we all have baggage
posted March 27, 2004 at 01:40 pm

It's been quite a while since I've traveled outside the state of Texas (or for that matter, outside of the DFW Metroplex), so needless to say, the excitement of planning a trip as far away as to San Francisco is also mixed with an almost-equal amount of apprehension.

I'm not worried about being on an airplane - I especially enjoy takeoffs and landings, so am looking forward to experiencing that rush no less than eight times on this trip (because I change planes in Denver both out there and back).

And of course, since 9/11, there's always the same nagging question that's in anyone's mind as they board a plane, but I figure there's not much point in worrying over something I would have no control over anyway.

But boy, throw a luggage dilemma my way, and I'm reduced to a puddle of fretting!

I'm not at all thrilled with the thought of having to check a bag. Setting aside the concern that it might get lost with those two plane transfers, I'm not too keen on having to leave my bag unlocked during that time (now an airline requirement). I wouldn't be stupid enough to put anything of value in it, but just the idea that some stranger could paw through my things outside of my presence makes me shudder repeatedly.

Clothing for the three day trip is the easy part. Two black skirts, three or four tops, a pair of sandals, pjs, robe and some clean underwear, and I'm good there. When it comes to grooming, however, I'm a high maintenance nightmare waiting to happen.

I don't have a single routine; what it takes to make me presentable to other humans is a full blown stage production comprised of several acts and requiring a number of props. And I didn't really realize that fact until I had to contemplate packing it up into one carryon bag.

Then, there's a new travel wrinkle in that I now have a laptop and its assortment of peripherals to tote along, not to mention that I'm going to need some form of reading material for those 12 or so total hours when I'll be sans Internet access. (I'm anticipating that withdrawal will be running a close race with the one from nicotine. It will be interesting to see which will hurt me the most.)

And let's not forget the new digital camera I bought to take pictures, which I have absolutely no idea how to operate at this point, so exactly how am I to determine which of the accessories that came with it are going to be necessary just to take a simple picture that I can post to my blog?

The airline rules say I can have one carryon bag and one "personal" item (purse, briefcase, laptop, reading material, etc.) Only one?? Arrrgh. I have no idea how this is going to work out at all.

I have one larger suitcase with dimensions that add up to a scant quarter inch shy of the maximum allowed for a carryon. But then - do they count those wheels on the bottom? Pfffft.

The next smaller piece seems a good candidate for carryon, but the interior seems barely large enough just for the clothes and my shoes. I'd have to buy a bigger laptop case just for the extra room for the other essentials. Hmmmm. More shopping. Sigh.

So I guess tonight I'll be performing the "trial packing act" just to see what I'm up against, and start trimming things off the list of what I think I need to take - or give some serious reconsideration to checking that bag after all.