So What Do You Pack For "Round The World"?

 What To Pack?

Allison has been worrying about this for months. There is no easy answer. If you look at the countries and climates for the trip, bearing in mind we spend a lot of time in the Southern Hemisphere, followed by India, Africa, and the Mediterranean - the answer is the typical "dress in layers." The coldest place we'll visit will likely be San Francisco in about 2 weeks (I hope). However, we've still packed a blend of shorts and sundresses, many t-shirts with a collection of light sweaters, and a couple of heavier hoodies. Plus, of course, the obligatory raingear. It's further complicated for Allison as when we visit the Middle East, she'll need to be covered up from wrist to neck when we visit some of the historical/religious sites. 

It all seemed like a great excuse to go shopping!

Fortunately, we didn't have to lug all the suitcases and clothes from Philadelphia to Miami. Regent arranges a pickup service and will collect four (4) suitcases ahead of time and ship them down directly to your cabin. Absolute lifesaver. However, with the holidays, we needed to have them ready by December 21st, more than two weeks ahead of time. 

I'm writing this during a break from unpacking the suitcases. So far, we have enough room to store everything. Three major wins are 

1. The magnetic hooks we bought, as they stick on the walls and provide extra hanging space for small things or documents.

2. Extension cords / USB multi-outlets. There are only a limited number of electrical outlets in your room, so power and device charging locations can be in short supply. For an added bonus, you can bring a European 2-pin adaptor (as they have those in every cabin) and get even more outlets.

3. A fold-up laundry hamper. We get free cleaning services, so bringing a small hamper to tuck away in the closet makes storing the dirty garments easier and giving them to Nishan, our butler, for cleaning. At least - that is the plan. 

Tonight, we have a gala dinner where we can meet all of our fellow RTWs. We met some last night at the hotel at a drinks reception and breakfast this morning. 

Featured entertainment is The Commodores. More on that tomorrow. 


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