Worldwide, margo, I suppose.
(Personal experience: in the UK less than in Germany - Urs noted this -similar- before.)
X-rayed on arrival? How quaint.
Well, not that, roger, but the departure procedures .....
Guyz, if u go to India, yr baggage is x-rayed on arrival. It is most frustruating. You get off after a 9 hr flight, wait for ages to get yr baggage, and then stand is a long queue to get it x-rayed !!
Yes, I don't understand this x-ray luggage on arrival thing.
On my trip to NZ, I had only hand luggage, so I could have done anything on the plane. Why bother to check after I've landed!
What are they looking for?
radioactive contraband?
I've never heard of this either.
Perhaps they don't trust the departure country to have adequately checked for contraband.
Maybe checking to see if you had lifted the dinnerware.
We were flying to Florida via Atlanta and were meeting my brother at the airport there. So we were going outside into the general area and to get there we had to go through a complete security check again. Including taking our shoes and belt off. Here you come directly from the plane, going into an area where people just walk in from outside and they check you???!!! Like you said, Gautam, we were on the plane for 10 hours and then had to stand in line to have our carry-on bags and ourselves checked again.
Okay Margo... we want to see your packing list now!
LOL -- Oh god, Margo, I'd be crawling the walls. You wouldn't think it to look at me (I know I look carefree and flighty!) but I need lists. Lists... the highest form of literature.
I'll help you though... don't bring 'em vegemite, bring 'em some of that delicious chutney. And Terence (who's Terence?) should have an unequal number of black and white socks.
Nineteen more sleeps? (gasp) Haven't packed and repacked? Haven't shopped for just the right sized toiletries? HOW can you do this? I'll be frantic for you.
I slightly remember posting on this topic before, but I can't find it, so sorry if I repeat.
I love to pack, love to plan trips, love trips, and still am enjoying the trips for quite a while afterward. My luggage varies inversely with the length of the trip, and whether I am going to be doing a lot of the carrying.
Some here may remember my black suit stories back on abuzz. To summarize, I went to italy for 29 days (thirteen cities, another story there), with one not very large duffle, 12 x 13 x 22, that could expand a little, my regular black leather purse, 6 x 10 x 12, a nylon carry bag that could scrunch up into fist size. The duffle was sans wheels - those things are heavy if you are hauling a bag up two or more flights of railroad station stairs, or walking and walking with your bag wrenching your shoulder.
Took the pair of shoes I had on, a raincoat (April), no umbrella, bare minimum toiletries in ziploc bags, a couple of kitchen trash bags for laundry etc. For clothes...underwear for four days, tee shirts etc, for four days, one non-cardigan sweater, and my black travelsmith pantsuit with a second pair of the pants (washable poly/wool mix.) Train schedule, tearouts from guidebooks, typed lists of To See, and itinerary of already reserved hotels...no time for dithering on that trip. Also took photocopy of passport and credit cards. Oh yes, camera (heavy) and film (heavy), and small notebooks for diary. Still don't have a digital camera, sigh.
I accumulated stuff as I went along, guidebooks, etc, and mailed them back home about once a week. Bought little, except for some ceramics, which I had shipped. So I was minimalist osso on that trip.
In contrast, on my recent trip to NY, when the weather was going to be very changeable and I knew I was taking shuttle/taxi to and from my one hotel there, I took a medium and small bag with wheelies, a purse, and a canvas tote...for nine days, which included two one-day stops in Seattle. So I took lots of possible clothes changes (there was a 45 degree weather shift overnight during that week), wasn't as spare about what I tossed in the bags...and still had room in case I bought anything.
A third way I travel is by car, and then all bonds are broken free. May have big containers (plastic boxes or cardboard) with gifts and things to eat, bottled water, on and on. If I am staying at several places, I have a small bag that I can switch things in and out of for each place...from and to a bigger suitcase.
May end up having a growing laundry bag in the car..depends if a washing machine will be available anywhere. Will probably have magazines and certainly books.
So my mode changes. I might like spare best, it is strangely freeing, although I sure do get sick of my clothes.
Travel smith runs large, that is, when I was just under my present weight, I ordered a size sixteen suit, and was delighted to find it was too big. Ordered a fourteen and it was perfect. I now wear definite sixteen in real life and could get into my size fourteen suit recently, but not very comfortably. The jacket is still fine, waist tight on the trousers.
Well, a black suit is surely wrong for Sweden in the summer. Still, TSmith makes useful stuff. I liked their travelwear, albeit there is a certain dorkiness about it; agree with Patty about the pockets. I could avoid the whole stupid hideaway wallet thing with all the concommittent sweat. If you are still interested at all, I'd just call them, they can send stuff fast and you could discuss sizes re measurements. Can always send the stuff back later.
Other places have nonwrinkly washable casual wear, one just a block away from our office, but the thing about tsmith and similar companies is those pockets...
In italy, the pockets were important in the tourist cities, and silly in other places. Who knows? Probably not that much a concern, especially if you are hanging out with nonstranieri.
Underwear, you need it, it is depressing to do laundry every day...in my humble opinion.
Oh, well, maybe you will have to charge into a store and buy British duds..
I bought some lycra scrunchie tops on Broadway by Columbus Circle on my New York trip, nice and cheesy, just like back home on Venice Beach boardwalk. Make great underpinnings for finer outerwear. Will I never grow up?
The best way to learn how to pack for a trip is to continue repacking your suitcase until you have 25 percent open space in your suitcase.
c.i.
On my three examples of my way of travelling....
on trip one, I had maybe 15% air as I left, and didn't add much to it.
on trip two, I had a good 25%, agreeing, CI.
on example three, car trips, who cares? unless you are parking in gang territory, or in San Francisco...but ordinarily, you can leave your laundry, etc. in the car.
I'm still wearing the clothes I need to take, and will be until the day before I leave.