packing

as i was packing for the trip to ireland, i was thinking about packing differently.  i packed much lighter than i have in the past – and that’s saying something because i am usually a pretty good packer (meaning i don’t take extra junk and am pretty efficient).  this time, i was thinking about being gone about 2.5 weeks and having to take my bags around with me for part of that time.  of course i wanted no more than i absolutely needed.  but it’s what i “absolutely needed” that i re-defined.

normally, i take enough clean clothes to cover the trip, with some strategic re-use of jeans and sweatshirts, etc.  this time i started thinking like a backpack tourist.  i set a minimum number of pants and figured on reusing most shirts.  that may sound a bit disgusting, but i’ve recently read about frugal travel packing and found this to be quite a normal practice.  so this time i cut it pretty much to the bare bones, just to see how well i could do it.

this is helped by the fact that i am travelling alone, and for the latter half of the trip will not be staying with anyone who will have to worry about the condition of my clothes.  as long as i can stand it, i’ll be fine.  i’ll also being staying in a hostel where i know the other travelers will have a similar plan.  it is a bit of an experiment, which i expect to be pretty successful.  and oddly freeing.

so i’m kind of thinking peace corps early.  if i will have to live for 27 months with only what i can pack in two checked bags, i can certainly survive in europe on one small one.  it’s a fun little challenge.

and, a confession:  since i’m staying with friends for the first 9 days, i’ll be able to throw in some laundry if i need to before going on the second leg of my journey.  yeah, well, there’s nothing wrong with a safety net either.