Cautionary Tales of Packing

I just checked the temperature in Newcastle and the high today is 61 degrees so pack your jackets. Speaking of packing (and as a late minute packer I hate to say this), but plan carefully. We are allowed two suitcases, but the weight limit per suitcase is 50 pounds and it is being enforced. One of our daughters just returned from a study trip to Mexico, and her suitcase weighed in at 52.5 pounds. Her choice was either to pay a $50.00 overweight charge for the extra 2.5 pounds or to remove items from her suitcase and somehow fit them into her carry on. She said that everyone around her was well acquainted with what her underwear looked like before she finished the repacking!

On a similar note, I was at the St. Cloud airport last week (I spend my free time just hanging out there!) and a person came in who was traveling to Indonesia. The first suitcase was weighed and I heard the clerk say $50, then the second was weighed and she said that will be $100 total. To make a long story short, both suitcases were overweight so it cost the passenger $100 to take them. So if you plan to travel heavy, be prepared to pay the price.

As we have mentioned, there will be laundry facilities at the Castle, so don't try to pack something clean to wear for each day. Dark colors are great--you can wear them a lot longer without needing to launder unless you have a major mishap.

I'm off to e-mail our friends in Newcastle to get an update on what the weather patterns have been. I'll pass along their information to assist in your packing planning.

23 days and counting...