When you are going to be traveling, especially cruising, for 10 days you need to plan your wardrobe and packing very carefully.  I always worry about my suitcase being over weight when checked in at the airport.  That and how much stuff can you really put in your carry-on.  After picking and packing my wardrobe for this trip I weighed it and was slightly over the 50 lb. Limit.  Removed a few items deemed unnecessary, good to go.

Arriving at the airport my suitcase was 49.8 lbs. and my wife’s was 50.6 lbs.  JetBlue let it go.  Now the problem, getting back home.  My wife said that dirty clothes weigh more.  I’m not sure I buy that, sounds like an old wives tale! 

Prior to our cruise I attended the three day travel agent conference where there was obviously some registration and seminar materials.  When I attended the trade show portion I was extremely careful about the written materials I needed to bring home with me.  I passed up on countless opportunities to get pens, cups, every sort of logoed promotional items the vendors tried to stuff in my bags.  This also applied to the Cruise Holidays trade show in Puerto Rico.  Any new brochures can be ordered when I return home.

Past Cruise Holidays conventions were totally not thought of in the planning of this trip.  There is always agendas and new, important paperwork given to us which was all in a big box sitting on the bed on arrival to our stateroom.  Along with the program materials was an assortment of small gifts.  Every evening upon returning from dinner there was usually another gift or two from a preferred vendor.  Plastic tumblers, soaps & lotions, passport holder, bags and so forth.  This does not include the t-shirts we received for participating in the walk for breast cancer onboard the ship or the t-shirts and other souveneirs we purchased.

With two more nights to go I sure hope the gifts are small or perhaps a small suitcase.  Don’t laugh.  Back at the 2008 Cruise Holidays convention cruise we actually came back to the room to find a rolling suitcase small enough to be a carry-on.  Trouble today is the airlines would want an extra $50 as a second piece of luggage.

What am I going to do with all this stuff?

Until tomorrow,
Bon Voyage