A trip to Africa requires not just one packing list but several. There’s the electronic one I’ve been tapping on my phone whenever I think of something on the run — ear plugs, a headlamp, the Kindle! 

There’s the scribbled one upstairs near the brand new suitcase — kitchen towels for Biba, a book for Apollinaire, candy, gum and pens for other friends I’m about to meet. 

And then there’s the carefully typed list Suzanne sent me a couple weeks ago — her attempt to rein in her mother’s (ahem) over-packing tendencies. After all, she took only two suitcases and a carry-on for two years.

So my new motto is travel light, take only what I need, nothing “just in case.” Let’s see how long it lasts!