Aah paradise! It’s where we live. I’m sure we have all taken the oath of allegiance to Miami Springs, which states in part, I will never reveal to someone who does not live here how magnificently unique and welcoming we are unless it’s a relative who I can tolerate living close to. The only thing better than living here is a short-term visit to another destination that for a short time, clears the mind from images of traffic and hopefully has some of the same strong café we are used to drinking.
When the sound of a jets overwhelms the squawking parrots, we want to jump on one (Not a parrot) and leave for a more serene destination. Living so close to the airport is a constant reminder of vacation bound travelers. OK, if we absolutely MUST leave the zip code, let’s go somewhere fantastic. Wait a minute here, we’ve got to pack.
‘Packing’ is different from the term ‘get packing’ which means you’re leaving, but not because you want to. For me, the worst part of vacation is packing. I’d rather go with what I’m wearing and buy 3 for $10 shorts and Tee shirts that have a slogan I would never wear at home. Everyone has their favorite clothing to wear on vacation. Maybe it includes those loud shorts and Hawaiian shirt you would never wear around town.
Some of those rules include not worrying about what or how much to eat. Even if you add an extra couple of pounds, no one will notice except your pants.
Some people like to start a few days prior to vacation making sure they think through the wardrobe process with different outfits each day. These are people who probably think it’s important when folding shirts to line up the buttons with their matching buttonholes. There are certain rules I follow when packing for vacation and I adhere to these rules like a fish rides a bicycle.
Part of that rule for men states that if an article of clothing becomes ripped or tattered you can wear it until people start asking if you’ve either joined a grunge band or are in the forefront of some new fashion trend. This does not apply to underwear which may be worn until it literally falls off. I personally had a favorite pair of Fruit of the Looms for so long the only thing left was a label still hanging on to a large rubber band. The grapes on what was left of the label weren’t the only things that were ripe. Don’t throw away useful items like this. You can start a new trend in headbands.
I allow 10 minutes of pack time for every week away.
If you, like I, know which drawer or cardboard box your underwear and socks are in and where your pants are thrown, packing’s a snap and you’ve got a leg up. It’s a wrinkled leg, but chances are no one will know you unless it’s a family function and they already know how badly you dress. Don’t disappoint them!
I don’t worry about how the clothes fit in the suitcase because I know the luggage handlers, if they’re your size, will pick and choose what they want and throw the rest back in, knowing you can’t tell if anything’s missing. The reason I know this is because when you see someone at the airline counter looking at you and talking into a communication device, they’re reporting to their friend in the baggage area, who also operates a vintage clothing store. After your trip, visit the vintage stores and you’ll pay up to 4 times the original price for those favorite shorts you once owned.
