Why is it that the preparation for a road trip takes almost as long as the road trip? Anyone else have this problem? My friend, Kathy, and I are off on another adventure and this trip is a long one, in time and distance and will require clothes for all seasons. And the mundane decisions almost stop me before I even get in the car. What clothes (accessories and shoes) to take, how often will we stop for laundry, should I start with a full tube of toothpaste or just the partial tube, knowing I can pick one up along the way…? I know, seemingly mindless decisions that plague me every time I travel. By the time we packed and rounded everything up, I feared we’d need a larger vehicle.
Per usual, I wanted to load the car. This is as close to an engineer as I get because I always imagine that I’m building something fantastic when I start to stack and cram to fill every nook and cranny of the SUV. Before I’m done, it’s our own personal rocket that’s going to blast us off to another journey.
We placed everything we wanted to take in the garage and I began my task with earnest. Of course I practice packed two weeks earlier when all the luggage was empty and some of the smaller items were missing, but at least it gave me a sense of how it would all fit together. I even took pictures on my phone from three angles to help refresh my memory on the day of the actual pack.
- 1 large suitcase for each of us – ok
- 1 small suitcase for each of us – reasonable
- 1 medium size bin of nothing but shoes/ boots/ flip flops – good idea
- 1 set of golf clubs – absolutely
- 1 small cooler – wouldn’t leave home without it
- 1 bag of personal electronic gear for each of us – a necessity in 2016
- 2 sets of hiking poles – hopeful
- 4 assorted tote bags filled with books, cribbage board, snacks, whatever – I’m guilty of two bags, so it’s ok
- 1 small bin of toiletries you need once every five years – not mine, but I’ll let it go
- 1 backpack filled with eight different exercise resistance bands, and ankle weights – seriously?
- 2 yoga mats – really?
- 1 muscle roller stick – what?
“I have one more thing,” Kathy said. “I want to take my bathroom scale.”
My right hand flew up to say no before the word could even form on my lips.
“But…,” she protested.
“Once a week, we’ll find a Bed Bath & Beyond and you can weigh yourself on one of their scales. We are not taking a scale.”
I’m writing this in Auburn, Alabama while Kathy spends the day visiting her mother who recently relocated here. We are on day three of our trip, and we slid out of Michigan just as the snow was making its way north and by the time we are done, I expect we’ll hit 18 states. We are practicing our presidential candidate impersonations while we drive and Kathy is working on a comb over – she does a great Trump: “You’re all a bunch of losers”. I’m working on Carson and I hope he stays in the race a while – I’ve discovered I get a few extra naps here and there. Regardless, I hope you’ll follow along with us – this is going to be a great road trip, and it’s more fun with company, even though we don’t have any room for your suitcases.
Y’all are so funny. You are the only people I know who practice pack! I’ll enjoy riding along.
Oh C, yes indeed we practice pack – clothes into suitcases and then suitcases into the car. Not everything made the cut. If you need to borrow the yoga mats, they are still in the garage! Already a good time.
I understand the anxiety of packing to make sure you have everything, though you aren’t going to the moon where they do not have Walmart if you forget something. My husband says that the preparation is part of the excitement of the trip (I am sure he means the maps, planning, etc and not the packing).
His comment on packing is “a change of clothes and two pair of underwear.”
Oh I agree, and I’m sure we’ll be doing some shopping here and there. But the practice packing ruled out my sewing stuff – oh well.
Ok so we always take too much when we drive but we rarely lack for anything.
They never let me pack. I always have to “hold” something…
I have to hold something, there is stuff wrapped around my feet, along my side – wherever. Whenever I open a door, stuff falls out! The good news – I have no room to buy anything along the way, so that helps me save $$. Thanks for the comment.
I would NEVER bring a scale with on vaca! I would rather wait until I got home for the big reveal 🙂 I hope you guys have a great time!!!
Isn’t that the dumbest thing you’ve ever heard of! We stopped at a truck stop today that had a scale that would also give your fortune – it was perfect! Yep, having fun. Thanks for taking time to comment.