Packing Update – Overpacking

Well, we are just about two months into this adventure and we already made some packing adjustments. There were some minor fails! My footwear plan didn’t quite pan out, and there was some minor overpacking.

Both the overpacking and the footwear fail had their origins in that classic planning mistake of focusing too much on an item that is not the key issue. I got all wrapped up in the “dress code” and “formal nights” parts of the cruise, which was only 21 days out of an 7-9 month trip.

Because I was so worried about not being too casual on the ship I picked my shoes based, in part, on them being “dressy.” Oh, they still had to be comfortable enough to walk around in all day, but… Anyway, I left my hiking sandals at home and brought a comfortable but prettier pair. The problem with that pair is that they really don’t do well in wet weather or on rough terrain. My flats, which were great but had been in heavy rotation for over a year at home also gave up the ghost on this trip and did not go down without drawing blood – literally, the leather heel piece decided to split in the middle of a long walk and rubbed quite the wound on my heel. So, I have purchased new hiking sandals and a pair of Australian all-purpose ankle boots!

In Dan’s defense, he didn’t really overpack, I pushed him to pack the dressier pieces in his travel wardrobe: black pants, travel sport coat, button down shirt that doesn’t have good pockets and a tie, as well as a pair of shoes that aren’t hiking boots. His plan all along was to donate the shoes once we arrived and he did, but we didn’t realize how little he would need any of the other pieces.

So, off to the post office we went in Melbourne to ship home a package with all of this in it:

 We have bought a few things here, but it is still a net reduction for both of us. Even after several trips to test our packing strategy, we are learning things!