Today is the last day of my trip. Tonight around midnight I will be getting on a plane and flying into the past… arriving in Honolulu before lunchtime today and then arriving home in Seattle 2 hours before I leave here tonight.
Crossing the date line is odd!
Since this trip is all but done, I thought it would be a good time to summarize how well I did with my travel planning and packing.
Overall, I’m going to give myself an A-
The good news is that I wore everything I brought at least once. I wore most of my tops 2 times. I wore each of my bottoms a couple or three times. I got plenty of use out of my “swimsuit” (which was whichever bra I was wearing, bikini bottoms and a rash guard or tank top — and no one cared). I ended up doing laundry twice. I might have avoided the 2nd load if I had brought one more pair of underwear, although I think I needed to launder my tank tops for my travel day as well. Laundry was no problem here anyway.
I borrowed a nice hat and sarong from Mum to use while I was here. I didn’t need my pink cardigan here, but I did need it for travel days. The little black knit cardigan I added wasn’t strictly necessary, but I did wear it once or twice. I wished I had brought a pair of pj shorts instead, but I survived without them.
I got a lot of use out of my laptop and scanner. If I hadn’t needed my scanner I would have had no problem at all packing everything into my new VB bag, with a little room to spare for a few extra things. As it was, I was packed to capacity, but not in a way that caused me any problems. Don’t we all fill whatever space we have?
My kindle full of books served me very well. I finished 2 books while I was here. I read most mornings and every night before bed. I read quite a lot on the plane. I still had some juice left last night but I charged it just to be sure I didn’t run out of power on the long trip home. I love my paperwhite!
On the way home I have gifts and treats to bring back, so I have packed a shipping box. I was going to mail it home, but by checking it in as luggage I will save a LOT of money. I have some misgivings about this, as usual. But I still always end up buying all the things I can’t get in the US! I have yummies to share with friends — far more than I really need to be honest. But I will portion them out over the next few months. And I have some delicacies to enjoy slowly over the next 2 years until I can get some more. One day I might be evolved enough to enjoy NZ food while I’m here and not feel the need to bring it back with me. Maybe… (right now I’m remembering one more treat I need to get, and then another…)
Anyway, I declare my experiment in minimal packing to be a success. I chose good pieces that I enjoyed wearing, that were appropriate to the climate and style here, that all worked together very well. I was comfortable enough on my travel days (although I momentarily wished for a lovely long maxi skirt/dress to curl up in on the plane) and I had plenty of cute things to wear here. If I had been staying longer and not bringing the scanner I would have added another couple of tanks or tees to add a bit of variety.
Do you make lists when you travel or do you just lay it out on the bed and see what fits?Do you evaluate what worked and what didn’t after you get back?
Well, I’ll see you today/tomorrow/in the past/soon,
Jo:)
adventures in the here now 
You from New Zealand? A two week trip there years ago still serves me with magical memories. what a wonderful country.
Yup. (thank you). I lived there until I was 24. I still haven’t see enough of it – I could use a 2 week vacation down there just to visit some of the places I’ve never had a chance to visit!