I resent every single piece of clothing that I pack and end up not using, and I regret every forgotten piece of clothing that would have made my trip better. This time, it looks like the coat was surplus to requirements and a cardigan would have been a more useful choice.
I keep questioning why I am having these problems with packing (please God don’t let it be early-onset dementia) because when I packed for work all those years ago I was like a well-oiled machine. There was no list-making, no agonizing over choices, no missing items. It was because packing for work travel was easy: one suit with an extra pair of pants (trousers), three blouses, a pair of jeans and two casual tops, pjs, and two pairs of shoes: one dress, one casual – all in one color palette. Inclement weather didn’t matter as I was taking taxis; toiletries were easy because I kept a full make-up bag all ready with seconds of make-up samples and miniature bottles.
And I don’t really know why it bugs me so much – it doesn’t need to be perfect – silly me.
On the whole, I did pack fairly well for this trip – I was commenting to my sisters (via Messenger) on the Captain’s welcome evening that there were some lovely gowns and dresses, and it was nice to see so many men in formal kilts or tartan trews (trousers), but that the key take-away from the evening was that I had the nicest shoes on the boat. And really, what else matters?