It’s the “What-Ifs” That Makes Suitcases Heavy

My husband and I are in Braga, Portugal, and as we decided at the Porto airport whether to take a low-cost bus or an Uber that costs a little more, the decision was made by the fact that we have six pieces of luggage or bags. This meant we called a Uber, rather than having to wrestle with all of that luggage when traveling from the bus station to our Airbnb rental, because we didn’t know how far we’d have to walk from the bus station.

Last year, we traveled with only four bags: two carryons and two personal bags. But because we are staying for two months to find a place to rent for our visa application, I thought I had to be prepared for whatever may happen. So, we packed a separate large suitcase with the extra that “may” be needed, as if there are no stores in Portugal. Plus, our daughter asked for certain items that couldn’t be found in Portugal where she now lives that necessitated bringing the larger suitcase. And my husband now has a CPAP machine, which is not counted as one of the allowed number of bags.

Because we had to bring the bigger bag to carry all of the goodies requested for the family, I decided to add extra clothes and minimize going to the launderettes, which is what we did last year, about once a week. However, when we took a day trip to Porto to see family before we, both over age 74, start traveling all around Portugal, I realized that walking for twenty minutes to the train station in Braga, over cobbled-stone streets, would be a major problem.

So, I will be finding another way to travel from northern Portugal to the Algarve in southern Portugal. Any extra expense will be worth it, because my poor back is already suffering. This is the first trip made since I had back surgery in November, and the back is not happy with walking and hauling so much weight. As I sat on the train from Braga to Porto, I decided that, as the navigator of our trips, I will be on the computer finding options that will allow me to enjoy the trip minus the pain patches, ibuprofen, and Voltaren gel. Next year, I will remember that I can’t let the “what-ifs” dictate my packing.