There are many people out there who travel extensively and are no stranger to long journeys. This is not my case!
The longest cruise I’ve taken previously was five days to Cozumel and back to Galveston! And the funny thing is that I packed two suitcases full of stuff that I really didn’t need for just five days!
My 41 day cruise on April 21 will be on the Mariner of the Seas (Royal Caribbean Cruises International) from Galveston to Singapore. It’s really three cruises tied up in one! RCCI is repositioning the ship to Singapore.
From the time plans began for this journey of a lifetime, many questions started to gnaw at me: What to pack? How to secure things at home? Visas? Mail? Jewelry? And everything in between!
Because we will fly back to Houston from Singapore, and only two checked 50-lb bags are allowed, I see a dilemma. If I packed two suitcases for a five-day cruise, how in the world will I pack for 41 days in just those same two bags?
I feel good about checking the following things off my list of worries:
Visas – Our good friends at Kingwood Travel helped us get our visas from India, which was the only visa required. Our passports will do just fine for all the other stops. The India visa can also be requested online.
Jewelry – That one is easy because all I have to do is bring a bunch of costume baubles and leave the good stuff at home! Done.
Leave the good stuff at home and bring costume jewelry – check!
Mail – Just go online and place a request to hold the mail until I return. Check.
Security at home – Family, friends and neighbors will help out with that problem, along with a security system. Done.
Pets – Don’t have one at this time, so that worked out good. Whew!
The category of “Everything in between” means all the little things — like updated wills, pool service, newspapers picked up off the driveway…this list goes on and on…BUT,
How to pack for a 41-day cruise – THIS IS MY DILEMMA! Do I use the two regular suitcases and one carry-on bag or do I switch to two large fabric bags that will save 10 lbs. each for extras on the flight home? Hmmm…this could be a good idea. Also, we have a full day in Singapore before we catch our flight back. We can check our bags but what to do with the carry-on bag? No one wants to tote along a carry-on bag while touring a new city. I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
In the meantime, if anyone has suggestions, please let me know! Bon voyag-ee!
(Look for Trilla’s Travels link in The Tribune soon!
Trilla's Travels 
Cool blog!
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Thanks, Cindy! I love your blog, too – keep up the good work! I’m having fun with this and hope I’ll be blogging the entire way to Singapore.
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Neat! I once traveled to Europe with a couple of friends for 3 weeks and packed everything I needed in a backpack which I carried on the plane. Part of my guide was Rick Steeve’s book. I think it was called, “Guide to Europe.” I used baby shampoo to wash body, hair, my clothes. I washed the clothes in the sink at the hotels and then hung them up to dry. My clothes were rolled and then placed in large plastic zip bags. Believe it or not, it all fit. Of course, this was 1996, pre-9-11.
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Sounds like an awesome trip, Janis!
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