Can You Get 15 Pairs of Shoes into a 15kg Luggage Allowance?

It has to be said, I love shoes almost as much as I love travelling. In fact, if I didn’t own so many pairs, I could probably have funded a few more city breaks. Never the less, I doubt shoe shopping is a habit I’ll be breaking any time soon. This plethora of footwear options leaves me with a very challenging dilemma when it comes to suitcase packing. Especially in the current climate of “hand baggage only” flight tickets.

I remember when I was a kid, my Mum and Dad seemed to pack everything for our annual exodus from Britain *including* the proverbial kitchen sink. What happened?

These days, Other Half and myself seem to have a last minute, frantic suitcase fumbling session (reminiscent of a “Crystal Maze” style challenge), in a bid to transfer just enough weight from one suitcase to another before we leave for the airport. This year was no exception, apart from the shock bordering on serious alarm I experienced when faced with the question,

 

“Well, how many pairs of shoes have you got in there?”

I panicked. What could I possibly not take? Everything was in there for a reason, after all. I had given this capsule shoe collection considerable thought. Husband stood firm though, and (if I’m honest) justifiably so. Alas, with reluctance, I had to let the second pair of Birkenstocks and the second pair of Havaianas go. And the chic, summer wedges I had decided would be “good for evening cocktails”. Hmmmm.

One day I’ll learn to travel light, but in the meantime, I’ll just overload Husband with the full 10kg of hand baggage. I mean, I managed to convince him that stuffing the extra pair of Havaianas into his back pack made sense after all – and you know what? I actually needed them! On the flight! They rescued my feet from soggy sandals, courtesy of a torrential down pour while boarding.

I knew there was a reason I’d need those shoes!