Packing

To prepare for the trip, i have read 3 guide books. I would never have thought that planning a trip could be that educational. These books talked about how to plan an itinerary, what to see, where to stay etc etc. But one thing these guide books really enlightened me is TRAVEL LIGHT.

With the advices from Rick Steve's guidebooks and the travelite website, I am trying to just bring a carry-on bag for my trip. My top three challenges to travel light (as you may guess) are clothing, toiletries, and books.

Clothing. I allow myself to bring 4 shirts, 1 cardigan and 1 skirt (for occasions like concerts), 1 pair of shorts, 1 pair of pants. Against all the advise, I will be wearing jeans. The black fleece jacket is my security blanket that I always travel with, even in the Summer :P

Toiletries. It is actually a problem that has been solved, not by me, but by the latest flight regulations. Bringing liquid in carry-on luggage is strictly limited. So my boyfriend and i decided to bring little and buy most of what we need when we get to Europe. I guess that would be another European experience. (Or a globlization experience, i.e., P&G everywhere.)

Books. Hm... it is the biggest problem. I developed this habit of reading during travels about 2 trips back. It is amazingly rewarding for two reasons. One, you just don't notice time when you read, so waiting is much bearable. Two, reading during vacation is a license to break away from reading for works. I usually bring a book of a totally new area, adding a little spice to the trip.

For this trip (including my stay in Hong Kong), here they are:
The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Thanks Dustin for suggesting this book. I never have any special interests in any novel (including the famous Jinyong). But after hearing so much about this one, I decided to give it a try.



Present Pasts: Urban Palimpsests and the Politics of Memory. I don't know much about this book yet, but was attracted its topic: collective memory of three urban cities.




The Pig That Wants To Be Eaten: 100 Experiments for the Armchair Philosopher. This is a book of small stories. Each story is a never-have-a-good-solution thought experiment. Seems fun.



So here comes the problem. Although these three books are small paperbacks, they add up quickly. Plus the guidebooks and maps, they can be really heavy. Hm... with the goal of traveling light, i need to work harder on this area...