So when you pack for an adventure like this, you have to be mindful of what you pack. There will be occasional flights, occasional hotel stays, and of course the change from cruise ship to cruise ship. We need to be able to carry what we bring. We believe that we can do this with one large suitcase, one small one, and a carryon. This means we have very limited space to pack items.
So what is important? Obviously clothes is the on the top of the list. Our theory is that we need to have clothing that would be easy to launder by hand if needed, but we would try to find a way to launder them. Eventually, we would have enough cruise perks to get some of our laundry done for free. But even that would be limited. There are times we may just have to pay to have them done. Maybe we could find a laundromat at one of the ports. I think this is one of my biggest worries.
Here is my packing list.
Shorts – 6, pants – 2, shirts – 9, dresses (light weight) – 2, wrap, thinsulate coat, sandals, tennis shoes, undergarments – no less than 14 pairs, bras – 3, socks – 7 pairs, swimsuit, personal hygiene products (toothbrush, toothpaste, deoderant, leave-in conditioner, etc), prescriptions (3 months supply), hairbrush, electric shaver, OTC meds/bandaids (small first aid kit), tweezers/nail clippers, q-tips, nasal spray, make-up, hair ties, hat, bug spray wipes, sunscreen, laptop (1 between my husband & I), magnet hooks (for the walls), collapsible hamper, power strip with long cord, notebook of paper, card games, my phone, select jewelry, passport, license, credit cards, cash, crochet hooks & yarn, small scissors, my glasses, charging/power cords, detergent sheets, reusable water bottle, and travel CPAP machine. My husband would also need similar clothing. He will need a dress shirt and pants & a belt.
I am sure I must be missing something, but my husband’s theory with travelling is that with a few exceptions, anything you forget you can buy during your travels. For the most part, he has been right on this – hope that continues!
Some of the items that might seem odd on my list – crochet hooks & yarn. I like to crochet – it relaxes me. I’ll not be making large afghans, but I can make small things. Maybe I’ll give them away. Or, I can unravel them and start over. If I run out of yarn, I’m sure I can buy more at some point. Another item is the card games. My husband and I enjoy playing card games when we are at sea. We have a small carrying case with our favorite cards that we travel with. Cruise ships have lots of activities, but face it, we are going to have lots of time where we will need to entertain ourselves. I like to read – I plan on spending a lot time doing that. We will also probably download our favorite movies to our laptop.
The count down is on – five days until our first cruise launches! At this point we are probably staying with one of our children, getting ready to leave on this adventure.