One suitcase, one backpack

Yes, the picture (above) was taken in PyeongChang, where I will be spending the majority of my trip. And yes, I'm constantly being warned to be prepared for (and I quote) "a kind of cold that no one raised in Southern California would ever imagine".

When I travel, I challenge myself to take the least amount of things possible. This includes clothes, electronics, toiletries, etc. One of the reasons I love Lee Child's character, Jack Reacher*, so much is that he travels with the absolute bare minimum (a foldable toothbrush in his pocket... that is all). Admittedly, I will never travel that light (I love my toys too much) but, I am getting better at it. 

One suitcase and one backpack is the goal for this trip. 

This morning, I learned that our hotel has laundry service, which will make packing easier. Though a bit on the pricey side, I really believe utilizing hotel laundry is worth it if it means that I can pack less. With the clothes, toiletries, and boots I think I'll be able to make the one suitcase a reality. 

One backpack should work too. If you know me, you know one of my peeves is "carrying things". Even though I do, in fact, like "things" (I'm complicated. Duh). In addition to my laptop, camera, and tablet** there's plenty of room for the other odds and ends including an extra jacket and small toiletry kit for the 12 hr flight. 

The one item I am dreading "carrying", yet know I will absolutely appreciate having with me? The humongous parka that I bought from Columbia. This jacket is a system. Seriously, there are so many different configurations for this thing that there's even a little instruction booklet that came with it. I haven't read all the way through it but, I think I can also turn it into a tent for summer camping. I wonder if Korean Air is going to charge me an extra baggage fee for it. 

*Books good, movie bad. Later books not as good as early books but, the series is still worth checking out if you haven't already.