Hermione's Purse

I finished up the laundry last night and just started pulling together all my clothes for packing. And after what Cheri said in the comments yesterday, I decided to try everything in the carry-on, just to see. (Oh, I've also gathered up all my prescriptions and vitamins. Just looking at the assortment makes me feel old.)

An amazing amount of stuff can fit in my carry on! It's almost like Hermione's purse! I would have zero room to bring anything extra home with me (not like Hermione's purse), but still, I am amazed! It's all the "work related" stuff that is making things a tight squeeze—extra charger/adapters, power supply, shoes, files, planner that I would not travel with for pleasure.

I am really tempted to pare it down and make it all fit. That would mean leaving out:

• a pair of dress shoes—if I do that, my feet will be killing me. If I wear the same pair of heels everyday for 2 weeks, I will be hobbling when I try to walk.
• my camera—if I squeeze everything into the carry-on, some things will need to shift into my personal item (laptop bag), which will bump out my camera.

I think that is really all I would need to leave out to make this a carry-on only trip! (Which would mean I bought a large suitcase for no reason.)

But, I really cannot fathom not taking my camera. I suppose I could get by with using the camera on my phone. But the photo quality will not be the same, and even though I may return to India in the future, I'll never again see it for the first time like I will on this trip. And I know if I don't take another pair of shoes, I'll be worthless after just 2 or 3 days and trying to find painkillers.

I think for this first trip I'll go with better safe than sorry and risk taking too much. I have no idea what the dress code is like at the office, so I'm taking a suit jacket and more conservative clothes. After the trip I will have a much better picture of what I "really" need, which will make packing for the next trip much, much easier.

If I go back during the warmer months, I can trade out some of the bulkier clothes and swap closed-toe heels for sandals, which will take up less room, too.

Okay, I'd better get back to packing. I still need to find my swim suit.