The Girl's Got Baggage

I'm a worrier. I worry about paying my bills. I worry about car wrecks. I'm one of those people who can never remember if I've locked a door or turned off the stove. Even though I've never failed to lock up or shut down, that simple fact doesn't allay my fears. I'll think to myself, "Sure, you got it every other time, but what if this time isn't a false alarm, huh? What about that, champ?" And so it goes.


Another of my sterling traits is that I'm a keeper of all stuff. That's not to say that I'm a slob, because I'm not remarkably sloppy ... well, except for my car (I subscribe to the Rhoda Morgenstern school of thought: my car is a purse on wheels). I'm just always afraid that I won't have something that I really need when I really need it. This, my friends, is why I carry toothpaste in my purse (and *ahem* my glove compartment).


At any rate, the convergence of these two tendencies has an unfortunate result: I bring everything with me when I travel somewhere. I mean, everything - with a capital E. Because, God knows, a trip to the shore just isn't complete without several Lipton Cup-O-Soup packets. Should you find that you're in dire need of a suncatcher or some Q-Tips while touring a major city? I'm your gal. I'll likely be able to provide tweezers, too.


I know. I've heard all the jokes about women and the seven hundred and forty-six pairs of shoes they must take with them on vacation. I just do it in a different direction; instead of a plethora of shoes, I'll bring a smorgasbord of random things that I just might, maybe, possibly need.


Anyway, my point is that I'm going to nip this in the bud. I'm planning to take this trip with only one carry-on piece of luggage. I know it can be done. I've been reading up on it, and, to be honest, it's not a crazy goal. I mean, most of the websites about traveling light address things like packing business suits or dealing with long hikes through the rain forest. Me? I'll be in t-shirts and shorts, traveling in a rental car, and staying at a few chain hotels.


I do, however, reserve the right to bring safety pins and a few plastic forks. My threshold for minimalist travel is only so low, folks.
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Days until trip: 41
Money saved: $485.00