Travelling light ..

I had to laugh as I waved off P, my daughter, this morning as she went off on her first school trip since joining secondary school.

About 150 of them (+ 20 teachers) are going on an Outward-Bound style weekend. It means old trainers, old t-shirts, joggers and waterproofs. Most of the clothing will get wet; some of it will have to be thrown away.

As we struggled to get everything into the very large bag that that I used when we went away for the summer, I realised she had sneaked in a bit of contraband clothing: a pair of shiny flat pumps (just what you need in a youth hostel); a glittery belt; a couple of disco-style tops. I threw them out – only the essentials were allowed if she were to fit in such things as toiletries.

The bag just about zipped up. It was heaved into the back of the car and off we went. I was worried we’d overpacked, but on seeing her friends I realised the bag we’d packed was about average in size and weight.

Off they trundled, all excited (more worries from me: it won’t be long before we will wave goodbye to this gaggle of girls as they make their way to Torremolinos or Benidorm for a holiday in the sun).

Then I noticed a group of boys who are in the same year making their way to school. Surely some mistake? Weren’t they going on the trip? They appeared to be empty-handed. Oh no – on closer inspection, they appeared to be wheeling what appeared to be nothing more than a lunchbag on wheels!

How could they fit in sweatshirts, trainers and walking socks in such tiny bags?

It was the perfect example of how males and females pack differently for the same thing. And I bet the girls wear only two things all weekend …