Back from my 2.5-week road trip (early, because I came down with COVID partway through ) and now thinking about my next trip, starting Sept. 3. I definitely need to resurrect my packing skills for that one. We’ll be out for four weeks and doing a ton of flying and hauling our bags around—carry-on only is a must. Stage 1 is Labor Day Weekend in a cabin in the southern Appalachians for my dad’s 80th birthday; stage 2 is flying from ATL to Italy and traipsing around Rome, Sicily, Sardinia, Genoa, and Milan. There will be some hiking involved, which complicates matters. All I know is that I need a bathing suit, and I definitely don’t want to bring more than two pairs of shoes—but which two??? I have a month to figure this out 😂