Before we left everyone was very curious about how we could get by bringing just a carry-on and backpack, so I thought I would give a quick update. Upon departure, we had in fact fit (most of) our stuff into our suitcases and backpacks but with a lot of cramming and hoping and swearing to get zippers closed. And our backpacks were heavy and uncomfortable. Plus we all had a jacket or stuffy that we had to hold. It was pretty clear this was not sustainable but also too early to part with additional things. There is always the emotional part to packing and after packing up our entire house and being left with only a select few items, it was hard to completely cull as needed. I think we all needed a bit of distance between packing the house and packing our suitcases.
Fast forward to the long, hot walk from our accommodation in Skiathos to the ferry, and we all started making a mental list of what we would like to leave behind! During our time in Alonnisos we all made a pile of stuff to send back to Germany, and today we mailed it all off.
The process of shipping everything was smooth and the postal worker was very helpful. She did not have a box for but two doors down there was an electronics shop that had many discarded boxes. We found a sturdy one that fit everything perfectly, and then made our way back to the post office where we were given packing tape to close it up. The box ended up weighing almost 9kg (!!) so we are very glad to not be schlepping that around the world. It cost a little over €50 and now we just need to cross our fingers it arrives in Germany. Also, this is the kind of errand we easily could have done without the kids but felt it would be a good learning experience. The post office is not a place we frequent with all the joys of technology these days.
Now our suitcases close easily and our backpacks are a lot lighter. Hopefully moving forward will be easier from now on!
There are a few things that we are so glad we brought:
—universal adapters for everyone with the appropriate charging cables so there is no fighting or confusion and everyone only needs one socket
—headphones for everyone so we can have a little “alone time” while all together
—a small clothesline on a bungee cord
—thin, rechargeable electric toothbrushes
—long-sleeved swim shirts (we ended up buying a couple of these for the girls here)
Things we are sending home:
—sweatshirts (no one needs more than two!)
—physical books
—stuffed animals (one cuddly item each is plenty!)
—workout clothes (can wear just regular shorts and shirts; I did keep my sports bras)
—anything we had more too many of (shorts, shirts, socks, pants, swimsuits, etc)
Things we haven’t used yet but are still keeping (maybe we will regret that later on, maybe not):
—waterproof hiking boots
—light rain jacket
Gnegel Family Travels 
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