Travel

I've decided I'm never going to be a great or stress-free traveler.

If I pack in advance and spend tons of time getting ready, I feel totally overwhelmed, pack and unpack half a dozen times, and still manage to simultaneously over- and under-pack, bringing too much extraneous stuff and not essentials.

If I wait until the day before to get things around, I also feel overwhelmed and rushed.

I leave tomorrow morning for 5 days to the Netherlands and the following things are stressing me out:

• I'm flying on this cheap-y discount airline called Vueling, and similar to a lot of American discount airlines they want to charge for everything from choosing your seat to checking luggage.  To encourage people to check their bags they have this incredibly stingy carry-on policy.  You get one bag at 21X16X8 inches (much smaller than your average carry-on) and then a "briefcase, purse, or camera."  I had planned on packing in this very cute Kate Spade small duffel bag I have.  Unfortunately, the bag is 19.5X14X8.8 inches (almost 1 inch bigger than the depth allowed by the airline ... so now I'm faced with a dilemma.  I'd really rather not check this bag as it is new, soft-sided, and adorable.  Plus, I'd rather be able to carry it on.  Since it is soft-sided, there's a chance I could just not pack it super full and hope that it fits.  I'd also rather not find out at the airport that I need to check it because it costs 20 euro to check at the gate and only 8 or so to check online.  Plus, I'd rather not try to get everything in a tiny bag that goes over my shoulder, if I'm going to end up checking anyhow, and could have a more convenient wheeled bag.  So, do I take the chance that I might be able to carry it on?  Or do I make the call now to just check a bag?
• In a similar, is this risk worth it vein - I have to take the bus from Donostia to Bilbao airport tomorrow.  The buses leave every hour on the hour and arrive in Bilbao at :15 past.  My flight leaves at 10:25, so taking the 8 am bus, and getting in at 9:15 SHOULD be okay, since Bilbao is so small ... but if I have any hassle with security, or need to check my bag, it might be tight.  The problem is my other option is taking the 7 am bus which will get me in at 8:15 (2+ hours before my flight), and requires me to leave my house at 6:20 to get to the bus station to get my tickets.  Which seems pretty awful.  But what would be more awful than leaving my house at 6:20 would be missing my stupid flight because the next flight to Amsterdam?  Thursday morning.  The workshop starts on Thursday morning, so that would not be fantastic.

I'm not much of a risk taker, so I'm tempted to just check my bag and take the earlier bus.  But I'm also not much of a morning person, and I purposely GOT this bag as a little carry-on for these sorts of flights. 

Hopefully, I can decide tonight and have a stress-free morning tomorrow, and a low-stress travel day!!