Pages

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Travel Stresses Me Out...Sort of

I would never admit this to my husband but travelling stress me out. Not the actual trip but the prep work. I know you can purchase whatever you don't bring with you once you've reached your destination, unless you're travelling to a third world country, but I hate the hassle. Once I get to where I'm going I want to start relaxing or site seeing or whatever it is I'm supposed to be doing there. Not trying to decide where I should stop to get a tooth brush or underwear. And yes, I've forgotten underwear before.

Not only does the packing of suitcases get to me, I have 2 kids I need to pack for, but the carry-on bags are the worst. I mean, what can I bring that will fit within such a small space, especially if I'm flying on a plane. If you have kids, you might understand. You need snacks, entertainment, medicine, cuddle items, more entertainment and heaven forbid if they have an accident! Let me break down my dilemma...

1. Snacks: my brain hears trip and I'm instantly put in bad travel food mode. Salty, sweet, it doesn't matter. I want it. Sure, I want to eat healthy but on a plane, let's be honest. Not going to happen. In the car is even worse. We hit the road and I've already grabbed for a piece of beef jerky even if it's 7 a.m. And the kids. Of course I have to pack them stuff, me stuff and hubby stuff. Four different palates to please for a trip that could last 1 hour to 9 hours (our flight to Ireland was that long; luckily it was over night and they served a meal).

2. Entertainment: modern technology has really made travel easy and hard. Sure, there are tons of gadgets to keep the kiddos entertained but try lugging that crap around. Not fun. Between iTouches, eBooks and hand-held video games, I tend to run out of room.  And remember #1. Snacks take up space too. Plus, each kid has to have head phones so we don't disturb others although, during my flight home last night, I don't think the people behind me got the memo!

3. Books: of course I'd include this one. With my eReader, it helps cut back my load of books I bring when we travel, especially on a plane. And yes, I need more than one book while travelling. For example, we spend a week in MI every year and I bring at least 5 books while my family members do the same. By the end of the week, I could have easily read all of my books plus some of theirs! Even air travel requires at least 2 books for the plane. Later this week I'll share a story about running out of books while flying!  It was a tragedy!

Maybe it's just me, but packing takes some planning mixed with a little stress. When it's all said and done and we've reached our sandy beach, our lake view property or walk along the rocky shore of Ireland, I can relax and know I'll get to do it all again as soon we get ready to leave!  Please, share you tales. Am I the only one!

No comments:

Post a Comment