No matter how carefully I consider my likely needs in advance of any trip, there are always things I get wrong.
Things I packed but never used:
- The little book for sketching. I don’t know what kind of holiday I think I take, but it is almost never the kind where I sit around sketching the scenery, the architecture or the interesting faces of people in a cafe. I’m not even very good at drawing. Yet every trip I pack the book and the box of pencils like that will transform me into some kind of glamourous artistic type.
- Nail polish. The plan was, because I was going somewhere hot (or where I expected it to be hot), I would be wearing sandals all the time. As my feet would be exposed to the sun for the first time in months, why not decorate my toenails? I wanted to look down at my pale feet and see red and cheerful toenails waving back at me. Alas, it was not as warm as I expected and with the amount of walking I was doing, trainers were more comfortable. My toenails remained hooded and the nail polish was a small but unnecessary addition to my luggage.
- The good handbag. I’m not sure where I expected to wear this. Possibly in conjunction with the next item. However I never went to any place that needed ‘smart’ attire and the bag was not needed.
- The pretty dress. There’s always an expectation that my holiday will involve an occasion where I need to dress up and look feminine. This rarely happens, because I’m travelling with my husband and ‘nice’ places aren’t high on his agenda. The dress came out of the suitcase at every stop and was hung hopefully in a series of hotel wardrobes, only to be folded back up and packed away again a few days later.
Things I didn’t pack but should have:
- Skin care products. Yes, I packed sunscreen and my daily face cream, but as the heat and the effects of air conditioning kicked in, I really wanted a scrub and a mask. And my deep conditioning facial oil.
- Body lotion. My skin is dry for the same reasons my face is. Something for my hands would be ideal. Hands suffer during travel. I don’t know if it’s more washing of hands than usual, harsher soaps, or hand sanitiser, but when I’m travelling, my hands get dry and my nails break.
- Cold weather clothes. I knew we were going to spend a little bit of time in the mountains but didn’t check what the expected temperatures were. Until we were already mid-trip. And then I realised my cold weather clothes were not going to cut it in the temperatures we were facing. Cue panicked visit to the local market in search of cheap and warm clothes that will fit me. This has happened more than once. When will I learn to pack for the actual climactic conditions I will be experiencing and not add to my collection of odd and not-quite-fitting clothes acquit on foreign markets?
- Reading glasses. I normally wear glasses and I can see well with them. But this is a holiday, so I want to wear sunglasses. This means I have to wear contact lenses. My contact lenses are good enough for me to see things generally, but not good enough for me to read menus or maps. I have reading glasses which provide that little bit of magnification, enough for me to read comfortably. But I didn’t bring them. Why?
Are you good at packing? Do you always have a colour coordinated set of clothes in climate appropriate styles?
Or are you like me, never having quite enough of something, and too many of something you won’t use?
Tales from Tobhamhor 