LIFE: What's Inside the Bag Inside the Other Bag

The first and only time I've ever done a what's inside my bag post was way back in August 2011 on trip to London for my visa medical. That seems not only a lifetime ago, but a world ago. So after seeing my favorite brightly hair coloured pal Kerri offering a peek into hers, I though it was high time I did another. But I thought I'd do it a little different and show you the things inside my rucksack in which my bag is carried for our little two night stay away in Bay City, Michigan last week.

Oh my old Nike rucksack, my once well used and well trusted bag for lugging things back and forth in my former student life train journeys between York and Newcastle which now gets dusted off for such little adventures. My handbag, or purse if I'm trying to pretend to be more American then I am was a second hand find, it's a bit like a Mary Poppins bag, you can cram a lot more in it them you'd ever guess. It's normally filled with Post Office receipts and shopping coupons but for once I had a clear out. Normally it's contents aren't that exciting - a mini toiletry bag, a purse, hand cream, a bunch of keys with more keyrings then keys to be honest (not pictured) tic tacs (nom) and my trusty Samsung MP3 - which was actually pictured 3 years ago in that other what's in my bag post.

Whether it's a night away or a week long trip I always over pack, so for once I've been trying to cut all the stuff down. With Joe attending a work conference I had eight hours to please myself - a great excuse to catch up on some reading (an advance copy of The Betrayers by Davis Bezmozgis and Plunge into Michigan - a hilarious factoid book about the state I call home, and yes I really do read the Model Railroad magazine, for that time when we eventually get to set ours up in the basement) and perhaps even do some blogging.

While I'd love to leave technology at home and even with Ebay on vacation mode, my trusty Acer netbook tags along - ya know for checking TripAdvisor and general link to the outside world and while it's not pictured I even packed an extension lead - hotels like to challenge you with where they stick their measly limited sockets so I find having some extra wire length on the handy side. But as much as I love my netbook, I also love having a notebook on hand - it's my go to for jotting down blog, craft ideas to feelings and newspaper clippings. After reading about some self guided walking tours around the historical residential area, there's even a highlighted map and notes about the houses as my guide.

Of course adventures to little places means taking my camera - it's always difficult to take photographs of the camera you intend to take when you need it to take photographs of the things in your bag, so you get a glimpse of the GE point and shoot (which is really Joe's) but I always take my Fuji bridge (yeah I'm a rare blogger that doesn't have a DSLR) and batteries to give it some juice. 

As for giving myself some juice, there's some tea bags. I never trust that there will be enough coffee or tea supplies in my hotel room and sometimes they just taste dam awful. So yes, I pack some Earl Grey.

What are your must have things for a short trip away?