The Carry-On Challenge - This one's for The TITLE!

It's every man every man, woman and child for themselves when it comes to luggage on this trip. We need to hit the ground running, and more than one bag each will be nothing but a big fat anchor on the Baxendell Fun Boat. Checked baggage takes too much time to retrieve. It gets lost. And it's usually heavy - Heck, if you're going to check it, you're going to (over)pack it. We'll save it for the trip home.

My friend Lori thinks I'm crazy. I told her that I was going to pack in one carry on for the entire 31 days. She says it can't be done. I wonder myself, since I am a very HEAVY packer under normal circumstances. Knowing that we are two of a kind when it comes to being prepared and wanting to be stylish as well (ha ha!), our recent conversation about my trip went something like this, with of course, the most important questions first:

"What, are you kidding? Aren't you going to pack any shoes? You know how big our feet are! That alone takes up half the bag!"

"I already have fancy flip flops - they pack flat," I retort. "I'll wear my heaviest shoes on the plane."


"What about your hair stuff?"

"I'm getting my hair cut short next week so I only need to bring a blow dryer. I'll just pack one little bottle of shampoo and styler gel and use the hotel stuff."

"What about jewelry!?" as she waves towards her ears.

"Not bringing any. I have a silver Tiffany ring I'm going to wear as my wedding band, and a pair of silver hoops. If I need anything or see a necklace I like, I can buy it, like a souvenir! "

"Well, yeah, but...!" she stammers. "But what about your makeup?!!"

"Eh, I'll take one of each of blush, eyeshadow and stuff, and if I need something, I'll buy it - you never know, I might discover something new that I can't live without!"

For the kicker, I told her I also have to stay under 22 pounds with my bag - I thought she was going to faint.

"What about your clothes? Jeans are heavy! A jacket?"

"I'm packing shirts with light materials, like this one." where upon I reveal my very stylish and sheer blouse, which can be worn both casual and dressy, washed by hand and dry by the next day, thankyouverymuch. She acquiesces a bit (ie: hesitates) that is, until I tell her about the jacket with 112 pockets. And zip off sleeves.

"Pockets? What the heck are you going to put in 112 pockets?"

"My papers and stuff! My camera lenses, a pen." Ok, that sounds lame.

"You're going to be in the same outfit in every picture!" she jokes. "Yeah there's that shirt again! Now it's in France! And there's the jacket...without the sleeves!"

"Nah, I'll turn them inside out for a different look!"

"WHAT?!! Inside OUT?"

I'm kidding. Her face is priceless. I'm laughing, but now she's breaking me down - she might actually have me on this one. I can wear less makeup (sunglasses!), cut my hair short (styler gel!) and do without my favorite pair of jeans (skirts, capris, and cargo pants - cute!) but to be documented in the same shirt in all of my blog pictures? This was going to be THE true challenge, and anyone who knows me knows why!

On certian airlines, vanity has it's price - Ryan Air (which we're taking from Dublin to Glasgow), have very specific luggage allowances; and they're not generous:

Strictly one item of cabin baggage is permitted per passenger (excluding infants). Handbag, briefcase, laptops, shop purchases, camera etc must be carried within your permitted 1 piece of cabin baggage. (AGGH!) It should weigh no more than 10kg and not exceed the maximum dimensions of 55cm x 40cm x 20cm.

That translates into 21.7 x 15.7 x 8 inches and 22lbs, otherwise pay up: Of course trying to actually figure out how much it would cost according to their Table of Fees is about as easy as reading the Periodic Table of Elements. Huh? It's the 22lbs max each bag that's going to be tricky.

Even packing lightly, we're going to have electronics, camera, a tripod, a teddy bear, and trolls to contend with. I already know we'll have to check at least one bag (the bag with the dirty clothes!) because of my camera gear and laptop being carried on with me, so this is where that jacket with the 112 pockets will come in handy! Pocket camera, ipod, passports, Nintendo DS Lite, GPS - all in my jacket! Who's laughing now?

Luckily for us (me!), the Ryan Air flight is in the first week of our trip. That leaves us (me!) three good weeks to collect crap for the checked bag home!

{I found this cute little straightener that works awesome, so it's coming with me...}