Cargo and carry-ons.

So how do you condense a the possessions of five people living in a four bedroom house, into bags and boxes, to travel around the world?  Sounds like a riddle, I know, but there's no punch line.
We did it.  And here's how...

Start with 3 large suitcases, purchase 10 rolling duffel bags at Wal-Mart, number them, fill them, weigh them (limited to 50 pounds each), and record every item within.  Checked bags.  Check!


Packing in our bedroom.  Organized chaos.

Giant cart loaded down, DFW.

But, of course, that can't possibly hold all of our necessities.  So, start filling 10 medium U-Haul boxes.  Record every item, stack them in the trailer, and make a trip to the post office.
The postal workers in Graham were super nice and helpful!  That's good, because it took us 3 hours to complete all of the labeling, customs forms, and paperwork required to ship those boxes to ourselves.  Check.

And then there's carry-ons.  Two each, stuffed, but empty enough to fit into the overhead bins.  Check.

There you have it!  That's how to get everything a family needs to Australia.  But the most important ingredient, bar none, is Tricia.  Every family needs a Tricia!  The very picture of diligence, organization, and logistics, she made all of this work!

So now there's customs.  Stand in line for about an hour after a 14 hour flight, pass the customs agent, pick up all 13 of your checked bags loaded onto three rolling carts, and the next customs official might take pity on you and your bedraggled family.  We were sent on through and out the door.  From there, we hailed a Maxi Taxi, which is a kind way to say big, like the plus-sized iPhone.  Off to the hotel for the night.
The next day, it's another Maxi back to the airport to re-check all of our bags.  And once again, a nice dose of pity.  The Virgin Australia agent thought it inhumane to make us pay again for all of our checked bags, and we made a new friend.  Back on the plane to our next stop, where we arrived with all of our bags.  Not one lost!
It took two full vehicles to get us from the Rockhampton airport to our apartment, with the kind assistance of Jason from Vanguard Health.  He even helped us carry bags up to our room!  (Not likely in his job description)
So here we are, with all of our bags.  Now we wait for those boxes we mailed. 
That's where my flip-flops are!
Next blog, my 40th birthday.
-Peter