Who would ever think that traveling to wonderful places could cause me stress; me, the organized maven (or so my family and friends think.) Well, I have felt some major stress in the past few months and I would like to address some of the things that got to me, in the hopes that if I write about them and you read about them, maybe you will plan a little differently.

I have written in the past about the challenges of travel. Last month, in Organized Travel – Part 1, I thought I had brought out most of the concerns to be dealt with once they were identified. It still wasn’t the answer! Part of learning to be organized and prepared for a trip is just to go on the trip and make mistakes. Hopefully, my mistakes will make you better prepared for your next venture.

First of all, I made a big mistake when I embarked on an eight-day trip to Europe with a suitcase packed to the gills with my clothes, etc. In an effort to take the smallest luggage possible for the time I would be gone, I absolutely forgot about all of the gifts and souvenirs I would want to purchase. The case I packed was neatly organized and everything got to London with a minimum of wrinkles. I hadn’t even forgotten anything (which always is my fear – even though my husband reminds me that there are stores wherever we are going.) There was only one problem. Within the first two days in London, I had purchased bulky sweatshirts from The British Museum for my kids and a velour shirt for myself at the theater where we enjoyed a wonderful play. This was my first panic – how was I supposed to get these three bulky items into my suitcase when it was packed so tightly in the first place? So, I learned Lesson #1: Take a suitcase that is larger than your needs. Leave yourself a little room for expansion because you will need it.

In addition to taking a larger piece of luggage, drop into the bottom of your case a folded tote that you’re sure you won’t need. Just do it! I didn’t, but fortunately my friend of 40 years (this was the reason for our celebratory trip) brought an extra tote and was kind enough to loan it to me to get all the “stuff” home at the end of the trip.

So, here we were in London with another six days of travel ahead of us and still more goodies to buy when we got to Paris. I really was panicked and emailed my husband to expect to see me get off the plane looking like a draft-horse! I could just see myself trying to manage my purse, my one travel bag allowed on the plane and totes falling off my arms. The trip ended almost that way, except that I realized when I was packing to come home that I could roll T-shirts and stick them in the corners as they were only coming home to be laundered anyway. I was able to pack quite a few things in the suitcase, but only after stewing about it for several days before I had to actually pack for the return trip.

Now, for a few tips on my purse, carry-on and some of the clothes choices. I thought I was so smart to limit myself to three two-piece outfits with lots of T-shirts. The weather had been forecasted for very cool days and evenings. All was well until it turned unseasonably warm with bright sunshine (lucky for us and I thank the weather gods for that) and I found I was sweltering much of the time. So, I walked around most of the time with my jacket tied around my waist. A better choice, I think, would have been to take three outfits of different weights, hoping to outsmart the weatherman. Next time, I’ll know better.

Much discussion was held prior to the trip about whether to carry a purse, a back pack or a fanny pack. Here’s the consensus of opinions. A back-pack evenly distributes the weight and can hold the camera, extra film, water bottle(s), maps, money and treasures purchased while sightseeing. The down side of the back pack is that you are more vulnerable to someone stealing something from you. While we didn’t see any evidence of anyone’s belongings being compromised, we were warned in the travel literature and by our guides to always be aware of “who was watching us.” I personally chose the purse route; taking with me a bag that distributed the weight off of my shoulder. It made me feel more secure, knowing my purse was under my arm most of the time. It did get filled with maps and a water bottle and the camera and got pretty heavy at times. I decided that if I ever used a back pack, it would have a zipper compartment on the back side (up against my body) where I would be very aware if anyone was trying to get inside. My friend had her passport, credit card, driver’s license, medical insurance card and money in her fanny pack. She was quite comfortable with such a little container. I, on the other hand, being the organized person I am, had to carry all the other stuff, including Kleenex, a pen, makeup, etc. Heaven forbid we should need anything that I didn’t have with me. I’m sure some of you (especially moms) can identify with that.

Before I left for Europe, I did get about $100 worth of Euros. It was a really good idea because the first thing I wanted when I got off the plane (and the last thing I wanted before I got on the plane to return to the states) was a bottle of water.

Hopefully, I’ve given some good ideas to those of you who are traveling this summer (or who know someone else who is traveling). The blessing this month would be the one our family says to each other: “Go and come back in good health.” That kind of covers everything.

Have a good trip!

Nancy Kalef is the retired owner of “Let’s Get Organized.” and formerly went to clients’ homes to organize their closets, cupboards and paperwork. She may be reached on her email at NancyKalef@comcast.net.