The O F's Guide to Luggage

Luggage. What to take? It's summertime in merry old England but that can be a decidedly mixed bag with regards to the weather. Layering is the answer to what to wear in any season. My layering plan is: tee shirt, shirt, jumper and lightweight waterproof jacket—take off or put on as required. Throw in a second set of the above (excluding jacket), an extra pair of jeans and a week's worth of underwear and I'm done. 

Well, almost. Because I'm going to be swanning around at Oxford doing a summer school for a week, I need to take a not-so-casual outfit or two (jeans not allowed in the dining hall). That means I'll also need to take a pair of dressy shoes and maybe some jewellery… A good thing Singapore Airlines have increased their baggage allowance to 30kg!

The clothes are the easy bit, it's the electronic devices that drive one to distraction. Let's see, there's the Kindle, the iPad, the notebook computer, wifi hotspot, 2 cameras, the sat nav and the mobile phone. Add the chargers and the USB connectors and you start to look like you're a travelling salesman for JB Hifi.

Then there's the various cards: credit card, travel card, senior's card, National Trust card, insurance card, driver's licence, Medicare card…

Add to that all the sundry items that must be carried, which for me includes my folding bike and associated paraphernalia, and it adds up to a substantial inventory.

So, how to keep track of it all? I'm sure you have your own patented method of luggage control but here, for interest's sake, is mine:

Number 1: Write list of bags to be packed, then colour-coded on computer for easy ID

My list:

Bike bag — pink (checked luggage)

Sports bag — black (checked luggage)

Computer bag — green (carry-on)

Small shoulder bag — red (carry-on)

Bum bag — turquoise (wearing)

Number 2: Write down each item in each bag using their colour code.

Number 3: Print out colour-coded list and keep with most secure items (eg: credit cards).

If the worst happens and my bags are lost or stolen, I'll know exactly what was in them.

I can hear loud guffawing from younger readers, but we O Fs like the belt and bracers approach to life. So, while others are rummaging through their bags wondering just where they put that pair of nail scissors/clothesline/packet of asprin, I'll be laying my hand right on the required item. And when it comes to repacking, I'll know just where it fits. And I'll have a handy guide for my next Big Adventure. 

In fact, this list is recycled from my last B A, the blog of which can be viewed here.