Shana is leaving for Ethiopia tomorrow-- I am so excited for her. (Go wish her well, OK?)

I was emailing with her yesterday talking about my Rubbermaid packing solution and thought I'd mention it again here. Each time I went to Ethiopia, due to the generosity of friends and family I was able to bring a bunch of donations for the orphanages. Since I traveled with one of my older kids, we were allowed a total of four checked pieces of luggage (2 for each of us.)

I didn't think we needed to tote four BIG suitcases, especially... more

Something that comes up over and over among traveling adoptive families is the question of luggage and weight. Each ticketed passenger is allowed 2 checked bags of less than 50 pounds on a domestic flight. If you have an international leg of travel on your journey (which obviously you do if you're going to Ethiopia) then your bags are allowed to weigh up to 70 lbs, EVEN on the domestic flights.

One person recently reported that it costs $135 extra on Ethiopian Airlines to check a third bag of up to 70 lbs. I think unless you are planning to bring TONS of orphanage donations, most people could... more

One of the most daunting tasks of preparing to go to Ethiopia is deciding what you really need to bring, and what wil just add extra weight to your luggage. I've come to realize that there are some great reasons to pack as lightly as possible.

--You'll have more luggage space on the way there for donations and supplies for your child's orphanage --You'll have more space on the way home for souvenirs. -- You'll have a less stressful trip if you have less to check and less to tote around the airport, especially on the way home with your child.

Having said that, you do want to make sure you have things that will be hard to find there and that you can't get by without.... more