The one thing better then getting out of Abu Dhabi for a holiday? Not getting out of Abu Dhabi for a holiday.
Lately when I ask someone their plans for the weekend, they seem to reply with ‘I’m staying in a nice hotel in Abu Dhabi’. I believe this is called having a ‘staycation’ and it has become wildly popular.
I’m certain this is due to the fact that a staycation means you don’t have to pack as much. High five for that. Because in most homes, packing is a source of considerable tension since, in my experience, most women don’t know how to pack light.
Yes, and what’s your point? Now that bags have wheels, there really is no downside to packing heavily – and yet still men complain about it.
We fight the same battle every time we go somewhere in our house, or rather my husband does. The only battle I fight is with the zip on my suitcase, trying to stuff another outfit or pair of shoes in at the last minute.
There is a huge difference in the way that men and women pack. Men think practically – three shirts, two pairs of jeans, a pair of shoes and a jacket. Women think outfits – I’m going to this location and dining in this restaurant, and this is what I should look like.
It’s easier for men because they pack types of clothing whereas women tend to pack whole looks, complete with appropriate shoes and accessories. Put simply, men pack for logistics (weather etc) and women pack for emotions. ‘How do I want to feel on this trip?’ is a far more important question for me than, say, ‘how will this suitcase fit in the car? This doesn’t help when my husband tells me our car looks like something from The Beverly Hillbillies.
And anyway, how can you measure the success of packing? Is it whoever takes the least wins? Do you lose points for every unworn item you bring home? Bonus points for having spare suitcase space?
I journey through several turbulent emotional states while packing. The first is excitement as I imagine being on holiday. The second is anticipation as I picture myself in various scenarios – at the beach or in the airport – and mentally sift through my wardrobe to find the corresponding clothes to go with said scenarios. Yes, I realise this is sad and tragic but I have been like this since I was two. The next state is denial as I drastically overestimate both the time I have to pack and the size of my suitcase. From there I quickly go through panic and finally fear as my plans for the perfect holiday wardrobe are abandoned for a more freestyle approach of grabbing fist fulls of tops, swimmers, accessories, jeans and frocks from drawers and stuff them maniacally into every available suitcase cavity as the clock ticks ominously down to departure.
Staycation anyone?
