Wow, it feels so great to be flying with a half-empty suitcase. I have no crazy heavy bag on my shoulder (and can you believe it actually is a bit sore? Must be some sort of ghost feeling) – all I have is a clutch and my suitcase. I have so little with me that things are falling around in my suitcase. There are no toiletries, no change of clothes, no bulging bags. It’s really refreshing to be free of all that stuff.

Instead what I do have are my gadgets (phone, tablet, laptop) and chargers, gifts for my family from our Orlando trip, and my wallet. That’s pretty much it! Now on the way back it’s going to be a completely different story; I’ll have tons of things I want to transfer from my parents’ to my now home. So for now I will savor the ease of traveling with a minimal bag, not having to worry if I overstuffed my bags or if my shoulder will break off from the strain of carrying it.