So here I am, doing some last minute packing, thinking about how much easier air travel used to be. I remember just being able to pack a bag and not having to worry about what was in it. Less than 3.4 ounces of liquid? No sharp objects? Small enough to fit into the overhead rack? Will my checked baggage weigh too much?



I took my first trip overseas when I was seventeen. I had taken a year off after graduating from high school. One day, I received a letter from a friend of mine, asking me if I wanted to backpack through Europe with him. Going to Europe couldn't have been further from my mind, but I discussed this proposition with my parents and they encouraged me to take the trip. After getting a passport, plane tickets and a Eurailpass, I crammed some clothing into a backpack and took off for two months.



When I travel now, I make sure that I have my cell phone charger, a battery charger, extra batteries for my camera, e-mail addresses for friends, family and neighbors, copies of my passport and credit cards, the list goes on and on. I'm staying in far nicer accommodations than I used to stay in, but the planning is so much more complicated that it takes some of the joy and spontaneity out of traveling. But that's okay. I still have the travel bug and the joy of travel far outweighs the hassles that are involved.