We are off on another road trip after a five day turn around upon returning from Alaska. Ginny spends days preparing for road trips because she has gifts to bring for friends we meet along the way. Believe me, she does a thorough job of this with checklists and such.

I am a little more laid back about it. I drive the car, that is my job. I stand back when Ginny is going through her frenzy because it is much safer that way. So what do I do to prepare for the trip? Assuming the laundry is up to date, I spend about an hour packing. I figure seven days worth of clothes is about right. We are always staying at places with laundry facilities. Doing laundry on the road is my job.

I have three items. In the large suitcase are all the clothes I need on a daily basis, my toiletries and pills. This is the bag that I take to the room. It is half full and pretty light. The small bag on the left contains all my dress-up clothes and my dress up shoes. It stays in the car mostly because we hardly gussie up for anything on these trips. This one includes a wedding, so nice clothes are a requirement. The one on the right contains my extra outdoor clothing like rain gear, spare hiking shoes, extra layers of fleece and the like. It mostly stays in the car. So in the end, the only personal item I normally shlep to the room is the big suitcase. Of course there are other items that have to go to the room like the computer, two small coolers for food and water (and beer), Ginny's pillows, a bag of food and Ginnys personal suitcase and ancillary things. We have this down to a routine which works well for us.

BTW - the Shiner Bock box you see in the photo is full of stuff, not beer. I really don't like Shiner Bock. My go-to beer for trips is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.