Money Matters
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
MM help: I want to travel for 10 days in a carry-on
It's spring break, so the office is slow today.
H and I are going to France at the end of July. We're going to be there for about 10 days, and we want to travel with carry-on only. I know people do this, but I have never done this.
It seems like every trip we take we pack less and less.... but for trips this long, we still check bags. For France (and hopefully for the future), we really want to carry-on and be done.
So to my question: for those of you who are capable of truly traveling light, what are the items worth investing in? I'm looking at packing cubes, wicking undergarments, those pants where the legs zip off, etc. I really don't want to spend too much, but with at least three more (hopefully four) trips coming up that we know about, I'm willing to invest a bit if something is really that worthwhile.
I'm willing to hand-wash items in the evening. I'm not willing to spend touring hours in a laundromat.
We do each have a pacsafe bag that we will take as our personal item (LOVE). H has one of their small backpacks, and I have a cross-body bag. We invested in those a couple trips ago, and they were worth every penny. We currently have one 21" rolling bag, and I'm contemplating springing for the Vera Bradley Grand Traveler tote (on sale today for $60). I can't decide if that's better than getting a second 21" bag or not. It's squish-able and has a trolley sleeve, but obviously it does not have wheels.
Tips/advice/reality check?
Re: MM help: I want to travel for 10 days in a carry-on
I am definitely not the best for traveling light. But I love the Space Saver bags for squishing all the air out of stuff. Though you may have trouble squishing the air back out for the return trip, unless your hotel has one of those vacuum cleaners that will fit one.
I got married out of state and didn't trust the airline with my wedding dress. So I "Space Savered" it and put it in my tote bag purse. And I am talking a full length, enormous, "Scarlett O'Hara" style poufy monster. It worked out awesome...with the help of my mom's dry cleaner's willingness to press out all the wrinkles with less than 48 hours (checked on that ahead of time).
Just be strategic about the tops, pants and skirts you bring being easily mix and match-able. And of course, be thoughtful in making use of every space and pocket in your suitcase.
Also, it's best to keep the number of shoes to a minimum. I'm a fan of Puma ballet flats which can be dressed up, down or even worn to the beach.
We also skip packing shampoo, body wash, conditioner, etc. and just buy it upon arrival. It's often more expensive, but worth it to reduce the hassle and worry of spillage. Do though buy some single use packs of Tide for sink washing.
I know you like boutique hotels, but most hotel chains frequently have free or cheap laundry facilities. My clothes aren't nice enough to worry about them being stolen, so during past trips I'd throw a load in and then use that time to lounge by the pool or take a nap.
Personally, I'm a fan of rolling carry-ons as opposed to totes because I hate lugging something heavy on my shoulders, but that's totally a personal choice. I recently splurged on a pair of these carry-ons for DH and myself when they were on sale, and took mine on a business trip last week and was very happy with it. Europe has a lot of cobblestone paths that I can imagine would be hard to navigate with a rolling suitcase, so if you're planning on doing a lot of traveling to Europe a tote may be better for those. I do love the look of cute totes, but I end up using them more as a purse/laptop bag.
I also recommend a small portable steamer. It helps freshen up your clothes after a long trip, gets rid of wrinkles. Space saving bags are also great (I like the kind that you can roll up and squish the air out instead of the ones that need a vaccumm), and I like to separate my underthings and socks in little mesh bags. My friend swears by Eagle Creek Compression cubes, but I personally haven't used them.
One thing I've learned is to pick a neutral color scheme for your clothes that allow you to mix and match outfits. A couple of neutral shirts/pants/skirts can be combined in a million ways and dressed up with accessories like scarves and jewelry. I also pack very little make-up--usually it's limited to a tinted lotion with SPF, a dual lipstick/blush, neutral eyeshadow palette (use the darker color as an eyeliner), chapstick and mascara.
I also tend not to worry too much about toiletries. I usually pack a small amount of things like toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, etc., but don't mind buying more while I'm traveling. Some of my favorite toiletries have been collected from our travels.
I'm in a conference call for work right now, but if I think of more things later I'll let you know!
If you're going to be doing a lot of hiking, be sure to take plenty of moisture wicking socks and a pair of comfy shoes.
We fly stand-by all the time and therefore, rarely check bags.
1. Use the inside of your shoes for putting socks/underwear.
2. Limit the number of shoes you take and ditto PP who said getting a pair that looks good touring or for a nice meal.
3. Smaller toiletries. Target has a travel wall in their stores and you can buy pretty much all stuff there. With your special creams or hair care items, buy the small travel bottles and fill them with your own products. Small hair brush. If you need to, here are the hot curlers I have and have used for YEARS. They rock. http://www.amazon.com/Conair-Instant-Compact-Styling-Setter/dp/B0002G21GI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427938541&sr=8-1&keywords=travel+size+curlers If you need to, buy a travel size hair dryer.
4. Clothing just needs to be multi-functional - bottoms that can be worn touring and then dressed up with a different top and jewelry.
5. Outwear than can be compressed and squeezed into a tight compartment. Something like Eddie Bauer.
6. Think of your carry-ons as containing the game of Tetris. You don't have to fold all your clothing. You don't have to roll everything. Look for "hiding" places or slots between things. I also have one of those packing cubes (I got it about 6 months ago). PROS: It holds all my folded things well. CONS: It's too blocky and stiff for the amount of stuff I need to get into my roller bag. I've packed like this (carry-ons only) for nearly 10 years and I find the cube pack to be very limiting in the positioning of my clothing and gear. So, in short, for me it's not the best thing. But, I can see how people like it.
7. If you're looking for a roller-bag, I'd go with Samsonite and get the 360 degree wheels. They are a bit more expensive, but your arms will thank you.
Since you are staying in an apartment, there should be a washer in the apartment. Most Europeans don't have driers (at least in Germany).
I did 12 weeks in Germany with only a week's worth of clothes. Most of the hotels I stayed in did laundries.
My boss goes to China for 3 weeks at a time and does only a small carry-on in addition to his CPAP and computer bag. It can be done, you just have to plan harder.
Something that works well for me is I'll have a big tote bag type of purse for my personal item and, inside that, I'll have a small purse that I will actually use as a purse once I am at my destination.
Inside the small purse, I'll keep the types of items I need to grab quick while I'm traveling...ie passport, cell phone, money, boarding pass, etc. So the small purse also works as an organizer within the big tote bag.