If you want to escape the London hassle and have some nice walks, good food and a little bit of history lessons Oxford is the place to be for you.
One Saturday morning near the end of a British Summer we decided it was about time to visit Oxford. We packed our bikes and were riding to the Paddington Station in Central London to catch the national train to take us to Oxford within an hour and a bit, it only cost around 12 Pounds which is really reasonable.
For most people this is probably not a memorable experience, however for me it was a pretty unique experience and not something I had actually planned. I am not talking here about a hand luggage sized suitcases, but a medium one with the dimension of H68, W46, D30.6cm. It weights 3.6kg and has 82 litre capacity.
Most people know that I only travel with my 25L backpack, no matter where to or for how long. I have done so ever since my big trip in 2011 on which I just over packed; based on that I tried to downsize as much as possible. I managed very well for my own standards, although some people might disagree with that.
I have traveled with a suitcase before, twice to be precise, however in both cases the suitcase didn’t belong to me, it was a borrowed suitcase. The first I used when I moved from Germany to the UK and the second time when I visited the States for the first time on a business trip. I don’t like travelling with a suitcase, simply because I have to check it in due to its size and weight as well as it being in the way when I walk through a crowded area. The preference is and always will be my backpack.
Over the years I have learned to adapt my packing habits and am now able to pack for pleasure as well as business with my 25L backpack, although I have to restrict what I am bringing, therefore high heels and an evening gown is out of question (don’t really think I would wear that anyway).
Recently I had to go to Europe for 4 weeks, for work as well as some private stuff. As usual I packed my backpack, pretty full to be honest and my handbag would have not fit in there anymore. At that point I expected that it would be fine, however I didn’t consider all the stuff that my sister still had at her place for me. I had ordered some of my favorites a while ago and since it was not worth shipping it to Malaysia she kept it until I came back to London. I honestly forgot how much I had bought as it was already over 6 months ago. Realising that I wanted to take these things as well as a few present with me I pretty much came to the conclusion that my backpack was not enough no matter how well I would have packed.
So I decided that it is now time to buy a robust suitcase for trips like these. Being the cheapskate I am I’ve gone to Argos, the place where you can get bad quality for a cheap prize. At first I thought I should have invested a bit more in a suitcase, looking at it as a future investment. But then, I won’t be using it that much and hope that the quality would hold at least the few trips I would take with it. In total I spend 30 Pounds on this particular item.
So far it has survived three flights and nothing within the suitcase had been damaged, only my shampoo decided to leave the bottle. And of course Turkish airline left my new suitcase behind in Istanbul on my return flight to KL. Honestly, this is the main reason why I hate checking in my luggage, it is such an inconvenience.
And just to add it at a later stage, the suitcase got left behind in Amsterdam on my next trip to the States. I wonder if it is just me or the suitcase.
I feel more like an adult now somehow. Should a suitcase really do that to you? I doubt it, but I will treasure my first suitcase until it is time to buy a good quality one for the long term.
And probably that one will end up in the attic because I never use it.
I just wanted to share this experience and hope all of you have a great trip!
Happy travels :)
