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Post by palesa on Feb 9, 2009 15:14:56 GMT
List 5 things you pack when travelling:
Cotton sleeping bag inner Camping towel Pen knife Torch Duct tape (amazing what you can do with duct tape)
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2009 15:22:22 GMT
extra plastic bags tiny multitool device notebook can/bottle opener electronic calculator
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Post by lagatta on Feb 9, 2009 23:54:04 GMT
laptop (am considering a netbook) corkscrew opinel knife watercolour paper watercolour paints (+brushes)
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Post by onlymark on Feb 10, 2009 5:08:48 GMT
Nobody packs a passport then?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2009 6:19:13 GMT
I see people do it all the time at the airport. They keep putting it away in their baggage and having to hunt it up again and again when it should just be in their pocket!
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Post by onlymark on Feb 10, 2009 6:25:23 GMT
In my day pack goes a book, credit card/Maestro card, any important paperwork, spare glasses and that's about it. I keep my passport, ticket or e ticket and a pen in my pockets. The rest goes in my check in bag and that's about it.
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Post by Kimby on Feb 10, 2009 7:58:58 GMT
Do none of you travel by air? How do you get your sharp knives/multi-tools past security?
And Mark, I'm surprized that a seasoned traveller such as your self entrusts ANY baggage to the airlines.
If at all possible, I will not check bags. Except maybe on the way home when the trip's over and the souvenirs are weighting me down!
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Post by onlymark on Feb 10, 2009 9:17:46 GMT
I weigh up the convenience of checked baggage as opposed to carrying everything with me. If I'm short on time when I arrive then I'll rarely check anything in or if I'm away just for a few days. But for any length of time I can't avoid it. I have had one or two slip ups but easily on balance everything has been fine.
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Post by lagatta on Feb 10, 2009 14:10:31 GMT
Women's clothes don't always have suitable pockets for passports. Thought passport, and ticket went without saying, though nowadays you don't always have a physical ticket.
I've rarely succeeded in travelling with only a check-on bag, though yes, I've suffered mislaid baggage. I usually have to look somewhat presentable if I'm working at a conference or something. And of course sharp things go in checked bags.
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 10, 2009 19:28:55 GMT
Re: women's clothing & pockets ~~ I use a hidden envelope made for this purpose. Even though men have pockets, they should use this too. Here's the closest thing I could find to the one I have: www.travelwares.com/product_p/e40024.htm. Mine doesn't have two loops, & is beige. When you wear it on your belt, the loop can be hidden beneath the tongue of the belt. You put it on your belt, put your belt on normally, then flip the envelope over & down inside your pants. However, this is where it really comes into its own for women: take the loop of the envelope and slip one side of your bra through it so that the envelope hangs from the bit of cloth between the bra cups. Now put your bra on. You'll find that it's quite easy to pull the envelope out from your top. It's amazingly invisible once on, too. I've used it with dresses, with both tuck-in blouses & those worn outside and even with flimsy fabrics like voile -- it can't be seen! I own two of them, & have used both on occasion -- one for passport, my Mexican resident book, & credit cards, and another for extra money. Generally when you get where you're going, you can revert to using only one envelope. This sounds really uncomfortable, but it's not. Also, you get a certain amount of reassurance from being able to surreptitiously tap your stomach & feel that yes, all of your important stuff is there with you. The photo in the link will magnify slightly -- enough so that you could figure out a way to sew up a copy of the envelope if you can't find one to buy. The two loops are overkill.
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Post by lagatta on Feb 10, 2009 21:53:47 GMT
That is an idea, because I find the waist-safes uncomfortable and conspicuous (Hey lady, you have a funny lump on the side - or if central, it looks like some kind of tumour)... and neck pouches work okay if you are wearing at least a light jacket but not on hot days when you just have a blouse, t-shirt or camisole on, as the cord is visible from behind.
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 11, 2009 4:12:21 GMT
I have a waist-safe that's made by the same company that made the hidden envelope thing. It's made from the same fabric & is almost identical except for having an extra layer of pocket that closes with velcro. It closes with one of these: . I can position the container part in the small of my back so it's not visible, but the thing is hot! Also, I never feel as secure with it. If for some reason the closure should fail & I happened to be wearing it with a dress or skirt, what would keep it from falling completely off? Also, with the other envelope method, I can quickly reach in at the airport or wherever & get out my passport and just as quickly replace it. Can't see doing the same thing with the waist safe.
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Post by lagatta on Feb 11, 2009 19:16:30 GMT
Yeah, I definitely prefer having valuables where I can see them - pickpockets can be very good, and work without you feeling it.
I almost always wear a dress or skirt when travelling - find a long skirt is the most comfy thing, unless one is willing to wear track or yoga pants, and I don't like looking like a TOTAL slob, especially upon arrival in a city.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2009 19:25:25 GMT
I have had to adapt to the new rules of packing for carry-on items, after years of never checking baggage. Now I will check a bag if I absolutely must take something that cannot come through security, but basically the new rules have taught me that I need even less than I thought. And I already knew that anyway, because I would see that I had "extra stuff" at my destination. Of course, I'm a guy and therefore less likely to be attached to certain specific toiletry items, but I really enjoy buying weird new toiletries at an exotic destination -- unfortunately, normally you just find the same international brands, however. So I don't mind abandoning them on the way home, if I am not checking baggage. Otherwise, I am thrilled to have a tube of Colgate written in Thai for a few weeks after my return -- it reminds me of the trip every day.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2009 5:16:14 GMT
Here is the packing thread from long ago, for anybody with a trip in the offing.
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Post by bjd on Oct 8, 2009 7:34:03 GMT
We just returned from a week's trip. Between me and my husband we had one carry-on size suitcase and I had a briefcase-sized bag. We checked in the case because of toiletries and since it was a direct charter flight with 103 people on board, we figured it wouldn't get lost. The other 100 people where on an organized tour and it looked as though they were emigrating!!! Huge suitcases. Couples with an enormous wheeled suitcase each! They were doing a trip by bus for a week. We couldn't believe the amount of luggage they all had.
The other woman who was travelling on her own (not as part of the group) also had a smallish bag, but was surprised at how little we had. Even so, we had stuff we never used -- like a light jacket and umbrella.
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Post by lagatta on Oct 8, 2009 16:12:33 GMT
I guess people who don't often travel feel the need to take more of "home" with them. Probably they aren't used to washing things out in basins/sinks either. Travel undies used to be hideous, but now they make quite acceptable-looking underpants for men and women that dry quickly and don't look like you've escaped from a geriatric centre.
Well, light jacket and umbrella depend on the caprices of weather, and don't take up a lot of space.
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Post by bjd on Oct 8, 2009 16:18:41 GMT
To be fair, it was a group of mostly retired people, probably used to organized group travel. But the trip was only a week long -- 7 pairs of underpants just don't take up that much space that you have to wash them in a hotel sink.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2009 16:53:41 GMT
I am going to be very curious to see my nephew's baggage when he arrives tomorrow. He is the only other traveller in the family besides me and is going overland from Paris to Marrakesh. If ever I see him walk through the customs exit with a classic Samsonite suitcase on wheels, I may start running in the opposite direction.
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Post by lagatta on Oct 8, 2009 18:02:43 GMT
A surprising number of young travellers use wheelie suitcases now.
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Post by fumobici on Oct 8, 2009 21:52:15 GMT
I'm another that tries desperately to avoid checked baggage but if it absolutely can't be avoided, I will completely change plans and take rather a lot of stuff I think I or the people on the other end might like since I have to check a bag anyway. If you are going to visit someone abroad from your country they often would like some silly little things like candies or toiletries or cosmetics or magazines or foods they can't get where they live and appreciate a 'bit of home'.
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Post by lagatta on Oct 8, 2009 23:09:20 GMT
Oh dear, the people who want tins of maple syrup! Don't blame them at all, but it is heavy!
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Post by bjd on Oct 9, 2009 9:08:49 GMT
Lagatta -- maple syrup is available in every French supermarket nowadays. So if the people you are visiting are in France, you don't have to bother. It usually comes from Quebec too.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2009 16:31:16 GMT
Well, my nephew came out of the customs and baggage exit empty-handed, so I sent him right back in to get some damned baggage! In some airports, he probably would have been shot by security.
He is using a backpack. It looks to me like it has too much stuff in it.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 9, 2009 16:56:48 GMT
Maybe he brought you presents, grumpy uncle!
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Post by lagatta on Oct 9, 2009 18:14:06 GMT
Does he live in the Gulf area?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2009 21:08:36 GMT
He lives in San Diego.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 9, 2009 21:27:14 GMT
I sure hope the didn't get crushed in the luggage! I'll bet you're fetching as all get-out in them!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2009 23:23:38 GMT
Oh dear, the people who want tins of maple syrup! Don't blame them at all, but it is heavy! I always mail myself a tin of maple syrup from Vermont. It's cheaper in NY,even with the postage then buying it here.
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Post by Kimby on Oct 12, 2009 16:29:45 GMT
the trip was only a week long -- 7 pairs of underpants just don't take up that much space that you have to wash them in a hotel sink. Or, take your oldest rattiest pairs of panties and toss them when you are finished with them. This leaves room for souvenirs on the way home.
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