Less Baggage

How many bags do 6 people need to go skiing for 3 days in CO?  A lot, apparently.  I learned how to pack from my mother.  We always took road trips when I was a kid and honestly, I enjoyed them.  I think it was because my mom did everything she could to make it enjoyable for us, and if that meant pack whatever you wanted then pack whatever you want!  When Dave and I first started dating and he saw what I would pack for a vacation, he was appalled.  Over the last 15 years he has trained me to pack much lighter, and I love it.  My mother doesn't know how her previous 15 years of training me got erased so easily.  

We are leaving this evening for a 14 hour road trip from St. Louis to Vail, CO.  The Yukon Denali XL is packed to the ceiling and we are only going to be there for 4 nights.  3 of the couples going have packed for 2 people in 1 bag.  My parents have one bag EACH and then there are six ski boot bags.  We thought that might be it, but as my sister and I were packing the car, there would be one more bag.  "This one has towels and pillows in it"  "Well this one is the movie bag so y'all can watch movies if you want" "This is my makeup bag" "Where will my briefcase go?" "I only have two more backpacks and that is IT"  It is nice to have everything you could possibly want with you at all times, but at what cost.  I have found that having everything you want only makes you really uncomfortable. 

 

Dave and I went on a week long vacation to Osaka, Japan and flew home through Hawaii, knowing we would probably only spend 1 or 2 nights there.  We have travelled internationally before with only carry ons but we still always felt like it was too much.  I attempted to cut down my packing even more for this trip.  I had a hiking backpack that fit very well in an overhead bin and a small purse.  I will list everything here so you can take a swift perusal of the items and then wonder how all of that fit in a pack and a purse.  

1 pair of jeans

3 pairs of leggings

1 pair of pumas

1 pair of birkenstocks

1 pair of black boots

1 pair of flats (I wore these on the plane)

6 tank tops (I like to wear 2 at a time)

1 wrap sweater

1 cardigan

2 light dresses

1 pair of swim shorts

1 t shirt

3 bras

7 pairs of socks

7 panties

2 pairs of sunglasses

2 scarves

1 hat

1 swimsuit

1 swimsuit cover up

1 cell phone charger and cell phone

1 ipod charger and iPod

Camera and battery charger

Mini Tripod

Toiletries (soap, shamp/cond, deep bond, razor, face wash, deodorant, static guard, hair gel, 2 barrettes, Rx, lotion, face lotion, tums, ibuprofen, 2 brushes, 2 combs, and travel laundry detergent) 

1 neck pillow

I still had WAY to much stuff!  I even purchased a book on the Kindle app on my phone so I didn't have to carry a book.  This was also the first vacation without a laptop which kinda freaked me out.  But it was SO wonderful having a lighter load.  I think the next week long international vacation, I can cut this amount of stuff in half!  I have come a long way since I was a kid taking road trips, I want the freedom of moving with less weight and less baggage.  I've been attempting this even before George Clooney's character in "Up In The Air" did his backpack seminar, but eventually I want to travel with a pack half the size of the one I have now and travel for twice the length of time.  I'll let you know when I do.