Pack It In

Viennese women are chic.
I wanted to be chic, too,
but I needed to pack it all in one carry-on suitcase.

Packing List
Three pair pants (two of them black)
-or two pants, one skirt-
Four silky T-shirts (black, red, white, green.)
Two slinky-type tank tops (black, white)
Lightweight black Cardigan
Appropriate weight coat or jacket
Denim jacket
Silver jewelry
Long (fake) pearl necklace and earrings
Cream colored long silk opera scarf
Three scarves for jacket (black, green, red)
Two pairs black shoes
PJ's
Four sets underwear

This is all I ever take, even on three-week trips,
and what I wear on the plane comes from this list.

Everything except the jackets can be hand-washed.
I take lightweight fabrics that will dry overnight.

In hot weather I take a gauzy black skirt and blouse, wear sandals,
and leave one pair of shoes and a jacket home.

I pack kits so I can unpack and pack quickly.
Nightstand kit: little flashlight, tissues, lotion, chapstick...
Secretary kit: Check register, calculator, pen, envelope for receipts...
Recharge kit: camera and phone chargers, extra batteries, memory card...
Toiletries, Make-up, the usual...

I use a cool packing cube for my clothes.
It has hard plastic pieces for the top and bottom to keep things neat.
I take a fabric laundry sack, and an extra Le Sac bag that folds into it's own pouch.
If I need to, I can stuff the Le Sac with my laundry bag, check it for the flight home,
and have room for souvenirs.

It never looks like it will all fit.

I like two jackets because I'm always wearing one, and I get less bored with my photos.

I stuff in two different umbrellas to vary my look.
One of them is usually clipped onto my purse, so I think of them as
colorful accessories, even when it isn't raining.

Push it all down, and voila!

Viennese Chic!

P.S. We make a stop at the post office before we leave a city, and mail any purchases home, so we don't get overloaded. (They have boxes and tape there.)

Bon Voyage!