Ben’s suitcase is almost as small as a carry-on. There’s enough space for a few t-shirts and board-shorts, a light jacket, and a pair of pants. Underwear and socks can fit in the side pockets, and a pair of flip-flops can be snugged in-between the clothes. If organized correctly, a zippered pouch with hygiene items can fit underneath the board-shorts or the jacket.
Yet there’s so much more he’d like to take… He’s still not used to reading digital books, so a few paperbacks would be nice. Perhaps a button down shirt would be a good idea in case there’s an event in town, and let’s not forget the benefits of packing a good pair of hiking shoes! Apart from that he still has to think of other people. Wouldn’t his aunt enjoy a loaf or two of his mother’s ‘world-famous’ banana bread? And wouldn’t his cousins appreciate it if he brought them some of the new demos he got at work?
That’s the issue with being a chronic last minute packer: all the planning goes out the window when you’ve got less than 25 minutes to get a grip on things before knowing you’ll definitely miss your flight. Instead of focusing on the issue at hand though, Ben’s increasingly more stressed about when the cab will arrive or if there’ll be long security lines. But I’ll let you in on a little secret… all of that is in vain! He’s about to get a phone call asking him if he’s already landed, and realize he’d actually booked an earlier flight.
- How far in advance do you typically pack for a trip?
- Have you ever missed a flight? What was it like?
