Pack your Bags Friday Five

I'm preparing to pack my bags for the Big Event Three, and as I gather what I need I'm thinking about just that: what do I *need* to take with me? As a person who likes to pack light, I worry that in the end I may underpack and wish I had other things with me.  I own the gigantor version of the bag to the right, but my morbid fear of having it go astray and not get to the ship means I'm more likely to try to pack it all in a carry-on bag instead, especially since I have a very tight connection on the way to the cruise. But won't I be sorry if I don't bring _______________?

Thus writes my dear friend Songbird, who is about to set forth on the third RevGals BE...Can it really be 2 years since we embarked on the first one? That seems incredible in itself, without the added realisation that I've not used my posh suitcase, brought for the event and with Serious Travelling in mind, even once since. Holidays on Polyphony are only notionally concerned with the contents of the suitcase...the boat is very much home from home, and every bit as scruffy as the vicarage on a bad Sunday night, so packing has a rather different feel. But there was so much hope and excitement represented when I purchased my lovely pink suitcase...so I couldn't bear to miss out on the game....Here are Songbird's questions.

1) Some fold, some roll and some simply fling into the bag. What's your technique for packing clothes?
Does anyone need to ask? Do I sound like a careful packer?? Everything is flung in as best I can, then I generally sit on the lot to ensure that extra things can be accommodated...Don't know what I'd do if I were ever to go somewhere where formal wear was required at it would undoubtedly arrive resembling a dishcloth collection (it could be a problem even at home, actually...the only hint of a professional wardrobe is the presence of clergy shirts, and some of those are t shirt type)

2) The tight regulations about carrying liquids on planes makes packing complicated. What might we find in your quart-size bag? Ever lose a liquid that was too big?
Contact lens fluid is the issue for me...Last time I flew I was only using glasses, but now I'm back to a contact lens there might be all sorts of  issues arising. I've always TRIED to travel light, though, so quantities of liquid have never been on the agenda.

3) What's something you can't imagine leaving at home?
My beloved Nokia N97. Sad, isn't it. Once upon a time I would have said a journal and pens...and they still matter but.........connection is all!

4) Do you have a bag with wheels?
Said pink suitcase does indeed have wheels...and I was v grateful as I negotiated my way across America 2 years ago..and even more grateful as we trekked towards the ferry terminal in New Orleans. I also have a smaller, overnight sized, wheelie case which my m-i-l gave me some years ago, clearly hoping that sensible luggage might have an impact on the relative sense of her son's wife. Bit of a failure, that...

5) What's your favorite reading material for a non-driving trip (plane, train, bus, ship)?
Pretty much anything! I love that there's no possible guilt-factor in spending the journey time reading, though I do fret about running out of print...Clearly books need to be light in weight, but not necessarily in content. Coming home from BE1 I read all the Ann Lamott's that NOLA airport could supply, as I knew they'd be harder to find here. I do read alarmingly fast, so it's hopeless to try and take enough reading matter with me...thus I prefer to take books I won't miss if I have to discard them in order to have something fresh to read later on the journey. Can't remember what I actually took with me when I headed out 2 years ago, but suspect I left it on the ship, whatever it was..I try to read an English language newspaper from the country I'm visiting too - the Times of India was a regular delight during my time there...