“There are two types of travelers . . . those who organize and pack ahead of time, and those who throw everything into a suitcase the night before the trip. And these two marry each other.”

-No idea who said it, but they were very very smart

Next week we leave for Rome. It is my inaugural trip as Red Shoe Worldview and I am so excited I can barely sit still! Italy has always been #1 on my list of places to visit. My mother’s family is Italian and I have always been fascinated by Italy. We’ve been planning this trip for almost a year and my time has been spent arranging hotels, plane tickets, train tickets and sightseeing tours. I have bought voltage adapters, luggage tags, good walking shoes (for everyone in my house) and even a new set of hard case luggage for our youngest. I have a budget (with estimates AND actuals), packing lists and screen shots of all the travel arrangements . . . all of which I have loaded into my new favorite app Wanderlog.

I have always been a planner. Since I was a kid, I have emulated my Dad’s habit of creating packing lists for every trip. I organize my lists by type of item (clothing separate from toiletries, etc). When I was younger, I would hand write these lists and take great pleasure in crossing items off as I put them in the suitcase. Now, I have a google spreadsheet . . . so I can mark items off and auto save to the cloud. I spent time refining my clothing plan, ensuring I am packing only what I need.

My Dad was excited to see that I had already started planning my packing. He too has been making lists and starting to pack. He has embraced the use of packing cubes and after MANY years of refusing to be THAT organized, I decided to dive in and see if I like them. I wasn’t going to pack until the day before we leave, but honestly, I work 4 out of 6 days right before the trip and will still have to help our youngest pack the night before. So, it made sense to pack what I can now and add the last minute items the morning of the trip.

I loaded my packing cubes (these cute ones from Amazon) and was pleased to realize that the 8 piece set was the PERFECT size for my suitcase and needs. Honestly, I really like how I can group items together in cubes and know it will be easier to find things when I need them. The best part though, was when I told my Dad that I bought packing cubes – I genuinely thought he was going to cry! Needless to say, he is pleased that someone else in our family can appreciate this level of organization.

My suitcase is propped in the corner of my bedroom with my carry-on travel bag already on top of it. I have packed the things I won’t need until the trip. I. Am. Ready.

My husband is not.

Jon is hands down my favorite human to adventure with. We have so much fun and we travel well together. He makes me feel safe and he is not afraid to be stern to get what we need. I, on the other hand, hate confrontation and will walk away during tense moments. I want him to ask the hotel to make good on a room with the view we paid for and suddenly didn’t receive due to “overbooking” but I don’t want to be within earshot of the conversation. He handles the things that need to be handled. He also plans our romantic nights out. I handle the rest.

I am the one who has been harassing our children for 2 months – “What do you need? Socks? Underwear? Swimwear? Motion Sickness Patches?!?” I am the one on the phone with my parents talking them through online cruise check-in and edoc downloads. I am the one making note of any restaurants or gelato stops mentioned by our favorite travel bloggers. I am watching the weather in Rome, making sure we don’t need to bring umbrellas or rain coats.

Jon goes with the flow. He shows up when he is supposed to, packs the car and he carries the stuff. He is also nearly always in a good mood. He packs his bag the night before we leave, on the fly, grabbing what looks good or seems like it will wear comfortably. He doesn’t worry about whether we will find ourselves in a freak summer blizzard and need stocking caps. I love this about him. His ease and good nature make it easy for me to organize up front, and then leave on our trip and LET IT GO. It will be what it will be – and we will make the best of it. Whether we have galoshes or not.

We’ll see you soon from Rome!

B