The Travel Bag

I love to travel. Seeing new places, trying new foods, experiencing new things... I love it all. But even deeper, there's just an excitement that comes with going somewhere, anywhere. I love it when Seth and I throw an overnight bag in the car and take off on a roadtrip, even if it's to a place we've been a dozen times before. 

When I was a kid, I used to practice packing the perfect "essential travel bag," all the things I would need if I suddenly found my eleven-year-old self on my own and living a life of adventure (I blame that on books like The Boxcar Children and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, with a little Nancy Drew thrown in for good measure). I mean, any person with a good head on their shoulders knows that they should always be prepared, right? Back then my essential items were usually packed in a magenta nylon backpack. I've upgraded the bag since then, but the content list is surprisingly similar even when I travel today.

Here's my "grownup" travel bag. It's nice and roomy, slouchy yet sturdy. It works equally well on a plane, sightseeing, or going to a restaurant.

A closeup:

And here's what goes inside:

 

1. Small makeup bag (including a great little travel-sized set of MAC makeup brushes)
2. Leather-bound notebook/dayplanner
   
3. Journal
   
4. DS with games (plus this amazing little cartridge called "100 Classic Book Collection" - everything from Austen to Shakespeare - perfect for long flights!)
5. Ipod

I also throw in my wallet/passport, camera, a small first aid kit (Sea Bands, bandages, pain reliever, pepto bismol chewables and such), and usually a magazine. Since most of our trips now are by plane, a scarf/wrap also goes a long way. (For international flights, I add an extra shirt/unmentionables, just in case our checked bags don't make it, which has happened on more than one occasion!) It's all pretty much second nature to me now; I can throw together a bag like nobody's business. 

Seth and I are really blessed in that we have the opportunity to travel fairly often. Sometimes it's to big cities like Bangkok or Hong Kong; other times it's to little villages in rural China. But no matter where we go, I see it as an adventure to be had. And I know that I'm prepared for anything, as long as my trusty travel bag is by my side!