When 18 Days Turns Into 26 Days With a Carry-on Suitcase
Musings—Jun 07, 2010
What do you do when you have a carry-on sized suitcase and your 18 day trip turns into 26 days? Well, that was exactly what happened to me during my recent travel adventure to France. Thanks to the volcanic eruption in Iceland—that created travel chaos for millions of travellers all over the world—I got to stay in France an additional 8 days. And what did I do with my 8 extra days? I thanked my lucky stars I didn’t have to schlep around huge suitcases.
When I heard that all flights in and out of France were cancelled for an indefinite length of time, there were three things that I knew to be true:
- I was really, really glad I just had carry on luggage to deal with
- I had packed smartly, with one exception
- many fellow travellers wished they’d packed fewer things and had fewer/smaller suitcases
I heard countless stories of travel odysseys (some fun, some awful), suitcases lost by airlines, suitcases returning 1 day before vacations were over (or not being returned at all!). I listened as people named the multiple items packed but never worn or used during an entire trip. I participated in friendly bantering about the ‘best’ way to pack a suitcase, and I was encouraged by the many lessons my fellow travellers learned along the way that made future trips more enjoyable.
Having hot chocolate at a French sidewalk cafe.
It became obvious to us all that packing for a trip is no small feat, but rather it’s a big deal to get it right (or at least as ‘right’ as possible).
One woman told me she "only packed 9 pairs of shoes this trip" (she’d packed 18 pairs on the last trip she took! And her travelling companion backed up her story). I heard so many tales of woe about lost luggage that it sure became obvious that no airline was immune to losing luggage, and it didn’t matter who you were, or where you were flying from, or to—luggage got lost.
I was beginning to feel like a bit of a demigod after so many people mentioned (with disbelief and amazement) that I could travel with only carry-on luggage. It was a feather in my cap to receive a compliment from one of my favourite Tour Managers who said, in her strong Swedish accent, "is this your suitcase… only one… and it’s so little… impressive!" I agreed, impressive indeed!!
I saw so many people schlepping multiple suitcases—around airports, to and from hotels, down stairs, and along sidewalks—that I wanted to cry. One elderly woman, who was walking ahead of me as we neared our shuttle bus, was wheeling a large suitcase behind her, carrying a shoulder bag over each shoulder and wore a small backpack. She flatly refused my offer of help, citing that the bags were "balanced just so", and if she gave me any of them she’d be off-kilter.
Even with all my careful planning and packing prowess there were two lessons I learned for the next time I travel:
- Make sure to ‘test’ all clothing you’re taking. Will it travel/wear well; will it look like you slept in it 5 minutes after you put it on? (that’s exactly what happened to me). I really liked the pants I’d bought at Frenchys (if you don’t know anything about Frenchys see my blog post April 12, 2010), but I hadn’t actually worn them anywhere before. As soon as I sat down and then stood, they were so wrinkled they became useless as a clothing option. I didn’t get rid of them though – they are now a comfortable pair of gardening pants!
- Never buy specialty canned sardines as a gift—6 cans weigh 2 full pounds. Although they were appreciated and enjoyed by the recipient, they are too heavy and take up valuable space in a suitcase.
2lbs. of Sardines
