Goodbye Old Luggage

My luggage got left behind in Jamaica and I needed to pay to ship it back. Because shipments are based on weight, I asked the hotel to toss my suitcase, which needed a few repairs, and box my stuff up instead.

Dear Old Luggage,

I am sorry I had to leave you behind in Jamaica. But with your weight it would cost an extra $50ish to ship you to me. And you had broken wheels. And your bottom handle broke off 5 years ago so you always tipped over. I knew I needed to replace you anyway, but it seems hard to let you go.

I remember when I found you. It was 2008 and my 22nd birthday was coming up and I was graduating University and planning a Eurotrip. My parents offered to buy me luggage as an early present and I walked to the store and found YOU. You were a nice brownish/dark greyish colour on the outside (I have never been able to accurately describe it), but you were deliciously hot pink on the inside. I liked to say you were the mullet of luggage- business on the outside and party on the inside. Except you were much cooler than a mullet! You weren't expensive, and I wondered briefly, if I should use this gift to invest in a better brand, but I knew you were mine.

We quickly flew off for our crazy trip to Europe.

Remember how the ticket agent in Paris sold us train tickets to the wrong city in Switzerland? Or how we missed our ferry cruise thing to Greece (due to another stupid ticket agent!) and we slept in a train cabin overnight with a strange man? Not to mention when we spent the night sleeping in a live disco on a boat and I had you locked to the table! And remember then we flew out of Greece to Rome and the airline broke your bottom handle off? I never got it fixed and you were just tipsy for the next five years. It was quite a crazy trip! You got to take a gondola ride! We almost got kicked out of our hostel in Paris! I learned the joys of rolling luggage all over cobblestone! And I learned the first feeling of losing you when the airline took you off the plane in Montreal instead of Toronto! But you got back to me the next day that time.

After that you and I took trips to Jeni's cottage, but you didn't get another chance to ride on a plane until Jan 2011 when we went to Cuba! Remember how we thought Veronica's luggage was never going to join us there? We waited at that carrousel for an hour before it randomly rolled around! And remember how we missed our bus back to the airport because they changed the pick up time and we had to bribe another bus with all our cash to take us!

Later in 2011 (it was a busy year for you), we went back to Europe together! You watched me get drunk at Oktoberfest, joined me through adventures in The Netherlands, and helped me get drunk all over again in Brussels and Paris. You got to ride a cool lift and got reacquainted with those cobblestones. Thankfully I don't think we had any bad luck on this trip!

After that you thought you would get to lay low for a bit, but I surprised you with a trip to Mexico City in fall 2012! Remember how Olga and Anna rolled in an hour late to pick us up, but they somehow got some guy in one of those airport golf carts to take them to us? We never laughed so hard! We had so much fun exploring the city (ok, you got to sit at the house)!

And then this trip to Jamaica, which we didn't know would be our last one. I knew I needed to replace you since you were starting to age...but I just never got around to it- even with Christmas sales last year. I think I was afraid to let you go.

So I packed you one more time and off we went on another adventure.

I'm sorry you got left behind. Thank you for being my awesome luggage for the past 5 years and helping me move 4 times, in addition to our travels. I will always remember our adventures together.

Love Casey

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Dear New Luggage,

I like that you are similar in colour to my old luggage, but this time you have bright turquoise lining. You are like Casey's Luggage 2.0! A 2013 version of the mullet, if you will. I also like that you were 50% off. It makes sense that suitcases go on sale at the end of the summer, but I wasn't expecting to buy you when I went to the mall to buy some pajamas. However, you had me at turquoise lining and 50% off !

I look forward to the new adventures that we will have together :)