Packing

Packing has become a bit tricky unless you want to spend a fortune on baggage charges. Delta Airline charges $15 for the first checked bag and $25 for the second bag, each way. There are size and weight limitations for both. The checked bag must be less than 50 lbs and less than 62 inches of dimension. So far, the carry-on is free, but must be less than 40 lbs. We are going to go with one carry-on and one checked bag each.

On a normal trip, we would be able to go with just a carry-on, but for 60 days going to climates from the equator to the sub-arctic of southern New Zealand, it takes a bunch of different clothes. Of course, I need my own snorkel mask with the glasses inside and my own fins and snorkel. Naturally, I am taking both the tux and the white dinner jacket, so that takes up a lot of volume, especially the dress shoes. But I will be elegant on formal nights. I wonder what Libby is taking?

After the experience on the South America trip (everybody got sick and the pharmacy ran completely out of supplies less than halfway into the trip), we are also taking an extra-well-stocked bag of remedies and over the counter medication. Not enough, if it goes like that again. This time it is the swine flu scare, so we can't guess what to expect.

We will have many, many sea days for reading. Some ships have a good library and some are pathetic. I don't want to have to rely on the ship's library, so I am taking about 8 pounds of books.

We have it all in the suitcases and they are right on the edge of the weight limits. If we wear the clothes and get dirt on then, we may be over the weight limit coming back.

If we buy any souvenirs, we expect to mail them back from American Samoa. I think those "fixed rate boxes" that the post office is advertising can be mailed from there. We shall see. It might be cheaper to get another suitcase and pay the excess baggage charge

Now to get on with the last minute details.