Travel - packing tips!

I recently conquered packing. I went for a week-long trip with hubby and toddler in cold weather (which always means more; bulky sweaters, etc.) and took carry-on luggage only. I was VERY proud of myself.

Where do you plan to travel? Most American hotels provide a hair dryer.

Getting a pair of versatile shoes is a must. They take up SO much space. If you can possibly get away with taking one pair, the ones on your feet, that helps enormously.

We have a perfectly fantastic travel backpack that is made by Jansport. It is soft-sided, and the max allowable (for most airlines) size for carry-ons, and we always are able to cram way more in there than we think.

I do use ziploc bags for kiddo stuff and some toiletries, then also bring a plastic bag for dirty clothes, wet clothes, whatever. (Empty on the way there, full on the way back.)

Your money situation makes a big difference in how you pack, too. I was never a girl scout but may as well have been since I have an "always prepared" fetish. My hubby convinced me that there were a lot of things I could just buy if I really needed them, and that's helped enormously. That also depends on where you are going and how possible available the things you would want to buy are.

Get adaptors if you are bringing electronic gadgets and are going someplace that has other kinds of plugs.

Hmmm... that's all I can think of for now.

margo, I'm also an inveterate traveler, and never learned to pack correctly for any journey. However, there are many books and resources on how to pack. The first rule of thumb is to start one week before your travel date. Take most everything you think you'll need for your trip. One day later, unpack everything, and reduce your baggage by half. Take clothing that you can wash and dry in one evening in the bathroom. In other words, fast drying. Don't try to manage a one month trip with only your carry-on, unless you're willing to spend the money for laundry service - which can end up to be pretty hefty in your budget. Bring some old clothes you can throw away after you've used them - such as old/torn underwear and/or socks. If you have long hair, yes, by all means bring a hair dryer, but make sure your voltage is similar to your destination or you carry a converter with the right plugs. Pack your clothes in ziplock bags. As you get to the end of the zip, take out most of the air out of the bag. You'll be amazed at how much space you can save by doing this. Always bring comfortable walking shoes. You really only need one shoe for casual and dress wear with today's styles. Bring along a bottle of polish. Stuff things into your shoes to save space if you bring an extra pair. Always carry your meds, passport, air tickets, and other important papers in your carryon. Make copies of your passport, air tickets, credit cards (with international telephone numbers to call in case they are lost or stolen), and visa, and store in a separate place. Read up on your destination about its history and current political, eocnomic, and safety issues. Go on the internet and find a web site that shows world weather reports to get an idea what you'll need in terms of clothing. It's best to bring layers of clothes rather than heavy clothing that takes too much space and little diversity. Bring ear plugs if noise is bothersome for you. If you get headaches during landings, take two aspirins about 30 minutes before landing. You can also pop your ears to relieve the air pressure. c.i.

When I travel, I bring half the amount of clothes I need for the time going - eg. 2 weeks vacation, I bring 7 outfits. I always make sure the hotel is near a laundromat or I buy washing powder at the location and wash my smalls in the sink.

When I pack - I roll all my clothes, even jackets. If you have a sweater, fold the sweater in half, tuck the arms flat and roll it until it is shaped like a sausage. I roll absolutely everything, including socks and I find I can fit more into my suitcase. It also saves on ironing since it seems to help keep creases out of my clothes.

I use soft-sided luggage, with an extension zipper so that, if I purchase anything while on vacation, I have some additional space to pack it on the way home.

I am not a big shoe-person so I would pack one pair of shoes that could double for an evening out or for casual wear. Pack the shoes in a shoe-box and stuff the spare room in the box with your undies/sox so that there is no space wasted. There's nothing worse than squashed shoes when you arrive at your destination. I will wear sneakers or something very comfortable for the actual travel portion itself, since I like to slip my shoes off on the plane/train/car/whatever.

I have a travel iron and a travel hairdryer and I will bring only the dryer with me if I am not staying somewhere that has one in my room (most hotels usually have them). I don't care about wrinkles in my clothes so I stopped bringing the iron a long time ago.

Put make-up, jewelry, toiletries in a separate carry-bag. I use zip-lock bags and bring only the pieces that I know I will use - my entire makeup bag does not come with me. I have had the incident where the shampoo leaked all over my clothes and so I never pack that stuff in a suitcase any more.

I make lists. I even plan what jewelry will go with what outfits and what hair accessories I will wear (up or down, curled or straight).

Try to bring clothes that mainly coordinate with one another. I used to travel a lot for business and I found if I brought a black skirt suit, a grey pair of dress pants, a grey blazer, one yellow blouse, two white blouses and two red blouses that I could get away with all of that for the work week.

Day 1: black blazer and grey pants with red blouse1 (worn on the plane)
Day 2: black skirt with white blouse1
Day 3: red blouse2 with grey pants
Day 4: yellow blouse with black skirt and grey blazer
Day 5: black blazer, black skirt and white blouse2 (worn on return plane trip)

Days #2, 3 and 4 were interchangeable in terms of outfits. I had to finish strong so I always saved the most severe outfit for the final day, and also had to start fairly strong so I'd go softer for the first day. I would sometimes bring a grey cardigan instead of the grey blazer.

For summer and springtime, I did the same thing, but the severe suit for days 1 and 5 was navy, the coordinating slacks and blazer were green, and the blouses were 2 white, 2 light blue and 1 light green or yellow.

Not the most exciting way of doing things, but I was always appropriately dressed for work and I didn't have to carry a lot of stuff.

jespah, You brought a smile to my face when I read your post. The 'last' thing I worry about is "coordinated clothing" when I travel. I guess guys just don't give a damn. c.i.

Thanks, all, for your replies.

A lot of this pre-supposes that I know where I'm going - and I seldom do!

Well - on this trip, my primary destination is Sweden. And we're going to the north of Sweden. We will probably not be staying in hotels, but with friends, camping huts, etc.

I organised what I thought was a nice little 4-day trip to London - but 2 of those days are now taken up by a quick trip to Switzerland! I can end up in any country on a whim!

The only thing I have booked is airfares. I'm pretty much a spur of the moment traveller, once I get to the primary destination. The Oz dollar puts a lot of those hairdryer-supplying-hotels out of contention! A $US100/night hotel is a $AUS200/night hit! I'm a sort of middle-aged backpacker who prefers home comforts.

And packing - what time do I have to be at the airport again? - well - there's 10 minutes before I have to leave.

When I was last in Europe, 18 months ago, I travelled with a friend who is exactly the opposite. Each day was planned; each night was booked well ahead. So I had the chance to experience both ways. I saw the problems, especially when I got sick, and couldn't stop, even for one day, to rest. I also saw, even for me, some benefits.

He's not coming with me this time, but I'm trying to apply some of the things I observed that may be useful to me. But I still treasure my flexibility. I've seen some great things, because someone I met somewhere suggested I should have a look. A lot of them I knew nothing about before.

Keep up the hints and advice. More odd Margo travel questions are to come!

I like to backpack, so I am fanatical -- I hate to take any more than I absolutely have to have and am merciless in paring it down (I've even not taken toothbrush & toothpaste, knowing I'll get a set from British Air). I'm also casual in what I wear and don't need any dresses. The way I see it, most people won't look at me for more than a day or two... I don't need many outfits. My rule is... I'd better wear this item more than twice a week!

This is my current list:

I wear gray travel pants, sandles or clogs (to kick off) on the plane, along with a shirt from my list & a leather coat that's been waterproofed. I carry on a large HealthyBack bag that has a leather fanny pack inside and I check my small rolling carryon.

black traveling pant suit from Travelsmith -- dressy enough with silk top
1 pr. black comfy pants -- good if I decide to go for a morning jog
1 pr. stretch jeans -- must have
gray cashmere v-neck sweater -- warm & light
black v-neck, white v-neck long-sleeved cotton t-shirts -- standard
blue silk sweater, green silk sweater -- dressier
walking boots, 4 pr. wool sox, 2 pr. thin sox -- Blundstones!
silk or wool scarf -- wool for warmth -- I also buy scarves en route
down or fleece vest -- cozy & casual
underwear bag including 2 handkerchiefs -- handkerchiefs are so handy!
silk kimono -- I'm modest!

small pack of earrings, jewelry -- I'm vain!
brush & comb, hair clips & scrunchies, makeup bag -- minimal
bath bag, meds, laundry soap, stretchy laundry line -- necessities
small book, extra glasses, notebook, pens, addresses -- more necessities
credit cards, passport, travel information, money -- most important!
maps & magnifying lens -- I like to know where I am!
pictures of my family & home -- for when I'm lonesome
sunvisor, sunglasses -- wishful thinking

Extras that I may or may not bring:
food pack -- energy bars, tea bags, salt, honey, multi-knife, spoon, cup
silk shells (blouses), silk skirt -- these roll into practically nothing
umbrella & raincoat -- unlined
black travel skirt from Travelsmith -- handy
swimsuit, pareo & sunblock -- maybe!
No shorts - if it were going to be hot, I'd take a sundress.

I love the Travelsmith line & their clothes with hidden pockets.

Travelsmith

Everything I take can be washed and hang dry. Silk is great for rolling into tiny packages... all these clothes are easily packed, even my leather coat can be folded & put in my HealthyBack bag. I put everything in large plastic zipbags or bags I can use for the beach or evenings out. I love the freedom of having so little to carry. I don't buy much either, except jewelry, scarves, books & cards. If it is big, or I get too much, I'll mail it home.

Where I get into the most trouble is with toiletries -- they weigh so much! I'm constantly trying to figure out better ways to cut them down. I do like the idea of buying them at the duty-free shop -- often there are great deals on travel packs, but really all I need is a sliver of soap, a small bit of shampoo, face cream, some lipstick & a little eye make-up. (So why do I take so much more???) I do take a few bandaids & some little foil packs of antibiotic ointment (from backpacking stores), safety pins & two needles, already threaded; plus small amounts of various nostrums.

Hope this helps... have a fabulous time.

U really don't want to get trip from me on packing Margo, believe me, u really dont !!

Check with your airlines, margo. I was able to have both 'carry on' and 'hand held' baggage, 'hand held' being like a fairly large briefcase. The suitcase was one of those that you can hang on a door and place hangers on a bar contained within the suitcase. It worked out well. Polyester travels well.

Yeah, forget the hairdryer. Even many of the low price hotels have a dryer and coffee pot in the room.

I use ziplock bags, mostly for dirty socks and the like.

Margo, when dressing for the trip remember that security is pretty tight at the moment. When we flew to Florida, we had to take off our shoes for security check in Germany. In the States, you were allowed to leave on your shoes if they were tennis shoes. Mine were! And you might want to go without a belt because you will have to take that off also. Remember not to put anything like scissors or knives or something that might look like weapon in your carry-on bags.

When I was backpacking I would put the toothpaste on the toothbrush ... then pack it in a plastic sandwich bag. I'd also bring another sandwich bag that had a tiny bit of dental wax, some cloves, a yard of dental floss for each night, separately rolled, a squeeze of dental anesthetic gel on one side and another squeeze of toothpaste on the other if it would be more than one night.

I even considered cutting off the lower half of my toothbrush, but instead started taking the top half of a travel toothbrush that separated into two parts.

I said I was a fanatic, but my pack was light and full of handy stuff.

Oh, Pifka! That's nothing. When I was backpacking, I used to cut the strings off the teabags.

Sheese

What bags? heeeheeeee


Really???>!!???

Just pulling your leg a little. I did keep an eye on the weight and bulk, though.

It is the little things that matter. I've talked to people who only take loose tea, but not me, I try to sneak in coffee. Around here you can buy coffee in "teabags".

We used to have something while we were backpacking called Jello Juice. It is a package of jello with hot water added... really revs you up. Must be red jello!

I'm a packing fanatic. And a list fanatic... actually, the list gets perfected and then I pack the night before. My sister packs days before, but I can't seem to do that.

- I'm very much into the ziplock bags, in all sizes. They're practically weightless, and anything that could leak is in one.
- My toiletries are in tiny plastic bottles, saved from hotel rooms and partially refilled (and labelled). Don't bring more than you need - you could always buy shampoo or soap at your destination if necessary.
- Do make the xerox copy of all important papers and credit cards. And pack a copy separate from them. But also leave a copy at home with someone who could fax it to you if (heaven forbid) your originals and your copy are lost.
- I prefer softside luggage to hard, as the softsides are expandable and generally lighter. There's no such thing as airline-proof luggage, so I don't spend a lot on it, either. When it's trashed, I buy more.
- For a month-long trip, I'd bring a week's worth of clothes (plus a couple of special things) and plan to wash them a lot! The longest trip I ever took was 7 weeks - I did get tired of my clothes and of hand-washing, but it was worth not lugging more than my one suitcase. I definitely had to buy more soap on that trip!
- When my feet hurt, I am miserable, so I plan to wear sneakers or well-broken-in shoes only. I would bring more than one pair of shoes on a long trip, though, in case my shoes get wet or damaged.
- I wear very comfortable clothes on the plane. And I usually bring a sweater or jacket - sometimes, the plane is the coldest part of the trip!

I don't know how this affects the flights you'll be taking, but the U.S. Transportation Security Administration is recommending that people leave their checked luggage unlocked so that, if the airport screeners see something in your bag that makes them decide they have to open the bag and check it, they don't have to break the lock. (Basically, they're telling people, "You can lock your bag if you want to, but we'll break the lock if we want to, so don't lock your bag if you don't want the lock broken.")

Some people, who are worried about an unlocked bag being too irresistible a temptation for grab-and-run thiefs, have been securing their bags by tying them with plastic ties (the kind you can get at home supply stores), which the airport screeners can cut if they want to get into your bag. (So can a thief, of course, but the idea is to deter the thief who's in such a hurry that he'll only go for completely unsecured bags.) If you use the ties, remember to bring a second set for the trip back, in case the first set gets cut. Of course, if you use the ties and the airport screeners don't cut them, then you have the problem of how to open your bag once you get to your destination, since you can't have scissors in your carry-on bag. One solution is to slip a pair of scissors into an outside pocket of your checked bag.

P.S., mac -- I'm a list fanatic, too, but I have a friend who's carried it to a level I never thought of: she actually saves her lists from previous trips so she can refer to them when packing for new trips!

Good point about locking luggage, bree.

I've used twist-ties on luggage. (The wire ties that come on bread, and actually on lots of things these days.) They can be cut with scissors or untwisted (if you have the patience). And I pack a few extras just in case...

I'm sure, this is no good advice at all, but I usually pack the evening before I leave ... things that I think, I will need. (That's excellent for getting up economy of the visited countries: usually, I start buying the first day ....)