Dear Friends,
If you’re reading this email, I’m on a plane flying… somewhere. Can you guess where? It is a short but much anticipated trip and I am rather excited. So forward have I been looking to this trip, that I have prepared many things ahead of time, including this email (and the next podcast!). In today’s missive, I shall pretend to be a different sort of writer, one I sometimes imagine I could enjoy being: a travel writer, or perhaps more accurately today a traveling writer. This week I’ll share my strategy for what to pack when it comes to a short trip. Some items include: curating a classic capsule wardrobe, being realistic about how many books to take, and not wearing makeup on long or early flights.
I suppose this is partially inspired by my recent reading of The White Album by Joan Didion, where she shares what she packed on her reporting trips. In the past few years I have had cause to travel quite a bit— mostly for work. And while I do not travel with a Mohair throw and typewriter like the inimitable Joan, I have developed my own little tips, tricks, opinions, and rituals that make travel more enjoyable, comfortable, and interesting for me… and perhaps you too!
I suppose this is a test run for another essay I will one day write. Last year I wrote an open letter to address one of the questions I most often receive via email: whether one should attend graduate school in the UK. The second most common genre of email I receive is about how and where to travel best in the UK. On another day I shall write that essay, but for today: short trips!
Suitcase for Clothes
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