Which now has to be slimmed down and organised into just these boxes and the built-in cupboards.
Even my duplicates have duplicates 🙄 🙄 🙄.
I know why I have baggage-bloat: starting with a large caravan and a large car it was easy to include something "just in case", follow this up with a modified delivery van with living space about twice that of my bathroom and it continued to be easy to add items "just in case". This time around everything has to be carefully selected, something I absolutely know I will use and if possible, be capable of serving two purposes.
I am trying to be more realistic: it is not as if I will be travelling for months into a consumer-free wilderness. In the UK I am unlikely to be out of reach of a shop for more than 48 hours, even if it is a tiny, local store in the Highlands (in which case, putting a bit more money into the local economy is a Very Good Thing). I do NOT need to carry quite so much spare kitchen paper, loo roll, washing up liquid and all the other detritus which seemed like such a good idea and was never, ever used.
And I really need to get the inside of the house cleared up so that I can relax (and before the piles of "stuff" and chaos completely overwhelm me).
Looks as if you were well prepared for any and all eventualities!
ReplyDeleteTBH Sue, it's not me - more than half of the 'just in case' stuff has been added by Spousal Unit who spends far too much time imaging scenarios that are never going to materialise and insists I take all sorts of junk to mitigate the not-going-to-happen. With so much storage available in Bill it was always easier to say "yes dear" and just bung things in the back of a cupboard.
DeleteI once got on an overnight sleeper to Fort William with nothing more than a bottle of brandy and a packet of Marlboro. I remember being absolutely fine when I got off the train and went straight into Nevis Sports for their biggest fried breakfast. These days I neither smoke or drink but I am quite sure I can survive in a small van. 🥰
You took an ironing board with you?! ;-) Sorry Jayne, I'm being facetious, couldn't resist. I don't (well, rarely) even iron at home, let alone in the van. Good luck with slimming down to just the bare essentials.
ReplyDeleteI could have done Sue - there was room! Like you, clothes never (rarely) see an iron in this house but the board is permanently up for my sewing.
DeleteI've a similar problem when packing whenever we have a UK holiday. I pack us both a full suitcase, yet you can guarantee husband will wear the same shorts & tee shirt all week!!! I'm sure you'll feel more organised after your colossal clear out.
ReplyDeleteSame here - with a big wardrobe in Bill I always took so many more clothes than necessary, my excuse being in this country I might need a T shirt one day and full waterproofs the next! In general I reckon I used to wear 25% - 30% of what I took 🙄 🙄.
DeleteI'm guessing those three larger boxes fit neatly under the rear facing seats in the new van, what a good idea. I think travelling lighter and just having the necessary and a few treats and emergency items is the way to go for your new adventures, it's not as if you are going to Outer Mongolia or anywhere too distant is it.
ReplyDeleteI know when we go on holiday now we always travel REALLY lightly. In fact the two of us had only 15kg of weight in one suitcase when we went for our ten day holiday now that we are used to living more minimally. We were asked so many times if there was another suitcase!
Absolutely right Sue, very well spotted. I have spent much of today emptying all those bags and boxes and once surplus and duplicates have been returned to the house 'stores' I'm looking at what is left and don't think I am going to have too much of a problem fitting it in. If I get stuck I will call on you (being my World Expert and Olympic Champion when it comes to identifying unnecessary junk!)
DeleteYou certainly didn't travel light. I'm sure when you've packed all the essentials for your trips away in your new van you'll manage perfectly well.
ReplyDeleteTaking less with me, taking up less space on the road, of course I will manage - you can get Tilly to check that I have done things properly when I finally get down to North Wales 🐾 💚.
DeleteWhen we caravanned with kids there was an awful lot of stuff - just in case - now in the van with just him and I (and Moss of course!) and we barely take anything - same ethos as you - here in the uk there is a shop on every corner and even up in the highlands you can find a corner! xxxx
ReplyDeleteYou are right dear Kate - the more we travel the more we discover how little is actually necessary.
DeleteAnd the little shops - I still remember/dream/fantasise about a tiny little cafe in north east Scotland where I had what is probably the best coffee & pastry of my life. If I relied solely on what could be packed into the van I would have missed that experience.
Please don't ' put away' all that stuff in the house, sell it or take it to a charity shop....it was never needed at home 🙂
ReplyDeleteI have started camping with friends and have a hatchback car which I can set up to sleep in. That's travelling light !
Hello Margaret, welcome and thank you for taking the time to comment 🙂 I have an ever-growing pile of (mostly) caravan items which will be going on Gumtree when I have some breathing space and there is actually surprisingly little being added to it from the campervan.
DeleteCar camping ~really~ impresses me with the ingenuity and how people adapt cars.
There's being prepared, then there's really being prepared :) (I'm exactly the same!) I don't envy you having to decide what needs to go. X
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty much done Jules - once I decided to "get on with it" the job was fairly straightforward, and surprisingly little ended up jettisoned. Blue Bus may be small but she has way more storage than I realised :-)
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