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Packing for travel
Aug. 17th, 2011 08:16 amAs I prepared for this trip, I thought a lot about what to bring and what... not.
Livingdeb forwarded me a link to someone else's packing philosophy. This reminded me that my ideas are not for everyone. The minimum necessary for me is not for everyone. That said, we do agree on many things -- for example, packing clothing detergent and printouts of all reservations. My first hotel on this trip could not find my reservation. Ah, printed confirmation numbers!
A lot of what we differ in involves purpose. Her packing appears to be for vacation. I travel for work. For work, I MUST have a laptop with cables. I often need classroom tools or toys. Work attire is more involved than vacation clothing, and often should not be washed in a hotel sink. So rewearing work clothing is a delicate balance on a single trip, even assuming I could sneak it past the people who are staring at me all day every day. Thus, I must bring More Stuff. *sigh*
Of course, there are some items she brings that I do not. I have no need for makeup, I skip the daypack and the umbrella, and manage without the travel clothesline, towel, titanium cup, tea bags, and spork.
Instead, I have epsum salts in a ziploc, a travel sink stopper (works for when I'm washing clothes or soaking feet), chocolate covered coffee beans, travel slippers,and a silk sheet (keeps out bugs -- don't ask -- and is a compromise for those many European hotels that only have a thick quilt, no sheet).
Most of my travel up until now has been international, and most hotels do NOT provide even vaguely adequate shampoo and conditioner. So I pack solid ones.
My plane flights reminded me that I pack a bunch of things to keep my sanity on the long flights:
* a tiny container of painkillers, swallowing at least two at the beginning of flight
* gas-x (always happens when I least expect it, and usually from being so hungry I eat plane food)
* water flavoring
* an empty water bottle, filled in airport
* PDA (for the books)
* PDA battery
* mp3, & headphones (headphones sub for ear plugs)
* spare battery for the mp3
* eye mask
* tail-bone sensitive pillow
* blow-up pillow for the small of my back
* blow-up pillow for around my neck
* a prescription sleeping pill
* 2 books - 'cause on really long flights, I run the PDA out of both batteries and finish the first book.
Those seats are HORRIBLE. My back and tailbone ache sitting in them for just a few minutes. For hours?! Are other people really that flexible and immune to pain?
Instead of judging what to pack by what is the minimum I could possibly survive on, I judge what to pack based on what I will USE. Not use once, not perhaps use, but use over and over again during the trip. If it is something I will use every day and REALLY appreciate having... That moves it up considerably on my potential packing list. For instance, indoor slippers. Do I NEED them? No. Will I use them every single day in a hotel? Oh, yeah. Hotel room floors make my feet itch. Psychosomatic or not, the slippers prevent me from trying to levitate about my hotel room.
Unlike MissMinimalist on the one extreme and many of my fellow travelers on the other, I pack two pairs of shoes. My plane shoes are workout shoes, for evening walks, and always for the plane. My work shoes are comfortable and I can walk distances in them, but they are not meant for the gym. I have found that walking 5-10 miles a day in a single pair of shoes, no matter how wonderful, means that I need to wear something else. My feet just really want change. This assumes no blisters or other problems.
I wonder at MissMinimalist's ability to have only 3 pairs of socks with her. My socks take 36 hours to dry. Yes, I've tried washing/drying them several times on trips over the years. She must have special fast-drying socks. But with the time it takes to dry, I have to BE checked into a hotel for longer than it takes the socks to dry, or I am trying to travel with wet clothes. Double *ick*.
Livingdeb forwarded me a link to someone else's packing philosophy. This reminded me that my ideas are not for everyone. The minimum necessary for me is not for everyone. That said, we do agree on many things -- for example, packing clothing detergent and printouts of all reservations. My first hotel on this trip could not find my reservation. Ah, printed confirmation numbers!
A lot of what we differ in involves purpose. Her packing appears to be for vacation. I travel for work. For work, I MUST have a laptop with cables. I often need classroom tools or toys. Work attire is more involved than vacation clothing, and often should not be washed in a hotel sink. So rewearing work clothing is a delicate balance on a single trip, even assuming I could sneak it past the people who are staring at me all day every day. Thus, I must bring More Stuff. *sigh*
Of course, there are some items she brings that I do not. I have no need for makeup, I skip the daypack and the umbrella, and manage without the travel clothesline, towel, titanium cup, tea bags, and spork.
Instead, I have epsum salts in a ziploc, a travel sink stopper (works for when I'm washing clothes or soaking feet), chocolate covered coffee beans, travel slippers,and a silk sheet (keeps out bugs -- don't ask -- and is a compromise for those many European hotels that only have a thick quilt, no sheet).
Most of my travel up until now has been international, and most hotels do NOT provide even vaguely adequate shampoo and conditioner. So I pack solid ones.
My plane flights reminded me that I pack a bunch of things to keep my sanity on the long flights:
* a tiny container of painkillers, swallowing at least two at the beginning of flight
* gas-x (always happens when I least expect it, and usually from being so hungry I eat plane food)
* water flavoring
* an empty water bottle, filled in airport
* PDA (for the books)
* PDA battery
* mp3, & headphones (headphones sub for ear plugs)
* spare battery for the mp3
* eye mask
* tail-bone sensitive pillow
* blow-up pillow for the small of my back
* blow-up pillow for around my neck
* a prescription sleeping pill
* 2 books - 'cause on really long flights, I run the PDA out of both batteries and finish the first book.
Those seats are HORRIBLE. My back and tailbone ache sitting in them for just a few minutes. For hours?! Are other people really that flexible and immune to pain?
Instead of judging what to pack by what is the minimum I could possibly survive on, I judge what to pack based on what I will USE. Not use once, not perhaps use, but use over and over again during the trip. If it is something I will use every day and REALLY appreciate having... That moves it up considerably on my potential packing list. For instance, indoor slippers. Do I NEED them? No. Will I use them every single day in a hotel? Oh, yeah. Hotel room floors make my feet itch. Psychosomatic or not, the slippers prevent me from trying to levitate about my hotel room.
Unlike MissMinimalist on the one extreme and many of my fellow travelers on the other, I pack two pairs of shoes. My plane shoes are workout shoes, for evening walks, and always for the plane. My work shoes are comfortable and I can walk distances in them, but they are not meant for the gym. I have found that walking 5-10 miles a day in a single pair of shoes, no matter how wonderful, means that I need to wear something else. My feet just really want change. This assumes no blisters or other problems.
I wonder at MissMinimalist's ability to have only 3 pairs of socks with her. My socks take 36 hours to dry. Yes, I've tried washing/drying them several times on trips over the years. She must have special fast-drying socks. But with the time it takes to dry, I have to BE checked into a hotel for longer than it takes the socks to dry, or I am trying to travel with wet clothes. Double *ick*.
