<p>"One of the sadder aspects of travel is thinking about the places one can’t go now, or that were badly impacted by combat in the past. (I suppose this issue goes all the way back to the Parthenon, or further back.) "</p>
<p>My first trip to Europe I had a pre World War II Baedeker. picked up in a used book store. It never occurred to me something more up to date might have been helpful. Having never really studied any history beyond the 18th C, it turned out of be a very different sort of tourist experience than I had anticipated. I learned a lot about both World Wars.</p>
<p>^^Agree. If you chose a competitive strategy angle for your company, don’t insult the rest of the population with comments like that. Sorry, sseamom, if I had to boycott every clothing company that does not do anything unethical or employs a jerk like that, I’d be walking around nekkid. Trust me - not a pretty sight. ;)</p>
<p>Back to our regular programming… Have you ever had a piece of clothing that you acquired during a trip that later became a favorite? </p>
<p>Oh yes! In my 20s the whole geiger wool sweater cardigan/tiny floral dirndl skirt/lace blouse ensemble bought on the main drag in Munich… and the forest green long wool coat. and a hat. and knee socks.</p>
<p>In London, while pregnant, Laura Ashley.</p>
<p>I have bought antique clothes at various markets.</p>
<p>Yup, agree, clothes from Munich. DH wore his hiking cardigan for about 25 years before it fell apart. He also got big ol’ Swiss hiking boots there, still good. And I’ve got the whole dirndl gear, too. But also brought back work suits. In the Reagan years, the exchange rate was phenomenal. </p>
<p>OMG, I thought I was the only crazy lady to have that in her closet! Mr B and kiddo got it for me when they were traveling through Munich. :)</p>
<p>I brought a gorgeous wool sweater dress from Sweden that I love. And my wild cats patterned Hermes scarf from Paris (that’s all I could afford in that expensive city ). </p>
<p>DH got me a few silk scarves, over time, in duty free. We also brought back beer glasses from different Bavarian breweries (we were young, had lived there, explored different towns) - which have pretty much always stayed in a box. (A big stack of beer coasters, too.) D2 is living in another city, with a friend. Recently, she said she hates drinking from her friend’s mismatched glasses with beer names on them. I laughed. If I had the right space, I probably would put them out. Somewhere. </p>
<p>QM, seriously? Why couldn’t you rewear jeans or pants a couple of times? What’s the big deal? You don’t honestly throw your jeans in the wash every single time you wear them. </p>
<p>My current trip that I’m on is 14 days long, 3 countries. I have 4 pairs of pants - black cropped linen, black dressy, khaki and light grey. All can go either business casual or casual-casual. Why wouldn’t that be enough? I have 4 pairs of shoes (including sneakers) and I probably overpacked. I want “unrepeated” outfits for the 5 days I’m with clients, but for the rest? Who do I have to impress, and who is going to know that I wore that same top 2 days ago? </p>
<p>QM, do you have diabetes or another health issue where you have to be very serious / careful about wound care? I get bringing a few band aids, but what you’re describing seems overkill. </p>
<p>Anyway, you can always ask your hotel front staff for things like that. They’ll have extras. </p>
<p>Re hotel laundries, I don’t ever think I’ve used one, and can’t imagine a need to do so unless there were some extreme circumstance. </p>
<p>I’ve never used a hotel laundry service, but I always use the washer and dryer at Honua Kai. However, those hotel laundry plastic bags come quite handy when you need to pack dirty sneakers into your suitcase! </p>
<p>I have an Aran Isl. handmade fisherman knit sweater brought back from Ireland 30 years ago that I still wear. I also have a cape style Icelandic wool zip up jacket with a hood that I love. It is so lightweight and I can also layer underneath.</p>
<p>I brought back a lot of clothes from Munich, but then I lived there five years! I have a beautiful wool coat from there. I also have a lot of long dresses in African prints that belonged to my mother. Now that maxi dresses are stylish again, I feel like I can wear them to summer parties. I’ve got a nice scarf from Jordan. I used to buy a sweater every time I went to Britain because I could never believe how cold it was going to be, unfortunately my budget never covered nice sweaters so they are all long gone. </p>
<p>I travel with the Lucy Everyday Pants in black. They’re lightweight, have three zip pockets (including one hidden inside the front pocket), and actually dry in about two hours. They pack down very thin. </p>
<p>Pizzagirl-Deep South temperatures and humidity+hours of walking a day=extreme circumstances. Trust me, NOBODY would want to stand near me wearing anything a second time! But I planned for that and washed halfway through the trip, so easy peasy. But I never would have occurred to me to bring a brand new outfit for every single day or to wash my clothes under normal situations after a single wearing.</p>
<p>For plane trips, I consider traveling light a mandatory luxury. A good silk scarf can dress up anything and send whatever message you want. Otoh, for a car trip, we tend to go nuts, filling the trunk. We were only in Munich for two years. I had in mind a dark navy Loden coat, but never got around to it. </p>
<p>In practice, I wore 4 pairs of jeans to cover the 8-day trip. I do not have any known illnesses (not counting CC addiction). However, the trip involved more hiking than is usual for me, and I do work up a healthy “glow” in those circumstances. Additionally, I still find it stressful to talk with some of my colleagues (even now). And there have been days at home when I have washed jeans after a single wearing. I pretty much inevitably need to have wool pants dry cleaned after 1 or at most 2 wearings.</p>
<p>You know those nice, thick blister bandages with stiff gel that Band-Aid makes? You can’t always find them when you are traveling. Especially when you have a conference agenda from 9 am to 10 pm, several days running.</p>
<p>To each, her own. I save a bit of luggage space on nail polish, which I have not worn since about age 11.</p>
<p>QM–there is a great book called “How to Talk to Anyone” by Leil Lowndes. It has enough good “tricks” to take the stress out of talking to almost anyone in all sorts of situations from small talk at parties to clients in business situation. It really works.</p>
<p>As for jeans–I don’t wear them on trips if at all possible–they’re heavy to pack and you can’t wash them. I opt for a lightweight pair of pants that dry quick over night. If it’s cold I go for underthings like “Cuddle Duds” that can layer and be washed/dried easily.</p>
<p>Packing light doesn’t seem to me any sort of morally superior position, just something that is an entertaining challenge for me. One of the very few brag worthy skills I have acquired. It is definitely easier for those of us who are cold natured and don’t have to worry about perspiration. My husband says for me hot flashes meant losing one of six layering pieces. I don’t guess recommending lightweight silk or cotton layers to wear under your clothes, so only those pieces need to be washed, will be useful advice for someone already warm. I don’t wear jeans or pants traveling, only dresses that can be hand washed and hung to dry overnight. Usually though, I just spot clean spills. </p>
<p>My big brag is that I pack even lighter than PG, and am prepared for anything from a hike to a black tie event, but I am not traveling for business and don’t need to worry about creating a certain impression. I hike in long dresses, heavy knee socks, lace up shoes and don’t get too warm. Recently a group of us ran into some stiles. At the first one, everyone turned and looked at me. How is she getting over in that getup? No Problem. Just hiked the skirts up knee length and flung one leg over. Of course, I had leggings and a tee shirt on underneath so even if my skirts had gone over my head, I was still pretty decent.</p>
<p>QM, If you are to be walking long distances and working up a sweat, I might suggest wearing some kind of athletic pant – they will get less sweaty than jeans will, as they are made for activity. </p>
<p>II wouldn’t see any reason one couldn’t wear dress black pants 2 times in a week without requiring any cleaning, and potentially 3 if they were only being worn for part of the day (such as for dinner). If you’re in a conference from 9 am - 10 pm though, how much activity are you doing and how much sweat are you generating? To me, that would be more about “do I want these people to see me in the same outfit day after day” more so than “I can’t wear this again, it’s too dirty.”</p>
<p>I am fortunate, though, in that much of my business travel is simply nice casual. The outfits I wore with my client during the week - I’ll just rewear them on the weekend when I’m touring by myself. </p>
<p>Oh! I did buy a souvenir in Bordeaux – I found Repetto ballet flats, which I’ve always wanted, at a really good price compared to the states. They are classic and timeless IMO. I bought 2 pairs, so now my carry-on is just a wee bit stuffed :-)</p>
<p>When I was in Ireland 30+ years ago, I bought a cashmere overcoat for my husband. I had the shop ship it, because I was traveling for another 3 weeks and didn’t want to lug it all over Europe. For some bizarre reason I never figured out, the shop shipped me two identical coats. They were gorgeous. I wore one, my husband the other. We still have one – the lining is ripped, but it’s OK otherwise. </p>
<p>I bought a lot of shoes and boots in Spain. The most comfortable walking gear I’ve ever owned (other than sneakers). </p>
). </p>