Part 1: So you think you can pack?
Remember the good old days of travel when a suitcase was the size of a small apartment, had no pesky wheels, and we walked into a classy hotel with a porter carrying our luggage behind us? We dragged these bags out of storage, opened them, and began to throw everything into it we might need for the next six months, although our trip to Europe, or any place, was only two weeks long. We bought industrial sized shampoos, cream rinses, deodorant to last for the next five years, brought it home and tossed it in. Then we went to our closet, and without much regard for where or what time of year we were going, we threw in sweaters and jackets, shorts even in winter because there might be a warm spell in Montreal in January, all sorts of slacks and jeans, and enough underwear to take us across Africa for the rest of our lives. We wanted to be prepared for all seasons and occasions.
Then came the shoes. We couldn’t possibly wear shoes any more than once or twice because what would people think if they saw the same pair? Besides, we had to have a special pair for each change of outfit. We packed enough socks and underwear and shirts for every day of our trip because washing out anything in the sink was something only losers did. We threw in raincoats, umbrellas, a heavy jacket for colder weather, a light one for warmer weather, a sports jacket and several ties or a fancy dress if we wanted to go into a nice restaurant, and a tuxedo if a casino might be on the agenda.
We gathered our bags together, five or six of them, not really knowing what was in each one, took them to the airport, and a porter whisked them out of the back of our car, checked them to wherever we were going and we walked to the gate, empty handed except for a ticket and a passport.
After arrival at the hotel, we marched into the lobby with another porter struggling behind us with our stuff as we headed into the bar for refreshment and the bags were taken to our rooms.
We packed for every eventuality with confidence but no regard for reality. It was an intoxicating feeling. We loved to have all of our stuff with us all of the time and we had LOTS of stuff. It was a wonderful life. Except it wasn’t. Karen, get over it.
We never needed most of that crap anyway, didn’t wear 80% of what we brought and spent a good deal of time caring for the clothing we did wear. It wrinkled, got smelly or dirty, and left us too hot or too cold. Carrying it from city to city got old really fast because porters, like the dodo bird, went extinct. The old days are gone, if they were ever here for any of us except movie stars and royalty.
So what to do about this habit of over-packing? I’ll talk about clothes and luggage right now and the rest of the stuff like cameras, toiletries and gear, later. Right now, it’s just clothes.
Let’s say you’re going on a two week trip to Europe, and you will be in London, Amsterdam and Paris. The same packing list would hold true if you went to San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. Let’s assume you’re traveling anytime from March through November, so spring, summer or fall.
First, packing wisely requires a change in attitude. When you’re in your home city, you have a washer and dryer, a closet full of garments and shoes, and you can change your clothes and footwear every day without a problem. I wore different clothes every day in my classroom so I get it. I saw the same students and staff so it was more important to me to change what I wore. The rules are different for travel.
Second, you see new people every day and they don’t know what you wore the day before. Eleanor Roosevelt said something like, we wouldn’t be so concerned with the way we look to others if we knew how little they care or notice.
Third, if you bring 3 outfits, you’ll only wear the same outfit 3 times on a 9 day trip, 5 times on a 15 day trip. Chances are, you can mix and match what you’ve brought for a different look anyway. Some folks say this doesn’t work for them because, they tell me, they’re ‘mood dressers’ and choose what they will wear when they decide what mood they’re in. How old emotionally are these people? Do they still live with their mothers?
Fourth, nobody whom you’re traveling with, or strangers whom see you out on the street, gives a rat’s patootie what you are wearing as long as you don’t look homeless. That sounds rather harsh, but it’s quite true. Remember what Mrs. Roosevelt said. With that in mind, just pack clothes that color coordinate, can be washed at night and worn the next day and look good together. I wear a lot of black and gray. Depressing? Not at all. What I wear always looks good together, and I’m dressed appropriately for weddings, funerals, and nice restaurants. These colors don’t show dirt and because of the fabric, I can wash it at night and wear it the next day. Don’t use the excuse that I’m a guy and it’s harder for women. No it isn’t. My female clients who have traveled often with me swear by the ‘less is better’ technique.
Now to what you pack:
If you go online, you will find a list of the basics but I’m going to give you a list here that has worked for me for years. Following this list, I pack a roll-aboard, a 21 inch diagonally measured wheeled piece of luggage, that I carry onto the plane. I know, no matter how many times I have to change planes, my luggage will land with me. I will not arrive with only the clothes I’m wearing and be forced to buy a new wardrobe with the $50 the airline offers me.
Your goal is to be comfortable, look decent, and have wash and wear items you can take care of in minutes at night.
- Sox and underwear for three days.
- Three shirts or tops that color coordinate with the clothes below.
- A couple pair of zip-off pants that double as shorts.
- Night wear.
- Two light jackets that fit over each other so they can be layered, one of them waterproofed as a rain jacket.
- A couple of light sweaters that can be layered and fit under the jackets.
- One pair of weather-proofed shoes (I know that’s extreme so if you must add something here, add a pair of sandals you can walk in for at least a mile).
If it’s winter, add a heavy coat you don’t pack but wear on the plane, a cap, scarf, gloves, and proper footwear well weather-proofed.
If you think you want to pack something that is fashionable in the US, read my story GIULIANO & THE WHORES, published earlier on Substack.
Some recommendations: Cotton takes a long time to dry so stick to breathable synthetics for shirts and pants that you are comfortable in. Cotton jeans take days to dry so I never travel with them (though I would like to.) SmartWool brand sox, despite their name, can be worn for more than one day without an odor problem and dry fast. I’ll leave underwear up to you.
This packing mindset may be a huge departure from your normal habit of getting ready for a trip, but after 43 years in the business and 55 years of travel,I know it’s a good goal to have.
I think it was Mark Twain who said, “Pack half the clothes and twice the money”. Good advice.
In the future: toiletries, gear, and the art of making do with less.
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Part 2: SO YOU THINK YOU CAN PACK?
My previous article about packing in a 21 inch roll aboard (a carry on) was all about clothes. This one is about gear: luggage, plugs, electronics, documents and toiletries. It will be as direct and as offensive as the first part. This is the required micro-aggression trigger warning, so reader, you’re alerted.
REMEMBER THE GOOD OLD DAYS when you could board a plane with your hatchet, your AK-47, a couple of tire irons, and maybe even a Michelin tire for your rental car, just ‘in case’? Well, those days are gone. Now the gear you take on board in your carry-on must be super safe: no knives, hatchets, AK-47s or hand grenades. If you try to board with any of these or similar items, you will be hustled off by security and hopefully never seen again. If you are so dense as to think you can bring any of this stuff on board, you are not fit to fly, drive or vote.
LUGGAGE: Don’t check it unless it’s something like golf clubs, ski equipment or you’re on your way to the Antarctic for a year and need heavy parkas and boots. If you plan and pack well, you can fit everything you need for up to a month into a roll aboard. Here’s why: If you have a plane change anywhere, and it’s less than three hours, your checked luggage might not arrive with you regardless of all of the barcodes and QR codes that appear on the airline luggage tags. Airlines have gotten better at tracking, but you still might land in Las Vegas or Lagos without your bag. It’s a chance that you take every time you check your bag. Think it doesn’t happen? There is a warehouse in Alabama the size of an Amazon fulfillment center just for lost bags. In Paris there must be several warehouses that big, considering the inefficiency of Charles de Gaulle Airport. A flight attendant told me the lost bag building at JFK in New York is the size of Rhode Island.
TOILETRIES: LIQUIDS:
Make everything into a travel size, i.e., in a 3 ounces or less container. Your eye drops are in a 6 oz bottle? Get a 3 oz container and transfer the liquid. You can get these 3 oz containers at big box stores or online. Put these in a quart sized (never larger), clear, reclosable bag. This is not my rule. It’s the TSA’s.
Into this quart bag go: toothpaste, deodorant, petroleum jelly for sore anything, sunscreen, lip balm, skin lotion, liquid or pasty cosmetics (including lipstick). Don’t bother with shampoo as decent hotels have it in the shower or in little bottles by the sink. When you launder clothes in the hotel sink, use their shampoo; it does a great job and you won’t have lugged that along. 3 ounces of creme rinse should be enough for 2 weeks. If it isn’t, you’re either using too much to begin with or can buy more at your destination. The store doesn’t have your brand? Try something new.
TOILETRIES: DRY: put in a separate quart bag:
Toothbrush, OTC meds like Motrin or Tylenol; prescriptions, floss, nail clippers, electric shaver or a Bic-type blade, vitamins if you take them but just the amount you need for the trip, (not the year’s worth you bought on line). Small hair brush or comb.
If you need more than what you brought, and you are not in Ethiopia or Antarctica, go to a local drug store, pharmacy, or cosmetic store, and get replacements. It may not be exactly as you had, but you might find something you like better. The adventure of looking in a store like a local is worth the effort. I have found deodorant, shaving gear, sunscreen, and toothpaste I like as well, if not better, than what I brought from home.
GEAR:
PLUGS, CHARGING DEVICES, DOCUMENTs
Gear can take up a lot of space. All decent hotels have hairdryers if you need one. Hair curlers and straighteners work on very high heat, require a bulky transformer and even then often don’t work or go up in flames anyway. A lady with me in Edinburgh plugged in a curler, it blew up like a Roman candle, set the drapes on fire, ruined a desktop and did so much smoke damage the room had to be redone. The damage to her wallet was over $500, payable on the spot. This has happened a dozen times even after I’ve warned clients to leave American hair dryers and curling irons at home. The damage makes the hotel owner unhappy. Burning down a hotel can land you in jail and is frowned on by the locals. If you must have a curling iron or straightener, buy one after you’ve landed.. Better yet, do without and try something new.
PLUGS
Keeping with the electrical scene, European plugs are different from the ones we use in the US or Canada. They have two prongs but the prongs in Europe are round like dowels, not flat like knives as we have. In Britain and Ireland, the plugs are even more different. They are large, three pronged, triangular and weigh as much as a small dog. OK, maybe not, but they’re hefty. You plug the adaptor into the wall first and then plug in your device into the convertor/adaptor plug and you’re good to go. The convertor plug converts only the plug shape, not the current. In Europe, the current is 220v and in the US, it’s 110v. This is fine because electronics like phones and shavers convert internally but heat producing appliances, like hair apparatuses I’ve mentioned above, will be fried and start fires or blow fuses.
ELECTRONICS AND DEVICES
Depending upon the electronic device(s) you take, pack the exact number of cords as the number of devices, less if they use the same cords. Don’t take back up chords. If you’re not going to the Congo or Tierra del Fuego, it’s likely you will be able to buy another cord on site if one fails.
Remember to bring your charging cables. Electronics, like phones and iPads, need just a cord and a USB port, so plug the adapter plug into the wall and then your US plug with a USB port into the adapter, and your device into that and it will charge. Electronics, like phones and iPads require NO voltage transformer from the European current of 220v to the 110v American. Adapter plugs are available cheaply online. I like 1ststoptravel.com for such things. If you’ve two devices, two plugs, two cords, and two adapter plugs are enough. DON’T PACK 5 CORDS AS BACK UPS. If you’re not going to Siberia or Outer Mongolia, chances are, if a cord is lost, you can buy another one in Wal-Euro or whatever it’s called.
DOCUMENTS
Bring your passport and any necessary visas (as required by the countries you are visiting; as of 2023, no European nation requires a visa for American visitors but we WILL BE REQUIRED TO HAVE A EUROPEAN VISA starting in 2024; see below). I know this sounds ridiculous but I’ve stood behind passengers checking in at JFK for a foreign flight who have not brought their passports to the airport and argue with the agent that they don’t need it since they have it at home. The people who show up at the airline counter to check in for a foreign flight without a passport fall into the same category as the people who want to board with their beloved AK-47s and hand grenades. They aren’t fit to fly, drive, vote or raise children.
Bring your driver’s license, too. Why the drivers license? If you’ve locked your passport in your suitcase back in the hotel for security and have to show ID when you use a credit card, this is the perfect small piece to carry. Once, when there was an unexpected train strike, I went to Hertz, used my driver’s license and credit card, rented a van and drove my people to our destination.
Beginning in January 2024, Americans will need to obtain an entrance visa to Europe. This is called the ‘European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS)’. It will cost $8, is valid for 3 years or until your passport expires, and is good for a 90 day stay within a 180 day period. You can obtain one online starting in 2024. It is a small requirement but some people are really upset by it. My feeling is this. Get over it or don’t go to Europe. Those who object can stay home and snuggle up to their hand grenades.
NEXT TIME IN PART III (THE LAST PART) MEDICATIONS, GEAR YOU MAY NEED ON THE FLIGHT, CAMERAS, TIME PIECES, MONEY MATTERS, and OTHER SMALL STUFF
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Part 3: SO YOU THINK YOU CAN PACK?
Part I was mostly about clothing. Part II was about luggage, electrical plugs, electronics, documents and toiletries. Part III will be about Meds, Gear on the Flight, Cameras, Time Pieces, Money, and Other Handy Gear. You should not need a trigger warning about this article unless you are a really tender Koddled Karen. But people get so upset about everything today so be warned about anything. Think meds are an inappropriate topic and smack of drugs? Cameras are used for porno and that upsets you? Well then, don’t read on. But if you want some solid travel advice from over 50 years of experience, you’ll appreciate these tips.
MEDICATIONS
Prescriptions are tricky. If the pills you take are just OTC stuff, no worries. If it is heart and blood pressure meds and such, CARRY THEM ON THE PLANE regardless of the whereabouts of your bag. If you check a bag, NEVER put scripts in it. EVER. Once upon a time after my group and I had landed in London, one lady’s bag did not arrive with everyone else’s. She dissolved on the floor like ice melting in Texas heat, sobbing. She had had several organ transplants and needed her meds to combat rejection. She said she would die without them, not figuratively but literally. Her companion scolded her, said how stupid she was to have vital meds in checked luggage and she deserved to die if she was that ignorant. I don’t think the friendship lasted. I reported the loss to baggage authorities who were sympathetic, not wanting to be the cause for someone’s death due to missing luggage, and her bag was found on another delivery belt nearby. The hour of searching was rough but not as rough as the relationship between the lady and her travel partner.
ON THE FLIGHT
On transatlantic flights I sleep so I bring a good neck pillow, foam ear plugs and an eye mask. With this gear which takes little space, I can sleep 6 hours even in economy. If all you want to do is watch movies or read a book (for this bring a book and/or a Kindle), then you don’t need these items.
CAMERA(S) Remember the old days when we had a separate camera case for our Nikons or Minoltas? And all those interlocking lenses and filters, light meters, and extra film that would cost a fortune to process? So, who did we think we were? Ansel Adams? Anny Liebowitz? Did we think we ranked with these famous still photographers? Then came video cameras and everyone had to record 13 hours of film with their kids at Disney World, the kids ranting, screaming, pleading, while we wiped off pounds of sweat and said things on tape we regretted later. All those hours and hours of film that clogged our video devices were (blessedly) forgotten or discarded. Were we trying to be Steven Spielberg or Greta Gerwig? Did we think we were photoing or video-ing breathless, exciting and immortal scenes? Apparently not because no one wanted to see the stills or footage after a couple of days and even we were too bored with it after a week. All that effort and cost for nothing. If you’re not on assignment for National Geographic, leave your Nikons, Minoltas and lenses at home.
Now we have iPhones and Androids and Samsungs that take, for the average to the moderately accomplished photographer, better photos than the Nikons and Minoltas of old ever did. These new digital devices balance light, focus automatically, require no film and are slipped into our pockets instead of a bulky case. Videos? The ‘how interested in the film will I be in a week’ criteria is still pretty low on these mostly waste-of-time efforts. 13 hours of kids crying or cars racing are just as boring on the digital platform as the videos were on the old ‘balance on your shoulder apparatuses’. Haul out almost any video and you’ll get a big collective YAWN and excuses to escape the drudgery of watching a kid deciding between a large plastic dinosaur and a larger stuffed Mickey Mouse. (Chances are, they’ll end up with both after enough tears.)
TIME PIECE: wear a watch or use your phone but bring something, anything, by which to tell the time or set an alarm. Your mother won’t be there to get you up and hustle you along, Karen. Even if she is, don’t ask her to do this. And don’t rely on hotel wake up services or other passengers to knock on your door in the morning. Too much can go wrong.
MONEY MATTERS
Remember the good old days when we used to take piles of travelers checks, hunt for a bank that would take them, sign them and get piles of cash, always less a hefty exchange fee? Credit cards were rare birds back then and we ended up carrying way too much money around or running unexpectedly short because we hadn’t counted correctly. Perhaps they weren’t such good old money days after all.
Today, if you are equipped with a good debit card (and know the PIN) and a couple of credit cards, you’re all set. Unless you are in Somalia or Outer Mongolia, most businesses gladly take credit cards. Make sure the card you use does NOT charge a foreign transaction fee. These can be hefty so call your issuing company to make sure. Better yet, get it in writing. American Express charges no foreign fees but is only accepted at about 75% of businesses and restaurants in Europe. Its acceptance is expanding rapidly but bring another card or two. MasterCard and VISA generally charge no fee (Capital One issues both and there is no fee) but again, call the bank that issued the card to make sure. Put everything you possibly can on a credit card to get the best rate of exchange and so that you are not carrying around piles of money.
Debit cards are great for the small amount of cash you might need. Go to an ATM (inside a bank if possible for security) and get from $100 to $200 worth of local cash per person but no more is necessary on a daily basis. Use a debit card that CHARGES NO TRANSACTION FEES. Many debit cards are from banks that charge a fee if you don’t use that bank’s machines. One that I know of charges NO fees for use overseas and it’s SCHWAB. Call or go online, open an account, stash some money in the free account, they send you the card, activate the card while in the US (you can’t do it from overseas) and you’re good to go. Apply for an account at least 6 weeks prior to departure. When you return home, you can cancel the account at no charge and draw out the remaining cash. This is the only card I know of that charges NO fees for using ANY bank’s ATM machine, gives the best rate of exchange, and works in ATMs from Beijing to Berlin to Buenos Aires. But you MUST KNOW THE PIN. Oh, and NEVER get money from an ATM marked EURONET. They’ll give you a terrible exchange rate that would make the Mafia blush.
A client of mine ran out of cash so she and I went to a bank near the hotel. She put her debit card into the ATM, looked at the screen, turned to me and asked me what a PIN was. I explained. She then asked me what her PIN was. I knew right away she had read none of the advice I’d sent. Since I had no baseball bat, I wasn’t able to smash her kneecaps out of frustration, something tour guides shouldn’t do anyway, but many of the people who had loaned her money would gladly have done used the bat. I dragged her to the nearest Western Union Office where a relative in the US reluctantly sent her cash. The charge to get the cash was $100. A pretty stiff penalty but she had money and both her knee caps. KNOW YOUR PIN is the moral of the story here.
Yes, in some countries you will need cash (the small outdoor markets in Egypt come to mind but they only want American money, not Egyptian) but you won’t need much cash in the 27 European Union nations, Britain or Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, or most of South America where the use of cards is common.
OTHER HANDY GEAR…..most of which you can buy at your destination if you forget:
Tissues, nail clippers, bandaids; hand sanitizer, a pen, some note paper, magazines, a Kindle or a book (although you’ll find few books in English overseas), small hand sanitizer, wipes and a PASSPORT POUCH. The pouch is absolutely necessary. Keep your passport and cards and large bills in the pouch and wear it under your clothes. Pick the style most comfortable for you and use it every day. You’ll never get pickpocketed or lose your most important stuff. Get any gear at a travel story or at www.1ststoptravelstore.com.
I know a lot of this sounds harsh and minimalist but the reality of 21st century travel is ‘take care of yourself and haul your own stuff’. Pack your bag and, even if it has wheels, pick it up and walk at least a ¼ mile with it. If it weighs too much, you’ve packed too much. Don’t rely on travel partners or nonexistent porters to carry your stuff. They will resent all the crap you brought, lose it intentionally or drop it down a steep stairwell. New Era packing is a shift of mindset. Know you are responsible for what you bring, and you’ll bring far less and be happier. If you’re not happier, have a beer.
