Packing! What a Nightmare

I just spent the weekend packing for our Christmas Holiday trip to Puerto Vallarta.  Yes, I'm spoiled.  My husband surprised me with a trip to Puerto Vallarta for Christmas.

This will be our first time away from home on Christmas Day, and I think I will be alright with it.  I'll let you know when I get home.

This year packing was especially challenging because I was doing it in the middle of Christmas wrapping, family dinners, eggnog, Christmas carols and the in-laws.

Packing?  My first dilemma is always what size suitcase should I take?  There is the challenge of weight versus my need to have the things I want.  I love to rise to the challenge of complying to the airlines weight and size restrictions.  I pride myself in never having to pay the fees for being over weight. On the other hand I need to take everything I want to have a great vacation.

For example, I need to have three or four bathing suits to wear over seven days, and each bathing suit weighs two pounds.  (Yes, they weigh two pounds each.  I'm over 50 years, nothing that I have fits into a string bikini, and Lycra is heavy)

Then there are the cover-ups, the day time clothes, the evening clothes, and the appropriate shoes to go with it all.  That's three outfits per day over seven days.  You do the math. 

I need four pairs of shoes, minimum.  Running shoes for the plane, walking sandals, beach sandals, and evening sandals.  And even then I have to wear the same sandals with every outfit every evening.  What's fun about that? 

Going down my check list there are necessary things to pack.  The extra book to read, the sun hat and the beach bag.  Sun tan lotion alone can weight up to ten pounds.  You need the SPF 30+ for the first two days, then you can drop to the SPF 15 for two days, and then finally you might be able to drop to an SPF 4, if you don't get two days of rain that sets back you tanning progress.  Oh, and you can't forget the SPF 80 for your nose and toes.

Another thing that gets complicated are purses and bags.  You need a big purse to carry your valuables on the plane, but once you've arrived at a Resort, you don't need a big purse anymore.  You need a small purse to carry around the resort that holds your room key card, SPF lip gloss, and cell phone.  Heaven forbid, you didn't have your cell phone and missed the facebook posting of the cute cat under the Christmas tree.

You need a beach bag to carry your book/kindle or tablet and the multiple bottles of suntan lotion.  You may need a knapsack or shoulder bag for day excursions which is not the same as a beach bag.  All of these bags and purses are important and very necessary.   I hear you guffawing in disbelief.  Yes, one bag can be used for more than one purpose.  What's fun about that?

Did you know that some high end resorts are now using the wrist band as your room key, eliminating the need to carry a room card in your bathing suit top.  Very Smart.

Finally there is the decision of whether to take a carry-on suitcase or not.  Now I'm not talking to the women who can travel with only a carry-on suitcase.  I don't relate at all of those skinny women who can wear a string bikini, with a sarong that doubles for evening wear.  Real women need stuff and more than one suitcase.  I can assure you that I use everything that I pack.

In closing I'm proud to say that I packed it all.  Everything that I wanted to take, and I met the airlines weight challenge.  My suitcase weighs 42 pounds (allowance is 50 lbs)  That's enough weigh allowance to buy two bottles of tequila cream, and I know I'll get it back safely, because I remembered to pack my bubble wrap.

See you in the New Year.