To pack, or not to pack

To England....
Friday 7 August 2009

Jessy and I have made this trip enough times now that we know the routine. Even post-9/11 there are still things you can get away with and things you can't. For example they have basically given over that ridiculous rule where you can't have a bottle of shampoo in your carry-on bag, you know. It had been getting just a little too much. I mean honestly-- do I look like a Middle Eastern terrorist?

Being minors flying without adults is another issue-- actually this tends to be more off-putting than our appearance, when it comes to the airport security people perceiving us as a problem. They are so busy checking our travel documents-- passports, school ID, letter and signature from parents, letter and signature from person responsible for us when we get there, and so on-- that they really don't regard our luggage as much of a threat. Nevertheless we would be prudent.

We each have a nice canvas attaché bag from Land's End, into which we put a padded sleeve housing the laptop. In this bag also goes anything we need for the flight-- books or magazines, iPod, mobile phone, and the all-important supplies in case of lost luggage-- shampoo and soap, toothpaste and toothbrush, deodorant, hairbrush, a change of underwear and t-shirt, and something warm in case we're stuck outside in the rain, you know. Since the first time we flew with Mother, when she was our nanny, we have learnt to carry also a change of clothes for the ride, if only an extra pair of clean panties and a t-shirt. There is NOTHING like being able to duck into the airplane lavatory, and wash your face, brush your teeth and change your underwear before landing! --if you have never done this, do it at all costs next time. You won't be sorry. (Just make sure the panties you bring along are pretty conservative. They will open this bag in front of you, all their coworkers, and every other stranger in the queue. Horrors happen.)

As far as clothes we generally pack:
- Jeans, khaki pants
- One good sweatshirt nice enough to wear anywhere
- One good jacket, usually navy-blue or dark-grey (I actually am bringing my HOH blazer!)
- T-shirts, especially nice ones
- All the underwear (both parts) I can fit in my case, not to be less than 1-1/2 full sets per day, so, counting on doing washing at Lady B's before Thursday that means about 15 pairs of panties and at least 8 bras
- Socks
- COMFORTABLE dress shoes-- honestly, I have these $11.99 Easy-Walker knockoffs from Payless that are soft, navy, 2-1/4" and comfy. I will likely wear them to all my meetings and wear Adidas otherwise
- Sunglasses & hats
- Other stuff, you know, but this is the must-have list.

The rest of our stuff goes in the bigger bags which will be checked for the baggage compartment.

Things we DO NOT pack include:
- Bigger than travel-size of hair-care bottles and deodorant
- CDs. This is what the iPod is for.
- Anything too warm (no need), anything too dressy (only gets wrinkled to sin in bags), more than one swimsuit (really?), too-short shorts, irreplaceable jewellry.
- Food. They confiscate it.
- Fluffy animals. When we relocated back to the US from England, almost exactly one year ago, I had all mine sent in the FedEx shipment. Only Cinnamon travels with me-- he'll be in my checked case, though, poor soul-- there is no room for him in the computer bag.
- Pads. This is the very stupidest thing to pack-- they take up so much room! (It's like packing air!) Carry only what you would carry in your purse for a day or two and buy them when you get to where you are going. I've known girls who buy a full box (or two!) before they depart and pack it in their luggage. Do they really think there are no sanitary napkins in England? (Of course tampons are less of a space problem... but to a lesser degree the same truth holds for them too.)

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