All My Bags Are Packed
“There are two kinds of people - those who pack ten days before the trip and think through everything, and the ones who wake up the day of the trip and realize they need to do a load of laundry. And these people marry each other.”
Yep, that’s the two of us - my husband packs his bag at the last minute, I plan for weeks. He flies on Tuesday, and I depart two weeks later. My side of the bed is strewn with clothes I have put aside for my trip. Travel clothes I take on every trip, new items I’ve ordered, scarves to accessorize, and packing cubes. A pile of must-pack, a maybe pile, and the last pile - do I really think I will wear that?
When I asked my husband if he needed to buy anything, he replied no. He said he had enough clothes in his cupboard to choose from - all he needed was a soap dish.
Here’s the thing. We will be gone for 10 weeks, and we are only bringing our Osprey carry-on bags. Factor in the layering for changing weather, and we need to plan! Well, I do. My husband says he can always discard and buy new as needed.
I will wear black and taupe this trip, with a splash of white. Clothes chosen, I did a dry run this week. This started by trying on all the clothes I planned to take, including the too-tight and too-big bathing suits - neither fit quite right. I discovered an outfit I particularly liked. I slipped on a simple, short-sleeved black T-shirt dress and wrapped a scarf around my neck. I looked in the mirror and realized it looked good with the black leggings I had forgotten to take off. Now I’m packing the leggings too! Three v-necked sweaters get put back in the cupboard. One stayed in the packing pile. They are all black and really, I only need one.
Thankfully, as I have aged, I have discarded most of the creams, make-up and other beauty items I could not travel without when younger. Fresh highlights and a short haircut will ensure I am ready to head out the door after a quick towel dry!
Then, I did a trial pack. Everything fits. My bag is not too bulky. But it is heavy. I want to get it down to twenty-five pounds so I can carry it easily!
You may think I put too much thought into planning my outfits - and that I pack far too early. If so, you would laugh at how much time I spend planning our trips! Mind you, I love planning! One of my favourite pastimes is browsing accommodations.
We pulled our itinerary together in January. Then booked our flights. I got a great deal with Aeroplan points to Lisbon, flying business class. My husband is not so lucky for his flight to Lyon. We found out this morning that a bid for an upgrade was unsuccessful. Try again at the airport, they suggested.
By March, all our accommodations were booked - a must these days with so many people travelling. Taking advantage of refund policies, I have changed our accommodations in Madeira and Seville to nicer, and cheaper lodgings. This morning, I cancelled the apartment we had rented in San Sebastien. Instead of making San Sebastien our home base for a week, we have decided to rent a car in Madrid and meander through Rioja and along the north coast to San Sebastien.
We book most of our accommodations through booking.com and usually opt for apartments when travelling in Europe. We like the independence and flexibility. And, with COVID still in our midst, it feels like a safer option than hotels with crowded elevators. Apartments also tend to be cheaper than hotels.
As this is our official retirement trip, we are splurging. Rather than the $75-100 CDN we usually spend per night, we have stretched it to $130-170 CDN.
What do we look for in an apartment? Here are some of our guidelines:
A balcony or terrace is a priority for us - we love sitting outside with a glass of wine and a book or our crib board.
In cities, we look for an apartment that faces into a courtyard. People don’t head to dance clubs in Porto until one or two a.m. - and then party until the early hours! We value our sleep too much. If we can’t find an apartment facing a courtyard, we look for quiet streets or head a little further away from the action.
We also look for a well-equipped kitchen. One of our favourite activities is heading to markets to pick up fresh ingredients and then trying our hand at local cuisine. FYI - our trips always include food tours and cooking lessons!
We look for apartments that are rated 8+ and have lots of positive reviews - both on the booking site and through Google reviews.
Photos of accommodations booked in Seville, Porto, Vilarinho de São Romão, Lagos (L to R)
This trip, our accommodations include a historic apartment with original stone walls, a 17th-century manor house, and a guest house in a vineyard that produces grapes for Madeira wine. We love staying in places that are steeped in history.
I’m not sure yet how much I’ll be blogging while I’m travelling. Initially, I considered signing off until the new year. Now, I think I might want to share stories from my journey. I would also like to write about my shift from being a tourist on vacation to being a traveller - exploring, learning, and trying to live like a local. I hope you will join me when I set off in October.
“Travel spins us round in two ways at once: It shows us the sights and values and issues that we might ordinarily ignore; but it also, and more deeply, shows us all the parts of ourselves that might otherwise grow rusty. ”