Never ones for travelling tooooo light, like people we meet who have 4, 5 , 8 kilos in total.....the logistics of organising what clothing to take that covers climates ranging from cool - daily highs of only 13 - 15 o C in the UK....well that is what one website said, to the high 30's in other places, as well as the cultural expectations in Morocco that women have arms and necks covered and dress generally very staid....has taken some major thought.
Merino is a boon, we always take the small bottles for liquids, try not to overdo on trousers, one skirt, mix and match tops....this time really light as they are mostly long sleeved cotton, but featherweight, for Morocco. Swimming gear.... hmmmmm well I certainly can't get away with a little bikini! I actually weighed things on our kitchen scales when in doubt - the lightest won.
Just as an aside, I am watching a pair of tuis ( for those not from New Zealand - they are native , are a beautiful blue green and have a very loud bell like song ) having a ball in a tree outside my window. They are always so cute with their little white feather tufts under their chins.
Back to the packing......not my favourite part of travel. I had bought some bags where you can roll them up squeezing out the air and they act like a vacuum pack making your cloths really compact .Not a saver of weight but definitely helps with space. As they can be reused over and over while a little expensive....I think they are worth it.
It took a while deciding which jacket to take. It had to be light and warmish. It is old, but should work - a plain black jacket with a hood which will go over other warm clothes if need be.
I succumbed to good sense and removed my favourite better sandals. I can get away without them. So I now have runners, a better pair of sandals along with some Teva's and an old pair old shoes which I will throw away when the trip is over. The markets in Morocco sound like they may require old shoes.Definitely not sandals!
Sorting out the toiletries and pills, plasters and potions is another exercise in what is the least I can get away with. Especially since we can no longer take more than 100mls on board. As you will often be expected to put duty free liquids in your luggage in the hold if you have an ongoing flight it isn't worth the hassle any more. We rarely bother with duty free. There have been tiomes when we would have loved to take people some nice New Zealand wine..but it just doesn't work unless you have plenty of space and spare weight in your bags.
The backpack for on board has all the bits and pieces along with cameras, Ipad, books, and the odd things with nowhere to go or which need care as they are breakable - presents mostly.So they will be off loaded early in the trip!
I always take a Zeira Bag folded up for those extra bits that can't be squeezed into the luggage after a few weeks travelling. They are light, wear well and have straps that are long enough to carry over your shoulder. Thanks Zeira. You would be surprised at where your label has been toted around over the years.
When you see how little stuff we can get away with when we travel, it makes you wonder why we need to much at home when we don't need to be so disciplined.
Well......we are being picked up by the shuttle at 5.00am! So tonight will be a rare and unusual early one for me.Tomorrow is going to be a very long day. I found out yesterday it is a 3 hour train and taxi ride to Rowan and TOmoko's apartment.
Merino is a boon, we always take the small bottles for liquids, try not to overdo on trousers, one skirt, mix and match tops....this time really light as they are mostly long sleeved cotton, but featherweight, for Morocco. Swimming gear.... hmmmmm well I certainly can't get away with a little bikini! I actually weighed things on our kitchen scales when in doubt - the lightest won.
Just as an aside, I am watching a pair of tuis ( for those not from New Zealand - they are native , are a beautiful blue green and have a very loud bell like song ) having a ball in a tree outside my window. They are always so cute with their little white feather tufts under their chins.
Back to the packing......not my favourite part of travel. I had bought some bags where you can roll them up squeezing out the air and they act like a vacuum pack making your cloths really compact .Not a saver of weight but definitely helps with space. As they can be reused over and over while a little expensive....I think they are worth it.
It took a while deciding which jacket to take. It had to be light and warmish. It is old, but should work - a plain black jacket with a hood which will go over other warm clothes if need be.
I succumbed to good sense and removed my favourite better sandals. I can get away without them. So I now have runners, a better pair of sandals along with some Teva's and an old pair old shoes which I will throw away when the trip is over. The markets in Morocco sound like they may require old shoes.Definitely not sandals!
Sorting out the toiletries and pills, plasters and potions is another exercise in what is the least I can get away with. Especially since we can no longer take more than 100mls on board. As you will often be expected to put duty free liquids in your luggage in the hold if you have an ongoing flight it isn't worth the hassle any more. We rarely bother with duty free. There have been tiomes when we would have loved to take people some nice New Zealand wine..but it just doesn't work unless you have plenty of space and spare weight in your bags.
The backpack for on board has all the bits and pieces along with cameras, Ipad, books, and the odd things with nowhere to go or which need care as they are breakable - presents mostly.So they will be off loaded early in the trip!
I always take a Zeira Bag folded up for those extra bits that can't be squeezed into the luggage after a few weeks travelling. They are light, wear well and have straps that are long enough to carry over your shoulder. Thanks Zeira. You would be surprised at where your label has been toted around over the years.
When you see how little stuff we can get away with when we travel, it makes you wonder why we need to much at home when we don't need to be so disciplined.
Well......we are being picked up by the shuttle at 5.00am! So tonight will be a rare and unusual early one for me.Tomorrow is going to be a very long day. I found out yesterday it is a 3 hour train and taxi ride to Rowan and TOmoko's apartment.