On a recent business trip to Dallas, I had an amusing encounter at the airport. While waiting for the shuttle to my terminal I encountered four women who personified every stereotype of the Texas society woman.
While listening to their conversation (they were speaking so loudly, I’m certain people in San Antonio could hear them) I discovered they were going to New York City for a girl’s weekend.
Each of these women had at least two 52 inch suitcases, and a huge purse (my Australian Shepherd could have fit into any one of them). They were complaining that there weren’t any “attendants” who could help them load their luggage onto the shuttle. One woman said she brought eight pairs of shoes because she couldn’t decide which outfit she was going to wear on their shopping trip (huh?).
I stood there waiting for the shuttle with my little 28-inch spinner and cross-body purse, the contents of which had served me just fine for the four days I spent in Dallas.
My primary reason for traveling light is that I hate lugging crap around. It’s that simple.
I dress in layers and make sure everything goes with everything. I am not averse to doing a load of laundry at the hotel, or hand washing a few items. I never bring more than two pairs of shoes (seriously, not many people look at your shoes) and I use a tablet instead of lugging a large laptop. I have a small cosmetic bag (I can get a sample size of nearly anything I need) and a few basic pieces of jewelry (earrings, a necklace, and a simple bracelet).
How one opts to pack depends largely in part on where they are traveling and for how long. Here are my suggestions for a few different places.
