Photo Credit: Jahzara the Savvy Diva
I travel at least once every two months for my “9-5” gig, and would normally fancy myself as being a pretty good luggage packer, especially if I’m traveling for less than three days. However, I recently returned from a week-long business trip and was faced with the grueling fact that I no longer possess the master skill of light and necessary packing when my friends and I rented a car a day after arriving to Vegas– for business purposes of course…which is why the horrific facts were relevant a week later. I digress. So the nasty truth was revealed when we were trying to stuff our bags into the mid-size car that was rented only for business purposes.
My average travel itinerary is about seven or eight days, so my daily wardrobe selection equals about two outfits, two pair of underwear, one bra, two pair of socks and at least two pair of pumps and one pair of tennis shoes. This wardrobe doesn’t include the uniform that I’m forced to sport along with my colleagues. You can do the math to conclude the total number of outfits, because lately I’ve obviously overlooked it when drafting my packing outline.
The scene was comical. Four friends standing in the parking garage of the hotel, spending 30 minutes in the heat trying to stuff ten suitcases (extra large, midsize, and economy); along with four backpacks, three purses and two tote bags. My friends won’t admit to the contents of their bags, but I have no shame. My main suitcase had ten dresses, five pair of jeans, three pair of khakis, 20 “sexy” shirts, five tank tops, three crispy white t-shirts, ten pair of socks, five pair of brand new socks I purchased from Target while driving around the city of Las Vegas for business purposes only…eight pair of sandals, two pair of running shoes, a pair of exercise pants and tank top – which I never pulled out of my suitcase the whole time. I actually researched the gym, how many elliptical machines and treadmills it housed before I left home, in hopes of convincing myself to workout. One would wonder what the big deal is that I’ve packed so many clothes, especially if I was a temporary resident in Las Vegas for more than seven days. Well, the harsh reality is I was in a uniform six of the seven days and only wore one dress for a reception that I managed on day three.
The plain truth is always prevalent for me, especially when we arrive to the check-in counter at the airport and have to juggle the contents of each of bag to ensure the weight of the bags don’t exceed the 50lb. limit. It always takes one of us to say, “We should’ve brought an extra bag”, always leaving the rest of us speechless.
Until the next travel log — my name is Jahzara, and I’m a Luggage Junkie.