Adventures in Travel Packing part II

Last month I discussed the trials and tribulations of traveling with a large, somewhat heavy suitcase. This month I continue with the theme of travel packing.

Having researched, I have found that the lightest luggage out there is a 24-inch, 6.5 lb. case.  I was able to pack for a month in one that size, although mine was about 10 lbs. That is a major difference. But since I was able to get everything in that size, I don’t need anything bigger.

Now that the luggage has been taken care of, the next hurdle is what to pack.

Personally, enough underwear and socks to last my stay plus one extra in case of flight delays is essential. If you don’t wear socks, you have that much more room.

My rule of thumb is three days for each shirt and three or four days for each pair of trousers. If you’re more fastidious than that – or a sloppy eater – you might want two days each. If you need an outfit for each day, this specific blog is probably not for you.

I don’t recommend wearing the same thing two days in a row. Your clothes need time to air out.  Also, you may not want people to notice you’re wearing the same outfit you wore yesterday.

  The sniff test can help determine whether or not your clothes are acceptable – along with whether or not you have any obvious stains on your clothes. Last month I mentioned spraying your clothes with Febreze. I noticed their commercials now recommend the same thing.

In addition to clothes, I recommend a washcloth – a flannel for the British reader. Maybe it’s just me, since I prefer baths, but if I take a shower where the shower head is attached to the wall, I find it difficult to get completely rinsed everywhere, so a washcloth is a great help. Unfortunately, washcloths are one of those things that have fallen out of favor, at least in Europe, so most hotels and B&Bs don’t provide them, although most places do provide towels.

A washcloth is also helpful if you don’t like those air hand dryers in public washrooms. Many places no longer have paper towels. I find the air dryers don’t actually dry my hands, and I end up using my shirt as a towel. Washcloths are also more environmentally friendly than either paper towels or using the electricity for the dryers.

Of course, as with anything else, if you don’t find washcloths useful, don’t bother. But if you do bring one, I recommend a zip-lock bag to store it in, in case you have to pack it before it’s dry.

Speaking of things to dry yourself off with, you might also want to pack a towel. While they are usually provided by B&Bs and hotels,  if you’re using youth hostels or some other uber-cheap place, or if you plan to go swimming during your travels, you may want to pack a towel.

And while you’re at it, pack a bathing suit, just in case. If you don’t plan to swim, don’t bother.

When choosing what clothes to pack, know your country’s climate. My vacations have generally been in late spring or summer, so a winter vacation might require bulkier clothes and a bigger suitcase.

Most of Europe would usually be warm or hot in summer, so shorts or capris are suitable for women most of the time, and a couple of pairs of lightweight trousers, especially for evening.  If you’re going somewhere dressy, a pair of dress trousers and a blouse that won’t wrinkle easily, or a non-fussy dress are easy choices.

If you do decide to bring shorts I recommend that shorts be at least finger-tip length, especially if you’re touring places of worship.

Tops can be whatever you like to wear, but it should be noted that in some countries, if you’re visiting places of worship, women are expected to have their shoulders covered, so if you plan to wear sleeveless tops, bring a shawl or sweater for these visits.

 In a few countries, the places of worship have loaner shawls, but without knowing how many other people have worn that shawl, or when it was last laundered, I’m not sure I’d want to borrow one.

Men should pack a combination of shorts and lightweight trousers, depending on their style, and golf or polo shirts. Casual trousers and golf shirts are generally as dressy as is necessary in most places. If you’re going somewhere dressier, a dress shirt, dress trousers, sports coat and possibly a tie might be in order. But leave them home unless you know you’ll need them.

 I’ve been told that nothing makes one stand out as American faster than T-shirts and jeans, but I don’t think this is true any longer, considering the number of Europeans I’ve seen dressed this way. I think it’s more what’s written on the T-shirts that makes one appear especially American. My recommendation is to steer clear of political statements on clothing.

The UK and Ireland are generally cooler in summer than other places in Europe. However, it’s important to check the current weather. When I went they were experiencing a drought, and the temperatures were much warmer than average. While I packed a couple of pairs of shorts, some of the trousers were a bit too warm. But on one day when it was particularly cool, I was thankful for the long sleeve shirt I packed.

It’s always a good idea to be prepared for rain. While an umbrella is always in my suitcase, wind can make it useless. If you carry a day bag/backpack, a poncho that fits over you and your backpack is a good idea. They make great ones that fold into a pocket on the front of the poncho, which makes it very compact.

An alternative (and a good idea anyway) is a waterproof windbreaker. It’s usually enough for chilly evenings, and doesn’t necessitate an extra rain coat.

Shoes are a major part of the packing process. If you have dress clothes packed, you’ll likely need a pair of dress shoes. Additionally, a pair of slippers or flip-flops is a good idea in just about any country. I usually pack a good pair of comfortable shoes for walking. I pack them because I want to wear an easy pair of slip-ons to get through TSA at the airport.

If you have a good pair of walking shoes that also happen to be slip-ons, or if you simply don’t care about having to take extra time with shoelaces on top of everything else at the airport, then you can get away with one less pair of shoes. But depending on how long your vacation is, a second pair of shoes for touring isn’t a bad idea.

Jewelry: less is more. Unless you’re going somewhere dressy, you don’t need it. If you typically wear a bracelet or necklace of some sort, bring only your usual – or you’d probably be wearing it anyway, so it won’t take up any room. If you have pierced ears, two or at most three pairs are more than enough. I recommend putting them in some sort of pouch so that they’re all together and easier to find.

Where you pack your things is also important if you have checked luggage.

I only use my phone as a back-up camera, and I usually bring a laptop/tablet mainly to download my pictures before I forget where they were taken. So I have a carry-on for camera, laptop, phone and sundry small things, such as toothbrush and toothpaste for overnight flights. Wet wipes to clean off your feet after going through TSA isn’t a bad idea.

On my latest trip,  my flight was delayed, so I had to take a different plane to get to Dublin. With a delay you’d think there would be no luggage problem. Not so.

I got there but my bag took an extra 12 hours to arrive.  So, now I recommend packing a change of clothes (at the very least, underwear) in the carry-on.

It’s also a good idea to make a list of everything you plan to pack. Check it frequently as you pack. Check off items as you put them in your bag, and ask yourself if you really need each item. Once everything is packed, put a copy of that list in your carry-on in case you luggage is lost. You will need to be able to list what was in it. It’s also a good idea to leave a copy of that list at home.

As far as packing, there are many theories about what is best. Some recommend cubes, others rolling clothes and still others, vacuum bags.

I use a combination of these. I don’t find that rolling clothes keeps them from wrinkling, but they do take up less room that way. Vacuum bags can be difficult to flatten for the trip home unless you can find a means to vacuum out the air.

It’s important to find what works best for you. Try different methods in a pre-vacation run-through. A method can be great for compacting things, but miserable when you’re trying to find them. Packing depends on what is comfortable for you.

And lastly, don’t forget to have a great vacation.

Adventures in Travel Packing, Part I

Most of my friends would agree, I think, that I’m reasonably well-travelled. So when they take a trip they  often ask me how much of each item to bring on a given trip.

I admit I have packing lists based on country or state – or time of year – and length of stay. I’m not obsessive. I’ve simply made packing lists for vacations and never bothered to delete them.

It simplifies things for the next vacation. And I’ve updated several of them based on what did or did not work.

Having just returned from my longest trip since my semester abroad in the ’70s, I have learned some valuable lessons: chief among them finding lighter, more compact items.

 Recently, I was away for a month. While some practical people would assume I’d do laundry at some point, that was not part of my agenda (And yes, I do have that much underwear).

Why not?

The first two weeks I was with family members. They had only the two weeks, and I didn’t want to take away from their tour opportunities to do laundry.

Next, I had four days on my own to discover some places I’d never been to before in Northern Ireland. Being in new territory not only meant opportunities to explore, but also no idea where to find a laundromat. The only time I saw one in all of Ireland was on the way out of Dundalk on my way to Dublin Airport.

The third leg of my trip was a week in County Donegal for a total emersion Irish language course. We spent all day in class, and most of the evening in enrichment events, such as Celtic Dance, story-telling sessions or going to the pub for the craic (although pronounced crack, it has nothing to do with drugs). There was nowhere and no time to do laundry.

My final three days involved meeting and spending time with distant relatives, and by then, there was little point in doing laundry. If my cousins didn’t like seeing me in the same trousers and shirt two days in a row they were too polite to say so. It was the last of my clean clothes.

Most people don’t think about finding laundromats. They simply assume they exist. After all, when was the last time you used one? For me, it was 1979 in Manchester, England.

Hotels may do your laundry for you, but the charge is usually high. I’m generally trying to save money for important things, like seeing someplace new, so using a hotel laundry is out of the question. Besides, I mainly stay in inexpensive hotels or B&Bs. While they may offer ironing boards or hair dryers, laundry is not part of the deal.

Assuming doing laundry while vacationing is off the table, here are a couple of suggestions.

Some people do their “delicates” in the bathroom sink. A good option, but personally, I never feel like they’re really clean unless they’ve been scrubbed on a rock by a professional washerwoman (or man). But that’s me.

Febreeze.

I was introduced to this concept by a fellow traveler, and by the fact that they sell travel-sized containers of it in places like Target and the local drug store.

At the end of the day, spray your outer clothes in the areas they may develop odors with the Febreeze. Hang them up and plan on a different outfit for the next day. When you come back to them, they will most likely smell clean.

A clothes brush (or your hair brush if you’re desperate – I am talking discount travel).

 If you spill something other than drinks or oil on your clothes, once it’s dry, you may well be able to give the clothes a good strong brushing and remove the offending dirt/stain. Wine and olive oil, I’m afraid, do not respond to brushing.

If you do spill wine, oil or something similar on clothes you’d like to wear again, by all means, rinse the area with cold water as soon as you can, and do a spot clean with soap and water. It may or may not work.

Now that we have laundry out of the way, I discovered a few things about my luggage.

Over the years, I have had a variety of cases for traveling. I have whittled those down to three different sizes. And for me, any that are large require wheels and pull handles.

My largest isn’t the largest size made. It’s just too big to fit as carry-on. It’s about 27 inches. But it is large enough for me to fit at least two weeks’ worth of clothes in it, with room for a souvenir sweater or two. I generally only use this when I’m traveling overseas or other places that allow a free checked bag. (Obviously, there are certain airlines I don’t fly.)

However, this trip I discovered, not for the first time, that, when it’s fully loaded,  I can barely lift this bag on and off trains and buses or up a flight of stairs.

If I’m going on a cruise, where we’re picked up at our doorstep, dropped off at the airport, and then chauffeured to our ship, where all lifting and carting is done by someone else, this bag is just fine.

If, as it happened this trip, you are on your own for the lifting – or if you can’t afford/ don’t do the airport limo – you can hope for the kindness of strangers, which I found in abundance in Ireland. But be prepared to fend for yourself.

The fending for myself has made me want to look for a lighter-weight case for my big trips.

My second case, which is the largest carry-on size, is my go-to for under two-week trips. If I get creative, or most of my clothes are shorts and T-shirts, I can get away with it for a two-week trip. It’s all a matter of finding the packing method that works for you. I use packing cubes and some rolled clothes. I find rolling actually does make them take up less space. The downside is that larger items (shirts, trousers) tend to wrinkle, so if you don’t like ironing, they may be better flat.

The down side to the second case is that it is the same construction as the large one, so that, when stuffed to the gills, with the expansion part open, it’s nearly as heavy as the bigger case. But it’s still manageable, as long as I keep up with my fitness program.

The third case is a weekender, designed to fit under the seat of an airplane (and it actually does!). I can pack for a week in this. If you’re flying and need leg room, you’d want to put this one in the overhead compartment. If you’re like me, and short, this one will suit a short vacation when using those ultra-stingy flights that don’t let you use the overhead without charge. (I never fly the airlines that don’t even allow carry-on without charge.) And it’s lightweight.

You may think, at this point, why not ditch the large one and use the two small ones? Well, they’re both on wheels, which is great for pavement walking, but cumbersome when going up and down stairs or getting on and off trains.

Generally, I have a second bag, my true carry-on, cleverly posing as my computer bag. It’s a backpack. This is for my electronics and the insignificant things like passport, wallet and keys.

When traveling overseas or somewhere I think I might need entertainment like email and Facebook, I pack my Surface, which is a pseudo-laptop. I know, Blue Scream will rant it’s not called that. It’s a sort-of tablet with an attachable keyboard. But that’s my name for it.

In addition to the Surface (which I also use to download and title any pictures I take before I forget what they are of), I have my phone, my DSLR camera, a Kindle, an iPod, a converter and a plastic bag with any small liquids I may need before I arrive at my destination.

Ok, at this point, you’re probably shaking your head and saying I’m over-packed. Let me ‘splain it to you.

Yes, my phone takes pictures. But I don’t find the quality or the ability to take anything more than instamatic shots to be very good. Yes, I could get all the gadgetry to turn it into an alien being that takes the sorts of pictures my DSLR does. But the DSLR is already set up for that.

However, the DSLR is big and clunky and it is probably the heaviest item in my backpack, making carrying the backpack almost as trying on my muscles as lifting the big case. I am looking into getting a smaller, lighter version that isn’t simply a point-and-shoot.

Yes, I have the Kindle app on my phone. But it eats up battery almost as quickly as using the phone as a camera (I’ve used up battery power while touring around and needed a back-up camera). I would have to be in constant contact with a recharge station in order to multi-task the phone in this way.  Also, I prefer a larger medium for reading than that little screen. And the Kindle stays charged the whole trip without a recharge.

 For very short sessions I will read on the phone, or use it to take a few pictures so I’ll have the place recorded. But long term, the phone doesn’t have enough battery power or storage for me to give up my over-packing ways.

I also have access to the internet on my phone, but I don’t like the way it accesses it. And overseas, unless you get a special plan, there is a charge for data and calls. Why pay for an extra plan when I already have internet access on my Surface?

And let’s not forget the iPod. Yes, I could somehow get music on my phone. However, I’m not sure how that works or if I can multi-task the phone to play music while I’m doing something else with it. And how much battery does that eat? As long as I have a perfectly good iPod that works and still isn’t full, why not use it?

Ok, I could leave the iPod home. I really only use it on the plane. And there are generally pretty good movies on the plane that Blue Scream was never interested in seeing, so I missed.

One thing I regret leaving home this time was the noise-reduction headphones. I usually use these with the iPod, but since I got ear buds that actually do fit my ears (long story), I decided the headphones were too cumbersome, since I usually only use them on the plane.

Bad move! On the flight home this time, there was a toddler who screamed throughout the entire flight (except take-off and landing, when most babies cry). Having experience with children, I could tell this was not a fear or pain scream, it was a brat scream (The accompanying behavior made this obvious), which his caregivers did nothing to make stop.

This is where noise reduction headphones become a necessity. Had I only packed them, I could have had seven blessed hours of just listening to movies or even a peaceful nap. But no. Seven hours of some 3-year-old screaming for no very good reason made it difficult to even hear the movie through my iPhone earbuds.

On my next trip I will carefully think through whether I’m going to read enough to bring the Kindle. If I can also find a smaller, lighter DSLR camera, that would allow me to bring a smaller backpack (which I already have). But the noise-reduction headphones will definitely be in it.

Lessons learned: Think carefully before packing; find lighter suitcases; find a smaller camera; reading may be fundamental, but do it on a smaller screen when traveling.

Tune in next month, when the topic of the blog will be: Adventures in Packing, part II, in which I will discuss the things inside the suitcases.