It is supposed to be the trip of a lifetime.
This lifetime of fun, however, has to managed on 50 pounds of luggage.
In spite of the fact that you will be visiting some spectacular sites thousands of miles from home, you are limited to a 50 pound suitcase. And even though you will be traveling for 18 days, you have to plan so that those 50 pounds of clothes, toiletries, and travel gear cannot exceed the wight limit. Fashion accessories like wide leather belts, comfortable walking exotic dress shoes and high end leather dress shoes for a night out on the town can be taken only if they fit within the weight limits.
As you packed and planned, rearranged and reorganized, you had a difficult time reaching the goal. It was difficult to pack for the variety of locations you would be visiting. Considering that you will be visiting a number of religious sites on the trip, having the right clothes is especially important. Consider the challenge of the visit that departs from Shreveport, Louisiana, and includes stops in Copenhagen, Denmark, and a day trip to Sweden:
- A walk along the Stroget, through Nyhaven, visiting the Amelienborg Palace, the Kastellet, and the Little Mermaid.
- A tour of the Rosenborg Slot Castle, a climb to the top of the Round Tower, a tour the National Museum and the Carlsberg Glyptotech, and an evening at Tivoli Gardens.
- Attend a lecture by the pagan leader Torfinn to understand Paganism in Denmark.
- Visit to Copenhagen Christian Center and a tour of the city?s ?Heavenly Days? activities, followed by a visit to the Kunstmuseum.
- Attend lecture and meditation at Diamond Way Buddhist Center before visiting the Danish Museum of Design and St. Ansgar?s Museum.
- Guided walking tour of Jewish Copenhagen and the Jewish Museum, as well as a visit to Copenhagen Cathedral and Sankt Petri Kirke.
- Visit and tour Islamic Center and Davids Samling Collection of Islamic Art.
- Train ride to Roskilde to visit the Viking Museum, the Roskilde Domkirke, the Roskilde Museum, and the Museum for Contemporary Art.
- Visit to Fredricksborg Slot and take a canal tour.
- Train ride north to Hesingnore Castle, including a visit to Louisiana Museum of Art.
In addition to all of the listed activities, your 50 pounds of luggage have to also provide you the correct clothing to for a tour and lecture at Shia Mosque. The females are asked to dress conservatively, and to be prepared to cover their hair with a scarf.
A wide variety of travel visits and several stops at local worship locations are included in the 18 day trip. As you spend more time looking over the itinerary you realize that the focus of your 50 pounds of luggage needs to be on clothing that will transfer easily from worship settings to lots of walking. And while you started with lots of accessories and extras, you have eliminated most of the items except the most basic. One wide leather belt in black and one wide leather belt in brown will be versatile enough to make the trip, but the luxury Italian shoes will not. Functioning on comfort and function, you make your way closer to the weight limitation.
And while it so tempting to take a couple of different pairs of leather shoes intended for walking, in reality, one pair should be enough. And even though the trip with members of your church will be a fun exploration of faith systems in another part of the country, you also hope to make some professional connections within the group. With this in mind, the packing choices become even more important. You know, for instance, that psychology studies reveal that first impressions are formed within seven to 17 seconds of meeting someone. You also know that as much as 55% of a person’s opinion of you can be determined by your physical appearance. You have always been good at putting together an outfit that makes a great first impression, but this trip will require you to make those positive choices for three weeks in a row. And, those items need to be impressive right out of the suitcase.
With the weight limit finally met, you hope that the quality wide leather belts and the comfortable leather walking shoes will fit the bill!
