The packing list.

Every single time I hit the road or the skies, I get this twinge of anxiety over what I am going to pack for my travels as I often tend to over pack. I'm one of those folks who thinks I'm going to wear all 6 pair of those shoes I packed for a 7 day trip but only wind up wearing 2 of them and then find myself cursing at the rest of the shoes I packed because I no longer have space to haul back my new found treasures. It's a dilemma I face every single time I travel but as I become  more and more seasoned in my packing adventures, I have to admit I'm getting a little bit more savvy~ the quantities of shoes I bring along have drastically declined and I consider that a huge success!

 I often hear of people saying, " I only travel with a carry on" and truth be told, I don't understand those people. I'd like to say to them, "Show me what's in your carry-on and explain to me how you plan to get through 12 days with only what's in this bag!"

I was recently in Costa Rica for a trade show and I packed one suit case and tucked a carry -on inside for all of my brochures and vendor gifts in the event I had too much to fit inside my suitcase.I was smart in packing that extra bag because after the trade show, it was chock full of brochures, coffee mugs, water bottles and coffee and I was awfully glad I had another bag with me. Score one for me in the smart packing game!

 I packed 6 pair of dress pants, 3 dresses, about 4 pair of shorts, many top, several white tank tops ~ my signature style~ and 4 pair of shoes. Keep in mind I was going to be in Costa Rica for 6 days ~ 3 of which required professional attire and the rest intended to be beach/ jungle clothes.  In my first three days in Costa Rica, I wore the same outfit in the day time as I did at night time because our days rolled right into the evenings and I had no time to change attire. I am not sure what I was thinking, maybe that I'd be pulling some sort of Wonder Woman dress change in the restroom and magically appear with some of the other clothes that I'd brought along or something like that  but it was clear that I did not need all of those damn clothes and I was never going to be wearing them on this trip. Okay, lesson learned ~I hung my head in suitcase packer shame and vowed to pack smarter the "next time."

The last leg of my adventure in Costa Rica required me to downsize my suitcase to one that would meet the weight requirements of the puddle jumper airplane we'd be flying back to San Jose in from Golfito. I had to weed through all the things I thought I'd needed for my travels and scale it back to 3 days worth of clothing. I decided to challenge my over -packing self and take the approach to packing my 3 day duffle bag as a way of living on the edge and not -over thinking the contents of my bag. The rebel in me was up for the challenge!

I threw open my duffle bag, tossed in the essential bathing suit, underwear, a couple pair of shorts, my signature white and black tank tops, toiletries, phone charger and voila! I was ready. I left with the pair of shoes that I had on my feet and hit the road headed towards the jungle of Costa Rica! I felt completely liberated having only one small bag with me and the shoes on my feet to carry me for the next  couple of days. When our driver was unloading luggage from the van, he asked me, "Which bag is yours?" I replied, " That little one." "That's it??" he asked to which I proudly answered back, "Yes, JUST that little one." This was a personal win for me and man was I proud on the inside!

If you've ever traveled to the rainforest you'll understand that 1. It's hot as hell and 2. it's humid as hell and 3. anything you will be wearing will drenched in sweat almost immediately after slipping it on your body. I resigned myself to the fact that I'd have a wet spot of sweat down the front of my shirt as well as on the back of my shirt and that my bras would serve as sponges for said sweat. It almost became a quest to find out  just how much sweat the padding in my bra could hold after a full day of jungle living.  I didn't actually measure how much sweat accumulated in those bra cups but I can assure you, I could have squeezed a good two cups of sweat out of them!

After realizing that changing clothes a lot in the jungle is really a fruitless endeavor, I embraced my natural sweaty self and became less concerned with what I was wearing and more concerned with where I was at and who I was with, after all, that's what the trip  was all about.

There's something quite freeing about leaving behind most of your material possessions ~ the rest of my clothes in my suitcase back at the hotel ~ and living life out of one small bag. I am a modern woman who is used to  the modern luxuries of life in the good old U.S. of A but I am also a woman who challenges my core being. If there was something that I'd need that wasn't in my bag, I'd either go without it or I'd try and find it if need be. These two choices get a person thinking about how much effort we really need to put into our quest to possess material items and the real "need" for those items in our lives. As it turns out, I had everything I needed and lacked for nothing. This can be applied to our normal every day lives just as much as it can be applied to our traveling lives. The clutter of carting around big clunky suitcases filled with things we'll never use becomes a distraction from being in the moment, we're concerned with whether or not we have everything we need or if we forgot something.  The ease in which we can move around in this world with just one small bag becomes greater than if we have a 55 lb. suitcase to lug with us. In my opinion, the reality of the situation is this: no one really cares what you look like on your travels and whether or not you'll be seen in the same  outfit twice. Nobody cares if you brought all of your hair products with you. Nobody is interested in your shoes. What does matter is that you have allowed yourself the freedom to move through your days and nights comfortably in away that allows for you to fully appreciate your travels ~ in comfort and in style if you must. The most important thing to bring on your travels is YOU and your sense of wonder and just enough humility to be okay with wearing the same pair of shorts for 5 days straight.

I'm traveling again in less than two weeks and I can't WAIT to try and fit it all in a carry on bag. Can she do it??? I think she can!!




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