PACKING!

Something has changed winthin our travel psyche.  I dont know if it's pre-menopausal, post-middle age or just the whole approaching 50 thing.  Perhaps it has nothing to do with age, maybe we have just become lazy! But we are definitely packing differently!

For the 21 years we've been together, before each trip we have stuffed our gear into a couple of reliable back packs & lugged them from one place to another, always able to find somewhere to squeeze that little bit more into them as we go.

Now, all of a sudden, we are packing clothes into suitcases...with wheels on them! What's more, they arent OUR suitcases, we are borrowing them... from our CHILDREN!

 And safety seems to have become an issue.  I am sure that every guide book for every place in the world, warns against pickpockets. Like bugs they're everywhere, but for some reason, my brain has sat up & taken, not only notice, but action this time! In respect of my detestation for 'money belts' &  'around- the-neck-under-the-shirt' pouches, I have latched onto the Pacsafe brand of security friendly travel luggage!

They claim to be thief-proof!

Hmmm, I find myself a tad pessimistac about that, but they certainly have many attractive features. So much so, that I have bought both a metro bag & a wallet!  The wallet being attachable to the metro bag with a chain, so that any little fingers who attempt to grab & run, wont get it very far...without dragging me along with them!!! (Could be an adventure in itself...for both parties!)  I have been trying these out for the past few days & aside from getting tangled up in the chain and confused about what zipper undoes which compartment only to find...oh, it's velcro anyway, I am actually quite pleased with my purchase!

  Another pleasant attribute has been how much money I have saved by buying on line! This gets us into a whole new subject about the role of shops in the future. Something keenly on Adelaidean minds at the moment, as the mega bookstore, Borders, closes down. It cant compete with internet book selling! I confess, that I saw these bags online, then went into 4 different bag shops to specifically see what my chosen few were like in real life!  THEN, I bought on line & saved $100! A significant amount of money to me!  Perhaps shops in future will be more like show rooms, where we can touch & feel before buying on line! Well...thats my serious spot of contemplation for the day!

In the meantime, we have our wheelie-suitcases, our thief proof bag & wallet, a lap top, ipod & mobile phones and...oh, my goodness...we've become YUPPIES!