable blisters)

And here is a final tip that I think is brilliant: take photos of your luggage!

For luggage, I have a size 28″ and a 21″ (could be carried on, if needed).  I also found a great little rolling bag at CostCo ($30!) that I will carry-on.  It will fit under the seat and can hold everything I need on the plane: my cell phone, laptop, ipad and Kindle (whew!),

28′” Grey luggage compared to small under-the-seat carry-on

Small, under-the-seat rolling carry-on bag

as well as my neck pillow, socks, earphones, wipes and shawl.  (Those planes get cold on these long trips!) I will include small snacks and small toiletries as well.

Here is the final result of my packing in my 28″ suitcase.  You can see the packing cubes and envelope and my rolled up outfits.  My 21″ (not pictured here) contains clothing rolled also.

Large suitcase with packing cubes and packing envelope, rolled clothing

While it’s not perfect, it’s more organized than I’ve ever packed before.  I’ll let you know how this works out!

Finally, I have also purchased luggage straps for connecting the cases to make it easier to roll through the airport.  These are inexpensive (between $8-14).  I got mine from Amazon.

I will be posting when I can from the following countries: Italy, Greece, Israel, Oman and United Arab Emirates (Dubai) and at many points along the way.  I will also take photos of the outfits I put together, particularly the dinner attire.

Tomorrow I will share my traveling outfit before we head to the airport!

Darlene

Not all those who wander are lost.  

It feels good to be lost in the right direction.