Valet and Valise

Hercule Poirot tells his valet, George “I am driving to the country this afternoon. Prepare of me, I pray of you, a little valise”.

This sentence got me thinking since the last 3 weeks have pretty much been about hotels, bags, check-ins and above all, packing! I am not a meticulous packer, to me there is not much difference between stuffing clothes into a washing machine or a bag (well, maybe I should give myself a little more credit :D) but I have a method, my method (if one can call it that !). To mention a few, I always pack my camera with its charger and an adaptor (for different countries), I carry a small socks bag since I hate spending time finding only one of a pair in the suitcase, just when I am about to leave.

My husband, on the other hand, is a born ''packer''. He would put Fedex to shame and irrespective of the number of flights or the baggage handling, when one opens his suitcase on arrival, everything will be exactly where he placed it and he does it everytime!! In spite of this, I have reservations in letting him completely pack for me and I usually adopt a supervisory role (read, I sit on the sofa reading a book while he packs :D).

Anyway, my point is how can you have a valet pack your bag and how can you travel without knowing what you are taking and where you will actually find it!? Does your valet’s dress sense actually decide your fashion? Would it not be frustrating to search everywhere and finally realize that your valet has not packed it? Would this not be disastrous w.r.t women who insist on wearing matching shoes and accessories and hats and what nots?!

I know most of these possibly have sensible answers like the valet knows his master’s taste in clothes, preferences and any other idiosyncrasies and he possibly travels with the master and helps him get ready everytime. But yet, when I think about this, it is incomprehensible for me to fathom the level to which they are pampered or rather dependent on another person for such basic needs.

Yes, I am not great at packing and I never will be but I am content with knowing that good or bad, only I have to deal with it. I can find my toothbrush, socks and wrinkled jeans anywhere, anytime and that’s all there is to it :D !