Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Packing List

Here's what you need to pack if you are chaperone for the band trip to Florida.


A travel pillow for the 18-hour bus ride.
A travel pillow that exhorts you to enjoy yourself is a
plus.  When I saw this at Target, I knew it was the right one for me.

Six school-bus yellow shirts, one for each sweaty
day of the trip.  Hooray for the school colors!
Six black shorts, capris, jeans.
I may be wrong in my assumption that I will be able
to wear a clean, dry set of clothes each day.  But if I can,
I'm prepared to do so.

Many, many pairs of socks.
I'm actually taking twice this many.
I can almost hear my son's scoutmaster admonishing the scouts not to leave their feet in wet socks.  The scoutmaster was an avid proponent of wool socks. I ain't wearing no wool socks in Florida, but I am taking enough socks so that I have more than one pair per day.

After agonizing over the space they would take up, I also decided to take a second pair of shoes.  It is a travel rule of mine to always take at least two pairs of shoes, but space is very tight on this trip.



sun hats with brims for the skin-cancer prone chaperone
I scored that hat on the left at Kohl's.  It is a scrunchable, foldable hat with "moisture-wicking" (read sweat-sucking) properties AND a sunscreen rating of 50!  Yessss!

Snacks.  

The cookies are so I can score points with the clientele by passing out Keebler fudge grahams at just the right moment.  If I can find them, that is.


Herbal tea bags.
It is a dream of mine that I will have the time and the hot water to drink tea while relaxing at the hotel.  (I'll wait while you have a hearty laugh.) I've been practically living on herbal tea since two weeks ago.


Weather gear and other stuff
The problem with this stuff is that it doesn't fit in my allotted suitcase space.  I'm hoping they'll allow the band photographer a little leeway with luggage.


A day pack clearly identifying oneself as from the 'Burgh.
Burghers find each other all over the world. 
Nope.  Not taking any of this stuff.  And there better not be
 any when I get back.
I only have one pair of earplugs.  That could be a mistake.

8 comments:

Cassi said...

So many questions!

Are you expecting it to rain a lot? Or will you have wet feet from sweating?

Why have you been living on herbal tea for the last several weeks?

You are taking a bus to Florida? With a bunch of teens? I think you're going to need more than one pair of earplugs, and a stash of hard liquor!

Good luck --I'll be praying for your survival :-)

Alexia said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Alexia said...

I have experienced many bus trips with teenagers. Like Cassi, I think you will need earplugs - at least 1 pair a day (the little critters get lost easily). Better still, a pair of those noise-cancelling headphones. AND paracetamol for the headache.
Good luck - have a wonderful time!

Angie said...

Andrew went to Florida with the band twice. I was never brave enough to go along. Have a great time!

smalltownme said...

18 hours! 6 days! You are a saint.

Karen (formerly kcinnova) said...

I agree with Heidi -- you are a saint! You are also a better woman than me.
May there be plenty of dry socks, happy feet, precious moments with hot tea, and a whole lotta fun. Additionally, may there be NO blisters or sunburn!

Anonymous said...

I hope it was fun and memorable and painless!

The Crislers said...

Oh, wow. Wow. I can't believe you did this. I hope all the parents that didn't go went in together to get you a lovely "Thank God it's not us" gift for your service.

I am CRAZY about keeping my feet dry. I pack massive amounts of socks when traveling, but also must always, always have an extra pair in my purse at all times. Just in case.