As I made my way from the garage parking lot at San Antonio International Airport to the terminal, a couple held the door on the elevator for me. They noticed I was almost to the elevator and opted to wait for me. I thanked them and said: "The next major challenge for me is to remember where I parked when I return." The guy laughed and said: "I know what you mean."
Actually, I stood to the side as they got out of the elevator. Stepping out behind them, I noticed the size of their luggage. They had three very large suitcases with rollers and a smaller bag the man carried in his hand. I made the comment: "You guys are definitely not traveling light.
The guy raised the bag in his hand and said: "This one is mine. The rest are hers." The woman responded: "We are going on an Alaskan cruise." In the conversation that ensured, I said that my wife and I went on an eighteen-day cruise years ago, and that we didn't travel light either. When the cruise was over, we discovered that over half of what we had taken with us was not needed.
I added something my youngest grandson said to me when he was five-years-old. With the wisdom of his Marine Corps' dad, he said: "It is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it."
The lady said, "I need to write that down. That is exactly the way I think." The couple looked like they were probably in their late 30s. I can't imagine that they really needed that much luggage. With the temperatures Texas has experienced over the summer, I can definitely understand how a trip to Alaska could be on the bucket list for any number of people.
For the most part, I opted to travel light for my travels to D.C. yesterday. Obviously, dress shoes are a must to visit Capitol Hill. Interestingly, I've noticed more than one younger guy wearing a suit, tie and dress shoes without socks in the waiting area of legislator's offices. Whether they saw that in GQ Magazine, I don't know. I do know that bare feet in dress shoes looks uncomfortably strange. How's that for making a value judgment?
Dress shoes would have been out of place for the casual slacks I opted to wear for travel yesterday. Consequently, I packed my dress shoes in the suitcase. I had set aside casual shoes to wear yesterday. On second thought, if I wanted to wear shorts during the evening, tennis shoes would work better. I could wear low-cut socks that just cover the foot and didn't extend up the ankle. I could later change the slacks for shorts and still a have appropriate footwear.
Traveling light is something I really want to do. When I first started traveling to D.C. on a regular basis, it wasn't uncommon for me to pack three suits. Now I try to get by with one if possible. For years I've fantasized about taking a cross-country trip in the Miata. Of course, if I ever do that, it will be a solo experience. The General doesn't enjoy riding with the top down, and failure to do that would take the fun out of driving.
I figure that I can minimize using luggage by simply folding clothing and leaving it in trunk. Most suitcases are too large to fit anywhere but in the passenger's seat in the Miata. Consequently, any excursion I subsequently take will have to be traveling light.
All My Best!
Don
No comments:
Post a Comment