Mad Travel Skills

Test Pack Complete!

Shon and I spent about an hour last night packing up everything that we think we need to take with us. It was surprisingly easy for everything to fit, and the pack is not really that heavy.

We are using covertable carryon packs from the Rick Steves Collection, along with the packing cubes to keep the bags more organized. We can both get along with 1 large and 2 small packing cubes each, plus a pair of shoes in a plastic grocery bag.

The goal is to carry-on on the way to Paris. Both of our packs weigh less than 20 pounds full--mine is 15 and his is 18. Last I checked, American allows 20 pounds in a carry-on bag + a personal item. We will also take an additional daypack (as our personal item)--keeping our toiletries & jackets in there just in case we end up having to check the bags.

Even with all this good news--I still want to take even less!  I'm wondering, can I get away with 2 pairs of pants for 2 weeks?  (Wear one, pack one.) Could I just wash my underwear every single night, and get a way with wearing one, packing one?  Could I deal with wearing zero make up?  Seriously though, my makeup doesn't take up that much space. ;)

It's all coming together, but I am happy knowing that I felt "overpacked" but left with plently of room!

We got our hotels!

We got a letter in the mail this week that had a list of all our hotels that we'll be staying at in Europe. Of course I had to stop what I was doing and check them all out on the web.

Here's the list in case you want to do the same:

Sept 7- 10: Hotel Duquesne Eiffel in Paris, France
www.duquesneeiffel.com

Sept 10 - 11: Hotel des Remparts in Beaune, France
www.hotel-remparts-beaune.com

Sept 11 - 13: Hotel Oberland in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
www.hoteloberland.ch

Sept 13 - 15: Gutsof zum Schluxen in Pinswang-Reutte, Austria
www.schluxen.com

Sept 15 - 17: Hotel Belle Arti in Venice, Italy
www.hotelbellearti.com

Sept 17 - 19: Villa il Crocicchio in Reggello, Italy
www.crocicchio.com

Sept. 19 - 21: Hotel Sonya in Rome, Italy
www.hotelsonya.it

Linking your calendar to a blog should be easier than this.

So today I added my google calendar to the blog using the Google Calendar widget.  Sounds easy enough but all of the google/gmail utilities are super particular.  I finally figured out that instead of creating a new calendar I had to rename my primary calendar and then change all the dates to reflect travel stuff.

It was kind of a lot of work and it looks kind of ghetto, but, it's up and it's functional.  I will continue to add dates to it including my current obsession: the days when we're in the Alps, snacking on alpenkase, chilling out with cows with bells around their necks.

Listmaking

Last night I started making my full-on project management list for the trip. My goal is to have it finished this week so I'll have an idea of everything I have left to do. It's the same thing I do at work when planning out a campaign or an event. Once complete it will include all of the milestones & tasks I need to complete before heading out on the road. Next to each item is a due date and who's responsible. (In this case it's either me or my husband.)

As I round out the list I will include tasks that have already completed--that way when we go again, much of the work is done for me and I'll just have to tailor it to the current trip.

I came across an article by a guy who uses a unique method for his packing list. He has one list for his one bag that he uses each time he travels (apparently a lot). The list evolves over time but the principles remain the same. Keep the list pared down to the essentials; if it's not on the list, it doesn't go in your bag. And he reviews the list every time he travels--similar to a pilot going over his safety checklist each time he gets in the cockpit.

So now onto my personal packing list. Everywhere I research, it's giving me this suggested quantity of 2 or 3 pants and 3-5 shirts, no matter what length of trip. The theory is that you save on pack space by doing a little bit of laundry each night. Okay fine. Even if I go with my standard two wears per garment (that's how I do at home) I will still be washing each article, in a sink mind you, at least 3 times in two weeks. Well, whatever. This trip is supposed to be stretching my limits, right?

So, I'm like blogging and stuff.

I guess I'm blogging now. I feel so 2003! I'm taking the dive into blogging in order to help myself get organized for the big Europe Trip coming up. This should help capture my thoughts and processes, and keep my loved ones updated over the next 9 weeks.