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Post by bjd on Jul 8, 2015 7:34:21 GMT
The raincoat is dual-usage. Besides keeping off any rain, it can double for this. You thought you were being amusing! But years ago, before jogging was particularly popular, I had a friend in NYC. One of his friends was rather weird, to say the least. He used to run wearing green garbage bags attached around his waist. Once he finished running, he would weigh the sweat in the bag to see how much weight he had lost.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 8, 2015 13:31:33 GMT
Eeeeeewwwwwww!!! You do have to admire his ingenuity in figuring out a way to attach the bags so that they'd collect the sweat, bot still ....
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Post by htmb on Jul 8, 2015 19:49:56 GMT
I wore my rain jacket for much of today. It was helpful for keeping me both dry and warm, and I was very glad I had it with me.
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Post by lola on Jul 8, 2015 22:30:27 GMT
bjd's "bag" man sounds like a roommate of mine who used to eat a certain number of raw almonds every day, had them all counted out to last so many weeks. Just to be contrary (or hungry) I'd snitch a few of them here and there until he IDd me as a suspect when the numbers didn't match up.
(He also experimented with not using soap when showering, until we advised him to resume.)
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 8, 2015 23:22:14 GMT
I'll bet you were fetching, Htmb, & I'll bet your camera stayed dry too!
Lola, I used to have a Leadbelly record that my two roommates gave me on the condition I would stop playing it when they were around. It was in sad shape, but not as bad as some of the records in that collection. They'd belonged to one roommate's boyfriend and his roommate had used some of them for plates to eat off when all the regular dishes were piled in the sink.
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Post by lola on Jul 9, 2015 4:20:07 GMT
Love it. I'd listen to that Leadbelly record with you, bixa, lots of times, even if we had to rinse the dried food off it first. I can almost picture the cover, kind of yellowish with his photo on the front.
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Post by Kimby on Jul 11, 2015 13:17:41 GMT
Re: cameras ~ does everyone/no one carry an extra along? Twice I have carried an extra camera, back in the days of film cameras In Turkey on a Rick Steve's group tour in 1999, I ended up loaning it to a woman in the group whose own camera had failed. And in Mexico, in 2003, my favorite point and shoot Olympus SuperZoom - which I'd brought as backup in case Mr. Kimby's Nikon SLR failed - was stolen from our car trunk, along with my fanny pack (butt bag) and a GPS I shouldn't have brought along on the trip, while we were in a museum. (We also lost Mr. Kimby's running shoes and the spare tire! Fortunately most of our luggage was in the hotel that day.) I replaced that camera with another similar model, just minutes before the age of film cameras died!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2015 17:05:40 GMT
Oh you silly woman! I always pack an extra spare tire on trips.
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Post by Kimby on Jul 11, 2015 18:41:53 GMT
In countries with good food, I tend to pack ON a spare tire during the trip! ;-)
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Post by lagatta on Jul 11, 2015 22:26:45 GMT
Not necessarily. In Italy I always lost weight, because the streets in the small city where I was studying were like goatpaths.
Bixa, a friend of my mother's was always complaining about the two old bachelor brothers she cleaned for. They would eat off their plates, and then turn them over and eat off the other side rather than washing up.
As for sweatman, not only disgusting but pointless. All the water weight would come back as soon as he had a tall cool glass of water.
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Post by patricklondon on Jul 12, 2015 7:50:48 GMT
flip flops in Oz are called thongs. In recent times this word also means a skimpy article worn by women in lieu of panties...as you can imagine confusion sometimes occurs, often amusing. Yes indeed, not so many years ago I saw on TV (of all people) Germaine Greer use the word to mean flipflops (despite having lived for decades in the UK) and she looked completely flummoxed at the reaction she got. My blog | My photos | My video clips"too literate to be spam"
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 12, 2017 4:14:37 GMT
I knew there was a thread about packing here somewhere, but had forgotten how long & full of goodies it was.
This may or may not have been covered already, but I'm reviving the thread to ask when everyone packs. So many questions and variations. Do you do it in stages, laying stuff out on the bed over a period of days? Throw everything in at the last minute? Neatly pack everything then re-think it? I wanna know.
Related issues: Only carry-on? Take along an empty suitcase for souvenirs? etc.
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Post by kerouac2 on Nov 12, 2017 6:50:26 GMT
I usually pack the day before and then remove about 30% of the things I packed as the departure approaches.
In my airline years I became a total expert at "carry-on only" since so many times I would only receive my boarding pass 5 minutes before they closed the door of the plane.
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Post by bjd on Nov 12, 2017 8:03:51 GMT
I'm usually a listmaker so depending on where I'm going, I note what I need to remember to take. Usually there is a pile somewhere that is added to as departure approaches. But generally, this pile remains small. The bag is closed either the evening before if it's an early departure, or shortly before leaving the house if it's later in the day.
I actually dislike later departures because I have the impression I do nothing other than wait to leave.
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Post by mossie on Nov 12, 2017 17:12:25 GMT
I start by throwing things on a bed about 4 or 5 days ahead, all the clothes get rolled up with a bag for chargers etc in the middle. This bundle then goes into a supermarket plastic bag which is easy to cram into my bag on wheels. First in is my shoulder bag containing my street plans etc and my basic itinerary with train times ,seat placings etc and iPad. My washbag goes on top of that along with the camera and any other small items, closure doesn't take place until shortly before leaving the house. Once I have passed the security into the waiting area I can take out the camera and the purse of Euros, so I can swop my UK money into that and pocket the Euros, and slot my camera onto my belt. Then I am all set.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 12, 2017 17:16:42 GMT
Kerouac, I try to get the packing started two days before I leave so I can figure out the best way to fit things & weigh the results. I currently have tickets on an airline that only allows 10 kilos total for the two carry-on items. I dislike later departures because the earlier in the morning you leave Oaxaca, the less likelihood that some group or other will have decided to block access to the airport. Bjd, your system is very much like mine. I have a dedicated space to start piling the essentials (cash, passport, ticket, etc.) and have those things on a list as well. I do the same about bag-closing as you. I also make a list and tape it on the front door so it will be the last thing I see before I leave. As things on it get done ("turn off coffee pot", "check back door", etc.), I scratch through them on the list. There is an immigration form I always have to fill out when leaving Mexico. It is printed in letters too small for a flea to read. I've learned to write my pertinent information -- passport #, immigrant #, flight # -- on a separate piece of paper in letters big enough for me to read. This also means that I won't be clawing those precious documents out of their safe places in order to disperse them across a public counter space.
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Post by whatagain on Nov 12, 2017 21:59:04 GMT
For holidays i pack a few days before. Or the day of departure like for this holidays.
Then my wife questions me and I have add things. My backpack is always ready and that is where I have my meds + earplugs (lifesaver) + razor + papers for the trip. Plus electronic devices. Here I have an extraordinary plug adapter that goes everywhere and has 2 USB plugs. I have 3 cables - 2 for iPhone/iPad one fir the GPS that also loads my batteries.
Then I put some underwear in the backpack and one - two good books.
And this time I have been very bright. I took and old pullover (rose that I started to hate) 2 old t-shirts 2 polos that my wife hates (one of my employer) and an old pair of jeans that I somehow could put in since I recently list 10 kgms. All this + 3 pairs of socks found its way in waste baskets during the trip. Plus one book. Unfortunately I just bought new boots having discarded the old pairs last time !
Fir work I gave my backpack with laptop power supplies cables of iPhone adapter and one shirt per trip and 1 t shirt per day + underwear (with one extra set at least).
I sleep with my t shirt that I have also used as a towel or handkerchief when I had a cold. My wife doesn't want to know how I travel actually...
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Post by Kimby on Nov 13, 2017 13:55:47 GMT
Though we’ve pretty much ceased international travel these days, I still use only a carry-on Rick Steves convertipack which I love, despite its shortage of outside pockets.
Most of what would go in the outside pockets goes into my daypack, along with my purse, camera, toiletry kit, reading material and food items (lunch for the plane, as our domestic flights no longer give away food, and sweets).
I tend to pile things (in stacks of like items) on the guest bed or in a corner of the bedroom beginning several days ahead of departure day. I add to or subtract from the piles, but do not load up the pack till the eve of departure, to avoid taking too much stuff I could live without.
I don’t really make a list for each trip, but use the previous trip to same/similar destination as a guideline.
When I RETURN from each trip, THEN I make a list as I unpack, noting what was used and what was not used. Heavily used items get underlined, unused items go in parentheses. I also note the general weather conditions on top of the list.
I now have a pile of lists from Florida in November and May (very different weather requiring different wardrobes), and Wisconsin/Michigan/Illinois in June and October.
This system makes packing pretty much worry free, and if need be, I could pack for a trip in minutes, after checking the weather forecast for the destination.
I do keep a notepad and pen (and mini flashlight) on my nightstand, to record those dropping-off-to-sleep last-minute mustn’t-forgets, so they don’t disrupt my sleep.
I do still have my international trip lists, too. Since Mr. Kimby has lost his lust for challenging travel, I may just try taking a trip with my recently-widowed sister, if we can find a destination that is on both our lists, that one of us hasn’t already “done.”
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Post by lagatta on Nov 13, 2017 14:18:32 GMT
I read somewhere that the rules about small knives have changed; could anyone confirm this? I might travel carry-on only if I could take something like an Opinel, and a corkscrew... It does make laundry a challenge, though. Not as if I take piles of clothing or anything else, beyond a laptop.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 13, 2017 14:30:43 GMT
if we can find a destination that is on both our lists, that one of us hasn’t already “done.” Kimby, you wouldn't revisit a place you liked? Surely there are cities all over the world that neither of you have seen. I love your tip of making a list of the truly necessary items when you return from a trip. I might travel carry-on only if I could take something like an Opinel, and a corkscrew... It does make laundry a challenge, LaGatta, I'd think anyplace you'd visit that would require a corkscrew would also be a place where you could buy or borrow one. And surely a cheap paring knife could be acquired anywhere. I'd think the convenience of not checking bags would far outweigh not being able to travel with those particular items. My last few trips, except for one very short one, involved access to laundry facilities. That's how I could go to London for seven weeks with only carry-on. My next trip, however, will be almost two weeks with probably no in-house washing machine. I'm trying to figure out how not to bring too much, and what I can get away with wearing at least twice.
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Post by kerouac2 on Nov 13, 2017 17:16:29 GMT
I think that corkscrews are generally allowed now, Opinels are not.
This year, I had a totally blunt rounded butter style knife (originally from Aer Lingus first class; it must have dropped into my pocket by accident, like about 50 other items of silverware from the days when airlines really used that stuff) confiscated leaving Edinburgh. I was mystified but did not complain, although I did tell them "you know, this is the sort of item they give you ON an airplane."
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Post by bjd on Nov 13, 2017 18:57:50 GMT
Yes, they were thorough at Edinburgh airport. I had forgotten to put a small bottle of perfume into the plastic bag with toilettries. When the liquid was spotted by the machine, the guy took everything out of my bag -- by the third Polish sausage, we were making jokes. "You really like these sausages, don't you?" I did explain that I couldn't find them in Toulouse.
Lagatta, as Bixa says, corkscrews don't cost much. Not worth worrying about. And if you rent a place, there will be a little knife you can use.
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Post by lagatta on Nov 14, 2017 0:02:19 GMT
Well, once a person in front of me had his expensive Laguiole knife/corkscrew duo confiscated.
The problem is that often in junky shops they only have the crap corkscrews with two wings (like a pantin) rather than the proper "waiter" style. And I need a knife I can cut and chop with. I'm not talking butchery...
Once I had a small Opinel confsicated... in Ottawa. I had changed planes in London after Amsterdam. London, where there had been very serious terrorist attacks including in the underground and buses. Not much else to do, I praised the Ottawa inspectors and assured them that it was an utter error; I had checked my shoulder bag before and found nothing untoward (it had fallen into the lining).
Obviously none of these are life or death problems!
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Post by questa on Nov 14, 2017 21:52:03 GMT
I always have a small but intensive piece of knitting in my carry-on pack. This way I can survive 12 hour delays and cancellations. When knitting needles were banned I used 2 Bic ball point pens (without the ink tube) and once a pair of chopsticks. When the ban was lifted I could take aboard pairs of needles but not the 'double-pointed" ones. These have a strong nylon tube 60cm long joining the needles.
It seems the security boffins think I will garrote someone.
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Post by patricklondon on Nov 15, 2017 12:30:22 GMT
I could take aboard pairs of needles but not the 'double-pointed" ones. These have a strong nylon tube 60cm long joining the needles. It seems the security boffins think I will garrote someone. It's all that Miss Marple's fault: she was testing out a theory, and proved it too well.
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Post by tod2 on Nov 15, 2017 12:44:28 GMT
[quote I would only receive my boarding pass 5 minutes before they closed the door of the plane.[/quote]
I can completely understand that but may I digress slightly - about boarding passes. We always get ours when checking in but a week ago I was having a conversation with someone who had just come from her travel agent. She told me she not only had her ticket but her boarding pass as well. So what about all this business of showing ones passport at every stage. Checking in, then security, followed by passport control then again at the Gate.... how could she have a boarding pass?
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Post by bjd on Nov 15, 2017 13:54:16 GMT
Why not, Tod? She still knows which plane she will be on and has her seat allocation. I don't understand the problem. If you buy your ticket online, you can also pay to get your boarding pass (and choose your seat) rather than doing it at check-in.
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Post by tod2 on Nov 15, 2017 13:58:21 GMT
Oh thanks for explaining it to me bjd. I have never got a boarding pass before checking in.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 20, 2017 15:58:58 GMT
Actually, getting the boarding pass online is usually free, although you have to wait until 24 hours before an international flight. I always ask for a better seat either at the airport check-in desk or the boarding desk & usually get it.
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Post by tod2 on Nov 20, 2017 16:49:18 GMT
Bixa - Are you heading off into the far blue yonder? About choosing seats. I go to seatguru.com and pick my seat. Then I pay a visit to my Travel Agent and tell her what seats I want. She clicks them in and that is that.....or you would think. This last trip all went well except for an internal flight home. They put Mr. Tod on one side of the isle and me on the other. It took SECONDS for me to inform them they had mad a huge mistake and proceeded to seat him next to me. Next was informing the person who arrived to take the seat next to me. I addressed her charmingly but firmly, announcing the airline had made a gross miscalculation and that she had been re-allocated a seat. Yes, I do that in the blink of an eye because our cabin crew are painful at the best. I feel no guilt, no anything, as I booked the seat almost 1 year ago.
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