Funny thing for a travel enthusiast to say, I suppose.  But it's true!  I guess it's a good thing or I wouldn't be home enough to actually run a business or volunteer or be a part of this great community that I live in.  If it weren't for packing, I'd travel all of the time! 
     I'm getting ready to embark on a strange type of trip...it's partly functional, mom duty type of things but it's mostly fun!  It's going to take me from my home in Riverview, FL where we've now had over 20 days straight of 90+ degree weather to Philadelphia, where I'm thinking it's probably not much better right now, to Banff, Alberta Canada where the high is supposed to be somewhere between 65-70 as highs with lows around 45; to Iceland where the temperatures fluctuate from 48-58 degrees in August to Barcelona where I'll embark on an Eastern Mediterranean cruise and enjoying summer like temperatures once again before taking me back to Philadelphia and home again.  Twenty-eight days total. How does one pack for such a journey without going crazy?  It presents a few obstacles: I'll have activities that include hiking and whitewater rafting in the cooler weather and I'll have formal night dinners on the ship.  I must have my laptop and some other essentials for the long plane rides but I also am determined to travel light! (I learned that the hard way after my last trip to Europe where I didn't pack so light) 
     I managed to make a few purchases that I think will help and since my husband will be meeting my kids and myself in Barcelona, I came up with a brilliant idea!  He can bring the garment bag with my heels (one great nude pair), my dresses for the cruise dinners and my evening bag and jewelry.  For the rest of the trip I should be able to make due with my hiking pants and shoes, workout clothes & sneakers, undergarments, outer garments that can be layered, my toiletries and my travel essentials. Very little makeup and jewelry and all mix and match clothes.  I'll need my swimsuit and flip flops in case we decide to swim in the hot springs so I'll bring those too.  That should do it, right?  We'll see.  It never fails, I always intend to pack light and somehow my stuff grows the night before it actually winds up in my bags.  One of the purchases I made, which I am thrilled with, are packing cubes.  They aren't the fancy, named brand, expensive packing cubes.  They are super cute, super functional and sturdy and they cost me $9.99 for one large, medium, small and three laundry bags.  For that price, I bought two sets.    I even already got one packed, with my cooler weather outer layers.  I figure it's perfect because once I'm on the ship, I'll have no need for any of those and they'll already be neatly packed away and not in my way!