Travelling light? Carry-on baggage: overseas travel

[PamNY]

Today a work colleague asked me if I use 1 carry-on luggage for any long vacations out of the country (ie. Europe, etc.) He was curious since his girlfriend was planning to check in her luggage. It includes for her to have 4 prs. of shoes during 3 wk. trip in Italy this fall.

Do you know this person very well? If not, there is something slightly "off" about him telling a colleague how many pairs of shoes his girlfriend is taking to Italy.

If he "wants the opinion of another woman", you probably should explain to him that people are individuals, and what other people pack is largely irrelevant.

Is he going on the trip as well? Does he seem like a "controlling" person?

[jyyanks]

I know I don't travel light but I hate not having anything to wear and not having the right shoes so I try to plan for every scenario I can think of. I also overpack for the kids. I'm resigned to the fact that unless I'm doing a 1-2 day trip, I need more than a carry on.

[NbyNW]

I find that I can pack the same for a week or longer as I do for a long weekend. Laundry on the road is no big deal. Shoes and outfit to suit different settings is something I've been able to work out over time, so now I've got a couple of things that I automatically reach for when I am traveling and know that I might want to dress up for dinner.

The toughest thing I've had to face as far as packing goes is changing climates (e.g., -30C in Edmonton to +25C in the Dominican Republic). Going from a cold place to a warm place, I end up with clothing that I have to lug around for my entire trip but I know I'll want them at some point for the trip home. Thankfully, down is light and compresses well!

[shootingstar]

Do you know this person very well? If not, there is something slightly "off" about him telling a colleague how many pairs of shoes his girlfriend is taking to Italy.

If he "wants the opinion of another woman", you probably should explain to him that people are individuals, and what other people pack is largely irrelevant.

Is he going on the trip as well? Does he seem like a "controlling" person?

You're right, Pam. He was seeking an opinion in particular, a woman. He sits near me at work. I did say it depends on the person. But clearly he hates having checked in baggage. And he knows for me as a cyclist, I've just become more streamlined in vacation baggage packing. I have to say, cycle touring truly has changed me alot how much less I pack in general to still enjoy a trip.

Yea, NBYNW. Even between Calgary and Vancouver in winter, I have to plot my way a tad, on clothing a bit. Meaning what type of jacket/coat I will wear on the plane/getting off and getting home..ie. The 2 cities can have markedly different temperatures, but right now it's unusually warm in the prairies.

[SadieKate]

OMG, don't travel around me, but then I just can't handle look-and-don't-touch traveling/vacations. If dirt, water, wheels or fish aren't involved, I'd rather stay home.

10-day fishing trip minimum footwear list:

• studded felt-soled boots for slippery, nasty, fast rivers
• rubber-soled boots for benign rivers or when felt isn't the PC thing to wear
• wading sandals if spending the day fishing from a boat
• running/walking/hiking shoes for when the river is a long hike in
• sandals for apres-fishing
• closed toed apres-fish shoes in case it's raining more than the sandals can handle

And that doesn't EVEN include the variety of rods and reels I take with me.

And, yes, I've flown with that.

[salsabike]

Sounds like our rock-hunting trips, although for those we are better off driving to Utah or Oregon or wherever in our own truck, where the boots and shovels and tools and packs and water jugs--and the rocks--can all be thrown in the back.

Our European trips often involve a high degree of museum weeniedom (see the trip we dubbed the "London Museum Death March" of 2003, when we went to the Aztec exhibit at the Royal Academy, the Courtauld, the V&A, the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, the Natural History Museum, the Tate, the Tate Modern, and Hampton Court (skipped British Museum because had been there before and feet dead by then anyway).

For European trips longer than, say, 10 days, we are likely to check one bag.

[Biciclista]

If I bring an extra pair of shoes, they are flipflops. I pride myself in travelling light, but i usually check a bag. that leaves me with a backpack holding my lunch, notebook, and once upon a time books to read, now i have my kindle ...
I usually carry a change or two of clothes but lots of socks and underwear. :-)

[maillotpois]

OMG, don't travel around me, but then I just can't handle look-and-don't-touch traveling/vacations. If dirt, water, wheels or fish aren't involved, I'd rather stay home.

Guilty as charged (but leave out the fish unless it's on my plate). We're leaving tomorrow on a ski trip in another country (the one up north where there actually IS snow ), and we'll be checking a lot of bags, and skis and everything. I also like active vacations, and I figure I'm strong enough to carry all that cr@p plus it makes NO difference to the airplane how many bags I take. So who cares how many bags I take?

I'm putting off packing now...

[OakLeaf]

I will say one thing: when they say to pack light when you go to Venice, they mean it. Every block connected by stone bridges means there are no carts and the wheels on your luggage don't work. What you carry, you carry for several blocks between your hotel and the nearest vaporetto stop.

[PamNY]

You're right, Pam. He was seeking an opinion in particular, a woman. He sits near me at work. I did say it depends on the person. But clearly he hates having checked in baggage. And he knows for me as a cyclist, I've just become more streamlined in vacation baggage packing. I have to say, cycle touring truly has changed me alot how much less I pack in general to still enjoy a trip.

You should have a talk with him about privacy and discretion, and about his tendency to be controlling.

It's likely this issue has nothing at all to do with luggage, and everything to do with his desire to control. If this is a normal taxis-and-hotels type of trip, taking only carry-on bags is ludicrous.

[shootingstar]

You should have a talk with him about privacy and discretion, and about his tendency to be controlling.

It's likely this issue has nothing at all to do with luggage, and everything to do with his desire to control. If this is a normal taxis-and-hotels type of trip, taking only carry-on bags is ludicrous.

I dunno, Pam. But I don't intend to get further with him on advising on his personal stuff. After all, both of our jobs require that we work with one another on projects on a daily basis.

Best to keep it that way. After all, he "hates" cyclists. He's the employee who thinks I lead a deficient life by travelling around our city (which is uglier when one gets off the parkway cycling routes...just urban sprawl in oil-energy prairies area).

Kinda in this whole thread, to learn of other things that people do on vacation outside of cycling, jogging, skiing, hiking, etc. Wonderful story, Marquise.

[maillotpois]

Our six checked bags (14 total if you count our 2 friends' bags and all our carryons) have arrived safely in Vancouver.