Elegant Traveler...not

OK, I've traveled a lot.  From Summer camp to college dorms to youth hostels to trips around the world with a young family in tow, I'm a seasoned veteran at packing up and moving on.  I am, however, also the go-to girl who always has that one thing you might need in a pinch.  I think I was the only one at summer camp (7 years) who came with a trunk instead of a duffel.  And I'm absolutely certain that most freshman don't arrive to college with a U-Haul!

I blame my mother.  She's not around to defend herself, so she's an easy target.  Truth be told, though, she would agree with me.  She couldn't travel light, and neither can I.  Try as I may, even if I spill into an extra case just so I have room for acquisitions on the return, everything will be bulging.  I've never been to an airport without my credit card at the ready, unsure whether my bags will be within weight limits.  Fortunately, as I often travel alone with kids, pity is taken on me, and I rarely have to pay the overages...

You would think, though, after all the places I've been, the small quarters I've inhabited, and the pick-up-and-go nomadic life that we often enjoy, I would know what "packing light" really means.  Hmm...no.

We just embarked on a fun journey to visit family and friends in Europe.  We were gone for two weeks, the first being in David's parents' home where I had full access to a washer and dryer.  The second being bed-hopping between other family and hotels for a week.

Traveling for this grand adventure included various forms of planes, trains and automobiles (even a Toyota, but it was a rental...what can you do...?).  But we were going to enjoy the spirit of the journey.  And, since this would require a fair amount of physical hefting, and our kids, while fit and capable, are still a bit small to lug a suitcase, I was told to PACK LIGHT.

When our driver was negotiating times with David for taking us to the airport, he asked if we needed him to arrange a second car to manage everything that we would be taking...

This is what greeted our driver, Mr. Yin, when we arrived in January

Four suitcases.  No golf clubs.  Everyone has a backpack with them as well.  Just enough that the adults can handle the load...  I've never packed so light in my life!  But I had my backpack, my camera bag and a purse all slung over my shoulder...looking like a right proper pack-rat.

And it was still a TON of stuff!  We came nowhere near meeting our luggage allowance, so the plane part was easy.  Heck, everything all fit on one luggage trolley!!!  Once in Paris, we had to navigate through the airport to a local train to make our way to the Gare du Nord so we could catch our train to London.

To enter a train/subway platform in Paris, you need to insert your ticket into a turnstyle which unlocks to allow you to pass.  Well, I was pulling two large bags behind me...easier said than done on passing through the gate.  When we boarded the train, we stowed our baggage in a seating alcove, meant to handle 4 people because there was no luggage rack on the cross-town commuter train...did I mention, at rush-hour in Paris?

The Eurostar from Paris to London was full, and we stored our things in three separate places in order to find adequate accommodation for our stuff.  Then there was the taxi across London, which I was certain would not handle all of us and four suitcases and four backpacks.  Fortunately, London taxi's are actually quite spacious.

From there it was smaller trains down into SW Wales where David's mother waited for us.  But his dad couldn't come because there would not be enough room in the car with all of us and the cases.

It all worked out though, and we used everything that we brought, with the exception of most of my husband's socks...because he has a fetish when it comes to socks.

What I noticed though, on or 29.5 hour journey from Shanghai to Pembrokeshire and likewise back again, is there there are some really elegant travelers out there.  I am in awe of people who can survive with just an over-the-shoulder bag and a computer. They dress nicely, regardless of spending 12 hours on an airplane, and they always look put-together.  That's not me.  Never has been and never will be.  But sometimes, when I'm gathering all of my carry-on's from the x-ray belt and shuffling back into my shoes and watching people who grab and go...or better yet, have nothing to grab...I wonder how that could be me.

Our not-so-elegant "luggage cart" in the London hotel

Nope...never gonna happen.  BUT, I will never be bored on an airplane, stranded without appropriate anything, and I could probably even sew that stray button back into place before accidentally running into the Queen on a quiet street in London.  These things can happen, and I'm always ready, even if we need a second car to take us to the airport!