Ladies, I'm sure you'll feel my pain here. We have to pack for a 15-day trip including casual, formal, pool, and exercise wear and then there are shoes. I would normally take an outfit per day but that's just not practical on this trip. We have 3 formal nights on the ship. Do I take one little black dress and wear it three times with different accessories? Or do I take more than one formal outfit and wear each for a couple of hours only on one evening? This is one where the guys have the advantage because with a change of shirt and tie Dwain's suit will look fairly different. Besides who notices what a guy wears? Ok granted, I'm being vain here but these are the things that occupy my mind in the days leading up to the trip. Thanks to all who have advised me to check the dress requirements for visiting the Vatican. Who would have thought that even tourists are expected to dress in a certain way? When in Rome... Women must have their knees covered, a head covering, and no sleeveless shirts. Men are required to have long pants and shirts with sleeves. That means we will spend the entire day touring Rome and its environs dressed for the Vatican. I hear it's hotter than hot in Rome so how does one plan for such a day while addressing all the sensitivities? Are you beginning to feel my pain? My friend Heather says I should be able to pack for the entire trip with 5 pieces of clothing: a skirt, a pair of pants or capris, a shirt, a dress, and a jacket or sweater. What?!!!! She does concede that this advice comes from a magazine article suggesting an efficient way to pack for a long weekend. Can one really pack the same for a 5-day trip as for a 15-day trip? I think not, however I readily admit that there is something I can learn from her advice. It's going to be really important to wear outfits on multiple days taking only pieces that will mix and match with virtually every other piece in the suitcase. That means my main color scheme is going to be black and khaki on the bottom with tops in a variety of colors that can be worn with either. One jacket or sweater that can be worn with everything? Yeah, that's probably possible with the exception of evening events. A pair of black sandals, brown sandals, dress shoes, and tennis shoes should cover all needs. Sorry guys, I promise the next post will not be about the agonies of female packing.