I’ve done quite a bit of travelling in my life. When I went to sea, I could throw my gear together the night before sailing, or even that morning. Same with flying, I had a system and knew exactly what I needed (not much). This is so different. I’ve had a rather large and growing pile of stuff accumulating for a while now and decided today that I needed to find out if it’ll all fit into my luggage.
Nope.
Not even close.
Turns out that this is more than a bit different than just visiting somewhere; I’m actually moving there. The boating gear (floater coat, rain gear, etc.), the electronics (computer, printer, cables, etc.), and the clothing (summer and spring/fall) mean that two suitcases just aren’t going to cut it. Thanks for the donation of an extra bag Peggy. Even though the third checked bag will be expensive on the flight, I really have no option. It’ll be cheaper to take it all with me than buy new over there. Besides, if this works out and I return each year, I won’t need much of it here for a few years! It won’t get lugged back and forth, almost all of it will stay over there. And luckily all the suitcases nest into each other so they won’t take up too much room on the boat.
I’ve never had so much baggage.
If you haven’t already, get yourself a few of those vacuum seal bags to help compress your clothes. They work well, even if it’s just to help keep things contained.
When I moved onto my first ship, I had two suitcases plus my carry-on, and a guitar. It’s very freeing. You’re going to have a blast. Happy packing!
I have a Costco box of them! I use them all the time, I live in small spaces here and up the mountain. Thanks for the kind thoughts, it’s getting pretty close now. Hoping to do another post soon (surveyor’s report comes this weekend).