How to Downsize a Roadtrip.

I'm about to take yet another road trip with the guys...and it's not around the corner. Nine hours. In a lovely new, but downsized vehicle. Between gas prices, environmental needs and the fact that I'll be down one passenger soon who is hopefully college bound, it was logical. However, not only will the kids not be separated by more than an arms' length but the available square footage for our (friendly term here) "belongings" is limiting. Well, it's actually ample for normal people. I guess my genetic quirks dictate that we're not your normal traveling family. I'm not really a pack rat, I just value the potential future use of an item that might need to sit pensively on the shelf for a year or six before being called back into active duty. I hate waste. My husband will buy something because he needs it, use it, save it a couple of months and throw it away, only to repurchase the same item again when needed. Just plain wasteful. "There are people in East Podunk that are pruning their shrubs by hand, don't throw away that electric trimmer!" So, when we travel, I kind of have the desire to carry everything I might possibly need at my fingertips. I have three kids, ya never know what might transpire. And trust me, with three boys there is a broad spectrum of possibility. That said, I'm thinking, how am I going to get all that stuff in that little "trunk" as it is fondly referred to? Well, I'm trying something new and radical! One thing I have learned is when we travel to our timeshare there is the opportunity to do laundry. Sacreligious when vacationing because, let's face it, it IS supposed to be a vacation; but if we pack three sets of clothing instead of seven, we carry half the load! Spending a few extra dollars on travel sized toiletries and medicinal aids consolidates the variety of toothpastes and pain relievers. Why can't everyone use the same brand of toothpaste, I ask? They will this week. Layering clothing is a great way to avoid taking bulky outerwear. Take a little longer to plan what you'll wear and make sure everything you take has multiple uses. Do I really need a separate pair of shoes for each outfit? Is anyone really looking at me anyway? Another thing I've decided we can live without is the vast DVD and CD selection. If I do my math correctly, nine hours of driving divided by two hour movies at the most will require four DVD's. Can one watch nine hours of consecutive movies? Doubt it. Choice is not an option. This also goes for books, snacks, magazines, sports cap collections, etc. I invested in a Kindle not long ago and I am carrying all my reading material in one book- sized object. I'm pretty proud of myself. My ipod can play through my car speakers so a case full of CD's is a waste of space, too. I will allow room for headphones since N.E.R.D. I can only listen to for so long. Or so short, really. We're going skiing, we don't need to take our skis and our snowboards. One or the other. We can rent the alternative if need be. We're going to a ski resort, their equipment is maintained and updated seasonally. We're good. Considering the time of year I'm gambling on some rain anyway so the time on the slopes will probably be limited so the percentile of usage is definitely decreasing. My cellphone has a pretty decent camera so I can take all my family photos with that and download and print them as if it were from my digital. Maybe I'll take a picture and post it next time of my efficiently packed vehicle and all the empty space I've saved for us. Maybe. Happy trails! Thanks for reading, Miriam