I didn’t use to be a light packer. The last time I went to Paris, I ended up having to switch apartments a few days before I was due to leave. That was when I wasn’t used to the European convention of putting the day first, and the month second. I’m a bit older and wiser now.
So it was that while I was at my morning French lesson, a maid came by the apartment, and told Alex (who was already set to leave that afternoon) that he had to leave! He ended up packing all of my things for me. Even my underwear. Yeah. I was a little embarrassed, but mostly grateful. When I got back to the apartment, I spent a harried bit talking on the phone to the rental company, until they assured me that they could put me in another nearby apartment for my remaining few days in Paris. Having to haul all of my junk to the rental office, then to the next apartment, was a chore. Luckily, Alex was there to help me make the move and settle in, before he had to chunnel back to London.
The experience taught me that I didn’t want an encore when I chunneled to London, or when I flew back to LA. So, after talking with Mimi, Meg, and Veronica, I spent a small fortune packing my heaviest and bulkiest items into set-rate-for-size boxes, and shipping things back to LA.
Ever since then, I’ve learned to live on less and less. Danalee taught me to pack clothes in a stuffsack to decrease outward bound volume. One great thing about this is that if I bring home foreign items, they can be separately packed in either my regular luggage, or in the stuffsack. I got some more tips from Jana’s excellent post on traveling light.
Really, it all comes down to having a list. A few years ago, getting ready for a trip to Nepal, I thought I should make a universal packing list, with the things that I generally need to pack/do for a journey. Items on my to-do list include calling the bank to notify them that I’m traveling abroad, taking out all the trash and wiping down all the counters, having the post office hold my mail, and getting my neighbor to watch my door. The packing list is a bit more varied. For an adventurous trip, I have specific vaccinations and prescriptions, hiking poles, and a hydration pack. For a city adventure, I need a dressy outfit and dancing shoes. For every trip, I need insulin supplies, electronics (with all accompanying cords), passport, notebook, sharpie marker, money/pouch, sunglasses, and a hat. The important thing is that each item is listed, with a box next to it
for checking off when completed.
The list is life.
On the list is a 03:30 call to the language school for an oral language demonstration so that they can place me at the correct level. This may be a complete waste of time, since I feel like I lost almost all of the skills that made me so proud when I left Paris. Honestly, by the time I left, shop keepers were actually willing to let me converse in French with them, as opposed to wearily bullying me into ditching my attempts, and forcing me to speak in English. Now? Well, let's just say that I bombed the written test. What I really need are friends like Frederick, Luce, and Jorge, who will practice with me when I get back. Hint, hint!
