It's in the bag!

I was warned before arriving not to over pack, to bring only a few things that were absolutely necessary. But of course, my city girl instincts insisted that I pack an abundance of cute outfits with matching jewelry, shoes and bags. I did, however, bring a half-filled suitcase, at Sebastian's advice, for he knew that I would shop and need extra room to bring back all my purchases. Little did I know how much I would actually buy! When it came to packing, I was in a world of trouble. I had mounds of stuff but no way to get it home. Our first attempt, I packed up a huge cardboard box and went to the post office to try and send it. Over a hundred dollars and a two-week wait helped me decide otherwise. Alice Auntie made countless phone calls to the Air India in the hopes to find out the permitted number of bags and weight allowances. Inevitably, it was one hundred and twenty five dollars for each additional bag and a fifty-dollar charge if over the weight limit. After hours of strategic planning, when all my stuff was eventually packed, I unfortunately had three suitcases, one large box, one stuffed duffel bag and one extremely heavy backpack. Trying to just fit all of our bags in the car was a feat, having to sit on Sebastian's lap because the baggage was stuffed into the trunk and wedged onto the seats.

I was forced to check two extra bags and Sebastian had to pay for one extra heavy suitcase. In total, we spent three hundred dollars just to get our belongings to New York. For all the money I saved on the great deals and bargains, I spent at the airport on their exorbitant fees. I know better for next time. Bring much less clothes and accessories, for all the more room to load up on Indian goods!