FIELD TEST IS A SUCCESS!

Today I conducted a highly scientific and carefully regulated field test of an occurrence so rare I can confidently state that it has never taken place in the history of the world until today.

I attempted to pack everything I would **need for a 5 week trip into one regulation sized, wheeled, carry-on bag.

And, I am happy to report that it was a complete success!!

Here is what I managed to fit in:

In the front small pocket of the bag (not pictured) is several cards of barrettes, colorful hair elastics, nail art stickers, pens, pencils, those weird rubber band shaped bracelets that are all the rage with the kids, and some rubber stamp pens to give to the kiddies I meet. I also have several pairs of florescent patterned ankle sox for the girls but they had to go in the big compartment; they wouldn't fit in the front pocket.

In the suitcase, along with the half dozen or so sox, I have:

1 nice dress for dinner
1 long beach/dinner dress (black tee shirt fabric, great cut, LOVE it)
4 sun/cover up dresses
2 camisole type tank tops
1 long white ladies tee shirt (I hate normal tee shirts, this one I love)
2 tank tops (both white)
2 lace cami-tank tops
2 black legging capri's
3 swim suits (all in a mesh bag)
1 night dress
undies x 6 and 1 bra (in a 2nd mesh bag)
2 pair flip flops black/bronze
1 pair water shoes
1 sun hat
snorkel & prescription mask (fins don't fit in the case)

In the lid part you can see what I have:

holder for all my electronic cords
fold up beach bag
waterproof pouch
underwater camera case
small shoulder purse (usually for iPod)
bag of liquid & gels

My big travel purse will hold:

laptop
Kindle
iPod & noise cancelling earphones
makeup
jewelry (just dress stuff, not taking expensive real stuff)
and probably the bag of liquids now in the lid of the suitcase, if there's room

One thing I have realized when laying out all of these garments - I have no color in my wardrobe AT ALL. I do have a few summer items with more color but none are appropriate for this trip.

If you can think of anything I should have packed and have forgotten, let me know.

My containers of vitamins aren't in there but there's lots of room for them.

Two things I wish I could bring, other than more toiletries, is my pillow and a beach towel. I might try to cram the beach towel in. I need to check and see if the two places I am staying have ones I can take to the beach with me. I'd also like to take my spring float with me again, I took it on my last trip to the BVI and loved having it, but it doesn't fit into a small suitcase.

To travel in, I will be wearing a pair of long linen pants, a black lace cami-tank, a cowl neck sleeveless tee-top, a black sweater, and a pair of dressy sandles. That takes care of a pair of pants - should I need them, which I didn't on my last trip to the BVI, a sweater if it's a cool evening, and nicer shoes for dinners out. I will also have a pashmina shawl wrap with me, which I always take on flights to use as a blanket - I find it can be so cold on the plane. It will work well as a wrap in the evenings when I am wearing my nice dress. I am considering a light shell rain jacket and my tiny purse umbrella as it absolutely poured it down on the day we left Virgin Gorda on the last trip. I mean, the kind of rain where one step out and back in and you'd be soaked to the skin.


**the word need is starred because, in fact, not everything I 'need' is in the bag, only what the TSA stooges will allow me to take into the body of the aircraft less I attempt to blow it up with my perfume, hairspray, and spider killer spray

THAT'S NOT HOW I LEFT THIS!!

On my last three or four trips, my checked luggage has contained a 'love note' from the TSA - a letter stating that they felt it necessary to go through my luggage, mess it all up, and give it back to me without attempting to restore it to any sort of order.

I HATE THAT!!

As someone who is compulsively organized, there is nothing that upsets me more than to see my carefully placed items all askew.

The worst time this happened to me had nothing to do with the TSA.

Every time I go away, I like to leave a spotlessly clean house and clean sheets on all of the beds. I know I most likely will be coming home with suitcases full of dirty laundry - and when there were five of us, that was a lot of laundry - so the last thing I want to face is any sort of mess in the house. The laundry is enough, thank you very much.

Back in 1993 I was taking a trip with the kids to Seattle from Kelowna to meet up with their dad who was working there, to see if it was somewhere they would be happy moving to. I left the house in spic-span condition knowing that it would be lovely to come home to in a week. (We drove down in our mini van and hit the worst snow storm I have ever encountered on the Coquihalla Highway - in mid April!! but that is another story.)

We had a great time in Seattle and the kids loved it. We eventually moved there and hated it but, again, that is another story.

When I arrived home with the three kids and four suitcases full of dirty laundry I opened the door expecting to see my spotless house. Instead I found chaos! There were books on the floor, several ornaments and a precious domed clock which should have been on the mantle over the fireplace were all over the hearth and floor - the dome smashed to bits and the clock in pieces, and cracker crumbs and bits all over the couch and floor. In the kitchen the bread box was open and there was a trail of cracker crumbs and wrappings leading from it to the edge of the counter and all over the floor. A bunch of bananas looked like they had been chewed into. What on EARTH could have caused this havoc? And if it was an animal, which it was looking like to me, how did it open the bread box's roll front door?

I had spied a little pile of droppings of some kind on the arm of the couch, quite a large pile actually. It seemed this was the favourite resting place of whatever it was that did this. We soon found out what it was. A streak of silver darted past us into the dining room and we followed hard on it's heels. As we peeked under the table, a pair of beady little eyes in a furry face peeked back. We recognized him instantly; it was the squirrel the kids had been feeding peanuts to off of our deck all winter. Turns out I had inadvertently left the fireplace damper open and he had scampered down the chimney looking for his usual treats.

It took me an hour to get him out of the house, and three more to clean up his mess. Then I started on the laundry.

Anyway, back to my luggage issues. I always lock my luggage with a TSA accessible lock, and then, when I remember, zip strip the zippers together as an extra deterrent to anyone thinking of opening it up. Every time but one that my luggage has been opened by the TSA, it has been when I haven't used the zip strips. So there's a tip for you - use a zip strip as well as a lock and most likely they won't go through the bag.

There has been a lot of talk lately about TSA agents stealing items from luggage. To deter them from doing this I make an exhaustive list of every single item in my bag along with the line "owner in possession of a copy of this list" and place it right on top when I zip it closed. That way they know that I know exactly what is in the bag and will immediately miss anything they choose to help themselves to. As an aside - I also tape a piece of paper inside the mesh zipper part in the lid that lists my home address as well as my destination address and the dates I will be there, so that - should the unthinkable happen and my luggage gets misdirected - at least it shouldn't end up on the Unclaimed Baggage Center's website. So far I haven't had anything stolen. And my bag has only gone missing once; if you like, you can read about it here.

To help keep my items organized when they do decide to go through my bags, I ordered a set of Rick Steve's Packing Cubes from Amazon. I picked them up yesterday along with my Kindle. I plan on putting underwear and socks in one (not that I am taking any socks on my next trip), bathing suits in another, and not sure what I will put in the large one yet. They come highly recommended by frequent travelers and I am sure I will get much use out of them. Although I am going to try to have only carry-on luggage on this trip, I still like the idea of everything inside the bag being so organized. Once at my destination, I can just - easy-peasy - pull the mesh bags out of my luggage and pop them into a dresser drawer. And should the truly unthinkable happen and there's no room for my bag in the overhead compartment and it has to be checked, then I am prepared for the slovenly habits of the TSA.

Another thing I picked up in the same order yesterday was a Rick Steve's money belt. As I blogged about earlier, I am worried about the large amount of cash I must carry with me for the first leg of my trip, to Mexico, for dental work. They only take American cash as payment. And, as I don't have a credit card with a large limit, I will also need to take more cash and travelers cheques for the Caribbean portion of my trip. Reading stories lately of TSA agents teaming together to steal money from luggage as it goes through the scanners in security, I have been very concerned as to how I will safely carry so much cash and have concluded that the best way is a money belt.

The design of the belt has changed and so the one I have is different from the one pictured when I ordered it. Now instead of one small pocket for credit cards with a large one beside it for cash, the front pocket is divided straight down the middle meaning that the cash has to go in the back pocket along with any larger items, such as a passport. I don't like it as much as the one I thought I was ordering.

According to Rick Steve's, travel guru, this is what every good traveler should have in his or her travel belt:

Packing light applies to your money belt as well as your luggage. Here's what to pack in your money belt:
•Passport: You're legally supposed to have it with you at all times.
•Railpass: This is as valuable as cash.
•Driver's license: This works just about anywhere in Europe and is necessary if you want to rent a car on the spur of the moment.
•Credit card: It's required for car rental and handy to have if your cash runs low.
•Debit card: A Visa debit card is the most versatile for ATM withdrawals. (I no longer use traveler's checks.)
•Cash: Keep only major bills in your money belt.
•Plastic sheath: Money belts easily get sweaty and slimy (YUK!!!). Damp plane tickets and railpasses can be disgusting and sometimes worthless. Even a plain old baggie helps keep things dry.
•Contact list: Print small, and include every phone number or email address of importance in your life.
•Trip calendar page: Include your hotel list and all necessary details from your itinerary

That's a lot of stuff for one small money belt. I won't have a rail pass so that should leave some room! And this one has a waterproof lining so I don't have to worry about the plastic sheath.

With all that stuff in there, I wonder if I will have room for the cash?

STAYING DRY

Yesterday it was two years ago that I stood on the most gorgeous beach I had ever been to and watched my beautiful daughter marry her wonderful husband. And so it was with much excitement and happiness that I got into my car yesterday, and took a little road trip; it was in preparation for my return to that gorgeous beach.

It was a wonderfully sunny day and I set out on the hour long trip to Point Roberts, just across the border from Tsawwassen to pick up two of four items that I ordered on Amazon this week for my upcoming trip back to the British Virgin Islands.

Many items that we as Canadians attempt to order online are from the USA and can not be delivered to Canada, for some strange unknown reason. Especially when ordering from Amazon.com. It's very frustrating. I have, in the past, had items shipped to a friend in Palm Springs when I knew he was headed up this way shortly. But that is inconvenient for him and he isn't making a trip here any time soon. So what to do? I recently ordered a sweat shirt for my son-in-law and had it shipped to my daughter's friend who has a cabin just across the border. But that won't work for things I want for me. To the rescue - a friend online who happened to notice my FaceBook post voicing my frustration. He recommended a service in Point Roberts, called The Letter Carrier, that accepts packages for a nominal $3 fee. And the important point is, it's not a post office box number as most USA orders won't send to one of those either.

On this trip I am picking up a waterproof bag to use at the beach. As I am traveling alone, I won't have anyone to watch my valuables when I go into the water. This small pouch (6"x5") is just the right size to hold my passport, credit card, and cash. The second item is a watertight case for my digital camera.

Since my last few snorkeling experiences were so amazing, I have decided I need to take underwater pictures. I looked into an underwater camera, but I would have to spend $250 - 300. Canon makes a really nice one for just under $300 but I really don't want to spend that right now and I already have a great little digital camera that takes really good pictures. So online I went to see what a watertight case for it would cost. The hard plastic fitted ones cost more than the underwater camera I liked, so that would never do. But in my search I found soft, ziplock-type, bag ones.

I found two that fit my camera. One was the Vivitar for $34.89 (just the case, not all the accessories pictured below) , and the other was the DiCAPac for 21.38. I ended up going with the DiCAPac, and I am now wishing I ordered the Vivitar. As you can see from the photos, the Vivitar has a pouch built into the bag that holds the camera in place; the DiCAPac doesn't which means that it is tricky to keep the camera in place inside the bag. It's also difficult to work the buttons on the top of the camera and I think the fitted bag would make that much easier.
















I first did a watertight test with the bag, placing a wad of tissue inside and then submersing it in a kitchen sink full of water. Once I determined that it was indeed watertight, I then took a couple of pictures with the camera in the bag (but not submersed). At first I thought it wasn't going to work at all as the camera had a problem focusing and then shut down with a message on the screen 'Please turn off and try again'. I tried several times and got the same message, and one other that said something about focus malfunction. I then realized that I needed to insert a rubber ring that came with the case into the lens compartment on the inside. This extends the compartment so that the zoom lens on the camera can extend all the way out. Once I did that, the camera started up with no issues and the photos I took were of excellent quality. I can't wait to try it snorkeling. I will definitely be posting pictures on here once I do.

WHAT TO PACK - HOW TO PACK

My new glasses were waiting for me on my desk when I arrived at work on Tuesday morning.

I opened the package with some trepidation, half expecting them to be the wrong frames, the wrong prescription, broken... something wrong. Instead I found exactly what I ordered, all in one piece, and they fit great. Pretty much perfect in every way. I highly recommend Zenni Optical for a much cheaper alternative to spending hundreds of dollars at the optical store. Even if they don't fit, you can take them in to somewhere like Costco or your local optometrist and have them sized.

It is going to be so much better going to the beach now - I will be able to read and watch the boats in the distance without having to switch back and forth between prescription sunglasses and a cheap pair. It's also one less thing to have to pack.

Speaking of which, I am losing sleep these days over a couple of conundrums, one of which is how to carry a significant amount of money when one travels (which I will address in a future blog post) and the other - trying to determine whether or not I can manage with just carry-on luggage for my upcoming trip. I really want to do it and, if I do manage, it will be a first for me. One of the main reasons I don't want to check luggage is that I have so many connecting flights, I am really worried it might get lost. Also, it wouldn't hurt to save the $25 to check a bag; on three legs of my trip that would save me $75.

The biggest hurdle is toiletries. I have so many. I have always said that if I could only take three things to a deserted island it would be Timothy Dalton (or Tom Selleck, or Colin Firth, or George Clooney - I am not that fussed as to which one), a pillow, and my hair products (yes, yes, I know it's more than one product but it IS one category so I count it as one). Also, while we are on the topic - if I could only eat one food while I was there it would be potato if I could have them prepared in all the different ways with all of the corresponding condiments. I mean, is there a more versatile food on the planet?!?

So many of the products I use every day fall into the prohibited list for carry-on. As we all know by now, no gels, creams, or liquids in a container larger than 3oz can be carried onto the plane. And for Canadians, this can be really frustrating as most of our products are labeled in metric so what exactly is 3oz in metric? I had to look it up and here it is: 3oz is equal to 85grams or 88ml, because heaven help us all if the manufacturers could manage to use the same unit for measuring.

Here is a picture of what I would pack if I was checking my luggage. As you can see, it includes a large can of spider killer because I am terrified of spiders. And yes, it is a lot of stuff in large containers, but remember - I am gone for just over 6 weeks. Also, the bottles of shampoo and conditioner would be the regular size but I would only buy that size for a trip so don't have any on hand for the photo. I forgot to put in bug spray, my nail polish, top coat, and remover in this photo. A word about nail polish remover; I found a box of six individually wrapped felt pads that are soaked in remover but I bought the small bottle of liquid remover as I prefer it. After trying to fit everything into the small baggie, I may go back and buy the pads as they could go right into my suitcase.

I realize that with the money I save on checking a bag onto three legs (to Yuma, to St.Thomas, to home) will more than pay for new toiletries but because I have a week in Mexico before flying to the BVI for a month I would need to buy two sets of everything and I don't want to do that. So I am trying to take enough for both legs of my trip, although I probably will need to buy more of some items, like sunscreen, once in the Caribbean.

I went in search of small packages of what I want to take with me and it was a frustrating experience. I found LOADS of toothpaste, deodorant, and shampoo & conditioner, But the hairspray was nowhere to be found and the nail polish remover, sunscreen, and mousse were much harder to find. I finally found all three at Wal Mart (although the nail polish remover was not with the small sized toiletries in the shampoo isle, but in makeup with the regular sized bottles). One thing I find really frustrating is that a lot of creams and lotions that are not packaged for travel but just standard product packaging are 3.3 ozs or 100ml. It would be nice if the manufacturers got on board with the restrictions and started to package these items in 3 ounce containers so we could take our usual products in our carry on instead of cheap alternatives that may not perform as well.

Now I have to try to fit all of my small liquids and gels into a single 1 quart baggie. I bought the GLAD ones, as they are actually 1 quart. The Ziploc ones are either too small or too big. So far I can't fit everything in. But I understand that the screeners are becoming a bit lax and so mascara, concealer, and deodorant don't have to be in the bag anymore. And I was thinking that, if I spread my stuff out between several of those grey bins, perhaps I could get away with two baggies? Worth a try? Oh... I have no idea what to do.

I guess one thing I will be doing is using a flip flop on any spiders.

Below are photos of what I am trying to carry-on and then what fits into the baggie and what is left over. There is no perfume in the picture as my 3oz bottle of Warm Vanilla Sugar is at work. But it won't fit either. (OH! And I just noticed there is no toothpaste in any of the pictures. BAH!!)



Because it may not be clear what is in the photo, here is a list from left to right:
eye cream, nail polish remover, contact lens solution, Lise Watier Metamorfix, OFF bug spray, Sally Hansen Insta-Dry top coat, sunscreen, nail polish, hair mousse, moisturizer x2, face cream, concealers (two shades - one for under eye, one for face), Urban Decay Eye Primer Potion, mascara.

****UPDATE**** Here is a great article I came across today about how the rules for liquids and gels unfairly targets women travelers.