I’m on the beach

It’s one of those damp, grey and chilly Sunday afternoons where my mind wanders to travels past – and future.

I dreamt last night that I was back on the beach in Sitges. It was another beautiful summer’s day and I was just wandering down the shoreline, ankle-deep in the water. The sun was incredibly hot and the water really, really cold on my feet. The experience felt incredibly realistic, even though there wasn’t another person on the beach.

Which, for Platja dels Balmins, is incredibly unrealistic. 

Anyway, there was nothing more to the dream than that. A lovely walk along a familiar beach. I woke up smiling and feeling great – until I realised where I was, hundreds of kilometers from Spain.

Oh well.

So, after some housework and some admin for my business this morning, I’ve turned to some travel planning. This time, it’s about my trip to Japan in January, where I’ll be taking multiple flights and aiming not to check in any luggage.

@TheFrankFlyer is bringing suitcases for the two of us on his journey, while I’ll bring a backpack for onboard stuff (iPad, headphones, notebook etc) and a small carry-on bag with toiletries, something to sleep in while in flight and something to change into once we land.

I’m torn between bringing the lovely pyjamas I got from Qatar Airways earlier in the year – so comfortable and even a little bit stylish – and just bringing some sweatpants and a hoodie – even more comfortable and not even a little bit stylish.

The former take up less space, but aren’t as warm. The latter are super comfortable, but I only ever wear them at home. That said, I’m flying Business Class with Finnair and there’s no First Class to be bumped up to, so frankly, I’m placing comfort above style for this epic journey.

And if I’m super-honest, I could just stick to the sweatpants once I take off from Amsterdam. That would mean wearing them while on the brief layover in Helsinki and again when changing planes in Seoul – where I plan to spend at least four hours in a sauna and spa, sweating my little self silly.

What I’m really getting at here is that I want to travel super-light. We’re only in Tokyo for a week, so I want to strip out everything from my packing list that I’m not 100% certain I’ll use. Tine and time again, I overpack and return home with a suitcase half-full of clean clothes.

It’s not like I’m going to meet anyone I know, right? And I’m traveling solo, so @TheFrankFlyer can’t be horrified at my sartorial choice mid-flight. At least until I rock up to the Hilton hotel in Shinjuku, wearing sweatpants, trainers and a hoodie 😬

There was a time when I really used to dress up to get on a long haul flight. But experience and age have worn me down. Now, it’s all about comfort and getting some sleep, so I think the sweatpants combo has won me over.

Time to work on that packing list…