Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

Hi, my name is Cat, and I tend to pack too many books on vacation.

Traveling Woes

Okay, let’s be real – is there such a thing as too many books? Maybe when you’re luggage is charged by the weight. I swear, I do pack my luggage carefully. I always tell myself that I can only pack one book (plus an e-reader). 

The problem is, one time when I followed that rule, I hit a bit of a snag. I finished the book I was reading (the horror!), and then my e-reader battery died…so I was stuck without anything to read, and it was not a fun flight.

Ever since then, I’ve been tempted to overcompensate. That recently worked in my favor when I was stuck in the airport with a four-hour delay. I went through three books between the delay, layover, and flights.

When you put it that way, it’s easy to see how hard it would be to pack for a vacation. Even if I don’t read when I actually get to my destination, I devour books on the way there and back.

Finding a Balance

Lately, I’ve been trying to find that perfect balance when traveling. That means packing two books plus an e-reader. I also tend to let myself purchase a book or two as I travel if they look tempting. That way, I’m not starting the vacation over-packed. 

I know my balance looks absurd to some. But we all need to work with what we’ve got, right? And I’ve got travel anxiety, so distractions are a must. I need compelling books to help me drown out the world (i.e., the airplane) around me. That’s the other reason for the backup books – if one isn’t holding my attention, I can swap it out.

I know that packing just an e-reader would be an elegant solution for most, but I’ve been struggling to read on mine for longer than an hour or two. More than that causes a migraine, so I have to be very careful about tracking and limiting my time on it. (If anyone has any advice about what to do here, I would be so grateful).

What do you do when traveling? Do you pack one or more? Or is an e-reader the perfect balance for you?

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