Packing

Have you ever wondered what to pack and of course, how to pack for a trip?  Now a trip can be a short road trip or a trip can involve air time, land journey, trains, cruising, etc.  Perhaps a trip is within one's own country or it is one that involves using the wonderful passport (BTW, have you checked the date of expiry on yours?) 

How do I pack?  Have I checked the weather forecast and past history?  I mix and match, and being of the 'always cold' type, make sure I include warmer, long sleeved garments. 
I try to make sure that the tops go with the bottoms.  Do I have shoes, boots, slippers?

After a while it is time to locate the carry on and/or suitcase.  Let's try rolling, bagging in Ziplock type bags, or folding the clothes.
Once the bag is packed and if you are flying, it is always a good idea to weigh the luggage.   Type up an itinerary with some info so that if the bag gets 'misplaced' (ie on an air carrier) it can be sent back to us.  And of course, some form of identification on the actual bag handle ie one of those cute spongy bath things from the dollar store. 

A good idea is to pack any over the counter medications that you like as it may be difficult to locate such products in another country.

Going on trips is great fun.  Packing is just part of going on a trip.  So often I have heard:  pack the bag, then take out 1/2 the contents, but pack Double the money instead.

A good idea is to have something to identify your luggage, in this case, a large Canadian flag.  But you may choose to use colourful tape or a luggage strap--the more unique you can make your luggage 'yours', the fewer chances it will be picked up by another.  But we do hear stories of luggage that has gone AWOL!