Today marks another milestone in my life, and yes, admittedly it’s a bizarre milestone to mark. Today’s flight will mark another million miles flown. Whoopee! Actually, I’m really not at all excited and have been procrastinating on packing. I leave in 2 1/2 hours for a 14 day trip – I suppose I really need to pack now. But this is my issue – you’d think after two-million miles flown I’d be an expert packer. Over my last few trips I’ve started to think I’m getting worse at packing the more I fly!
I hate my suitcase – something I never thought I’d actually say. It’s a Tumi, and I love Tumi, but not this one. You can check out this post about how I came to own it. I don’t hate it for the colors or design, I hate it because even though it’s a “lightweight” hard-sided suit case, it’s not actually as lightweight as it should be when it’s packed full.
It’s huge – its an international sized suitcase and holds a lot. When full, it typically weights around 55-60 lbs. That’s fine for international business class as the weight limit is usually around 60 lbs. But for domestic flights, it creates an issue, especially when I don’t have status (as in my upcoming Jet Blue flight.) I have a Briggs and Reilly Suitcase that is the exact same size, but is fabric, and with the exact same contents weights 51 -54 lbs. I stopped using the Briggs because it’s not a spinner and that is a must for me with such heavy bags.
So then I come to the actual packing part. I dread it. How much should I pack? Should I over-pack “just in case.” Should I under-pack and be limited to wearing the same things over and over. Do I have the right types of clothes? I have no idea on these trips what types things I’ll be doing in terms of business obligations, so I have to bring a variety.
Why is this so complicated all of a sudden. I’ve been packing for 10 years now!
So I made a decision today – I’m packing up the Tumi and saying goodbye to it. I’m putting it up for sale. I’ll use the Briggs on this trip and then, when I get back, buy a new spinner suitcase and sell the Briggs too. (If you’re in the market for lightly used Tumi or Briggs, stay tuned!)
Well, I guess I’ve procrastinated enough, I have no more excuses, I better pack so I can make my flight today!