Packing, Packing, Packing

One of the biggest challenges of any trip is figuring out what to pack. For this trip, I knew I had my work cut out for me.

We aren't just going somewhere for a couple of weeks. This trip starts in Amsterdam, continues on to a nine-day Adriatic cruise, then takes us to Malta and Barcelona before we board the Norwegian Viva for our transatlantic journey across the Atlantic and into the Caribbean.

That's a lot of different kinds of travel to pack for.

There will be sightseeing and walking around cities, warm afternoons and cooler evenings, casual days on the ship, dinners where we'll want to dress up a little, shore excursions, and plenty of days when I'll probably be perfectly happy in shorts and a T-shirt.

And somehow, all of that has to fit into one suitcase!

Back to the Sudoku

For this trip, I'm going back to one of my favourite packing tricks: the Sudoku Capsule Wardrobe.

If you're not familiar with it, the idea is to start with nine pieces of clothing that all work together. Three bottoms, three tops and three layers are arranged in a grid, with each combination creating a different outfit. The goal is to get seven different combinations from those nine pieces. 

The Sudoku gives me a starting point, but I'm not going to pretend that nine pieces of clothing are going to get me through everything we're doing on this trip. In fact, for this trip, with different climates to think about, I’ve done two Sudokus - one for warmer and one for cooler.

On top of that, I've add a few extras. I need some pieces that are a little dressier for the cruise, a couple of additional tops and bottoms, and probably a few things that will work particularly well in the warmer weather once we reach the Caribbean.

The trick is making sure that the extras still work with what I've already packed. There's no point bringing something that can only be worn one way.

It's not just about the clothes

One of the things I've learned over the years is that packing isn't really about how many clothes you can squeeze into a suitcase. It's about how many different situations you can cover with the things you bring.

For this trip, comfortable walking shoes are going to be important. We'll be doing a lot of walking in Amsterdam and the other ports, and I know from experience that a cute pair of shoes isn't much use if my feet are complaining halfway through the day.

Then there are the little things that somehow take up more room than you expect. Toiletries. Hair stuff. Chargers. Electronics. Medications. A travel umbrella. And, of course, all the things I convince myself I absolutely need (and that is my biggest battle.)

Somehow the suitcase always seems to get bigger as the packing progresses.

And then there's the cruise

Packing for a cruise adds another layer to the whole process.

I’m a fairly casual kinda gal, but evenings are a little different. There will be dinners, shows and nights when we want to change out of our casual clothes and put on something nicer - a dress, or a skirt (which means more shoes.) 

We also have a few items that come along with us on a cruise to make living in a small cabin for an extended period easier - things like power bars, a clothes line, card games, and magnetic hooks.

Laundry is my friend

When you're going to be away for this long, laundry becomes part of the packing strategy.

I'm quite happy to wash things along the way if it means I don't have to take another suitcase. I'll be bringing laundry sheets again, because they're small, lightweight and easy to tuck into a suitcase. We are staying in an airbnb in Malta and made sure to have laundry facilities so we can start the next leg of our journey with a clean suitcase.

There is something very satisfying about getting a few days into a trip, doing a load of laundry and realizing you really did bring enough clothes.

It also leaves a little more room for something else that might find its way into the suitcase along the way.

I'm not saying shopping is part of the plan, but I'm also not ruling it out.

The important things

Of course, there are a few things that have nothing to do with capsule wardrobes.

My camera is coming, along with extra batteries and all the necessary chargers. There will be a lot of places I've never seen before, and I already know I'm going to want to take far too many pictures.

And then there's my tea.

Anyone who knows me knows that Yorkshire Tea is not an optional extra. I'm not going to spend several weeks wondering whether I'll be able to find my favourite tea somewhere along the way.

So a supply is going in the suitcase.

Some things are just non-negotiable.

The suitcase test

The real test will come tomorrow when everything that is laid out on the bed, tries to fit into my suitcase.

This is usually the point where I (and John) start wondering whether I have completely lost my mind. But things will fit - with some tweaking.  I'll probably do what I always do. Pack everything, take a few things out, put some of them back in, and wonder if I've forgotten something important.

In a couple of days the suitcase will be zipped up, the passports will be tucked away, and we'll be ready to head to the airport.

After all the planning, researching and packing, we'll finally be heading out for this long awaited family trip.