The Kitchen Sink Too?

It's simply amazing the variety of objects we pack for a vacation. There's the obligatory clothes and toiletries, but for the more seasoned traveler, maybe you purchase the items you need, but I bring them along. Including, but not limited to, medications, good clothes and shlepping clothes, ice packs, gel packs, camera, memory sticks, a computer to stay connected to the world, and beach towels.

It used to be that if you went to a beach location, the hotel would provide various amenities like soap, shampoo, conditioner, mending kits, and even beach towels. But we also have to limit ourselves on what we take because airlines want to charge for additional baggage and anywhere else they could make a buck. Why not simply pay for the additional items in your ticket? Are we that cost increase adverse that we nickle and dime ourselves to death?

This time, because my large clothes are so heavy, I decided to go light with only 100 pounds of clothing. That's enough for 7 to 8 days. I also brought along Tide and Downey so I can wash my clothes, thereby giving me 200 pounds of clothing for one more pound of detergent. Sure I could blend in with the rest of Europe and simply not wash my clothes, but I'd rather my clothes not arrive home before me.

Then there's the additional room we left in our luggage. My daughter asks why we don't condense to two bags instead of three lightly packed ones. The answer is simple, chachkies! Gifts for those that cannot experience the joys of traveling to France, that live vicariously through the shot glass, thimbles, or even a key chain gift that awaits them upon our return. I try to find more unique gifts, but as I told Sarah, our trip is not designed to shop for others, but rather to enjoy ourselves. So I suspect some friends may get the items offered in Charles De-Gaul airport upon our return. Nonetheless, we have the room in the luggage to ensure that everyone benefits from our excursion.