<p>I take pictures. Thousands. If only I had the time to sort through, label and organize them!!
I have started getting souvenirs on recent trips. Earrings, or a scarf, or kitchen trivet (which I’d like to turn into a table some day) – but made by local artists.</p>
<p>When we traveled with the kids, we always got tshirts from the places we visited. Which, of course, are in bags to be turned into a quilt because I can’t bear the thought of throwing them away. </p>
<p>DH got me a 27" rollerbag for Australia and NZ (3.5 weeks). He will have one as well, but he has a bulky CPAP that needs to fit in the bag. Am going to see if I can go smaller before committing to the larger bag.</p>
<p>Also have a couple of grocery bags from places we have visited. DH gets a ton of freebie bags at his conferences, etc., but I like the ones from out trips better. Got a couple tea towels in Scotland and Ireland, too.</p>
<p>27 inch bags are large…and are very easy to pack exceeding the weight limit. Just be careful.</p>
<p>I use the spray bottle trick too. Works great. But it needs to be a very FINE spray–not all are created equal.
I’ve been bringing back articles of clothing or a purse/accessory lately. Mostly I take pictures.
Son has a collection of small statues that represent his travels </p>
<p>I have a fabulous collection of international dolls from my mother’s international travels. Some are from my grandfather’s international travels. They are in a box in my closet. I honestly don’t know what to do with them. Some are over 50 years old and are gorgeous. </p>
<p>I used to have int’l dolls from when we lived in Europe when I was a kid. Played with them til they fell apart (I made up historical scenarios with them). Kinda miss them now.</p>
<p>We have a 70 lb limit on each piece of luggage, though may have to pay for the more local flights. My neck and shoulders are really bad now and I just don’t want to have to schlep something that large/heavy. I took a Kipling bag to the beach this week with a towel, sunscreen and sunshirt in it and my neck has hurt ever since.</p>
<p>CD…get a 24 inch bag for your checked bag. Even that will be a headache to schlep around if it has 70 pounds in it. Believe me…you don’t want to pay for overage on weight. So check carefully for each leg of your trip. If ONE leg is 50 pounds…then don’t go over that for any leg of your trip. </p>
<p>Love those new Lesportsac colors! Now those are fun, lightweight and well made bags. I have one, grey paisley that is my “personal item” for travel. Put the smaller purse, a cross body in there, land laptop, and I’m good to go, with a rolling backpack as the carry on. I am a little fearful about those new stricter regulations for United carry ons. </p>
<p>Love the spray bottle trip. This fall I have a major trip to Asia planned, and hints are appreciated, as I’ve been to heavy a packer historically. </p>
<p>I travel so much I rarely bring anything back except on vacation trips. (This year, I will have maybe 10 trips to the UK, 6-8 to Germany, one or two to Singapore, one to Hong Kong, Bogota, Santiago, and in the US Gillette WY, NY, (several to DC), Miami, Houston, and who knows where else plus vacation trips to Vietnam/Cambodia/Thailand, Croatia/Czech Republic, Toronto, Miami, SF.) For business trips, I never check bags unless I’m also tying on a personal trip. On vacation trips, we often bring back presents (from SE Asia for sure, likely Southern Europe as well). Presents include on the last trip included turtle and elephant shaped wallet-like things, earrings, design-y stuff for my wife’s friends who have no material needs whatsoever so they and we frequently give each other gifts neither party needs). From Italy and from Thailand, we brought back a dress and pants for my daughter. Every once in a while, I will bring back jewelry for my wife.</p>
<p>To pack light on vacation @great lakes mom, take layers, versatile clothes that will roll easily, and stuff that you can wash or have the hotel wash.</p>
<p>I will have to try the spray bottle trip. I find that no iron shirts and suits can unrumple in the bathroom when I’m showering.</p>
<p>I’ll have to try straight water - I’ve been using Downy Wrinkle Releaser, which tells me it’s made of “fiber relaxer” which DH who is a chemist suspects is some sort of surfactant, water and perfume. I can live without the perfume and if plain old water does the trick, then my fibers can remain stressed. </p>
<p>Historically, I have hand washed when traveling. Will be staying with friends and family, no hotels aside from a few nights in HK. The challenge tends to be multiple climates, multiple activities, as I like to hike, get out in nature, so appreciate my boots, yet want to look less than bedraggled in the city. Korea in the fall requires layers, and then Thailand anytime requires hot weather gear, but nicely dressed, given the activities. </p>
<p>Shawbridge, wow! You must just want to stay home on occasion! </p>
<p>DH is a muckety muck on United and we are trying to get our inland connections via an affiliated carrier. I know I won’t go anywhere near 70 lbs – was at 37 for Ireland and Scotland and that included heavy clothes. We have so much luggage in this house already…have several 22s which are not spinners.</p>
<p>I roll a casual shirt, underwear and socks together and wrap it with a rubber band when we travel. Works really well for the guys and they can throw a roll in their backpack so if the luggage gets lost, they have at least one change of clothes. </p>
<p>As I was doing laundry yesterday, I realized the other thing I tend to bring back- t-shirts. </p>
<p>great lakes mom, yup. I do like being at home, but I enjoy many aspects of the travel as well. Now that the nest is empty, ShawWife sometimes comes with me or meets me and we extend it into a vacation. I worked for a week in Mexico City last year and was staying at the Four Seasons (a particularly nice one). ShawWife came and did art stuff for several days and saw several of Luis Barragan’s houses (one of our favorite architects) with a private guide and when I was done with the work, we got together with the CEO of my client and his wife/family and with other friends the next couple of days. Was really nice. But, I doubt we brought back anything from that trip.</p>
<p>Gave up on t-shirts because I simply hate to wear them anymore. But I always seem to find other clothing and purses that I haven’t seen in the states. Sometimes cooking items. I bought a super lightweight cooking pot made of plastic that could go into the microwave for my mom on a recent trip to Europe. Got a great hammock in Mexico. Things you use every day make the best souvenirs.
Plain water in a tiny spray bottle (I got mine at Wal-Mart in the travel section) works just as well as Downy relaxer. Maybe better–free with no perfume. I’ve tested different spray bottles and it really is in the sprayer. You need more of a mist (which the tiny bottles at WM have). They also work great in combo with a microfiber cloth to clean mirrors. But I digress…
If you want to travel light get some lightweight quick dry clothes that can mix and match. Most are non-wrinkle to start with and since most are thin they don’t take up any room in a suitcase so you can take a decent wardrobe with you (at least for women) Layer, layer, layer. Take a travel hanger with you for drying (and sanity–need plastic with swivel top so it hangs anywhere) and you’ll be gold. It’s always the shoes that are the problem–find great walking sandals in basic color that can double for most going out. And micro-fiber underwear so it’s quick dry (same for socks). And the spray bottle! </p>
<p>I am currently in Bordeaux, France. I use Caudalie face care products, and I went into a pharmacie and they are far cheaper here (Caudalie’s HQ are actually right outside of Bordeaux) so I bought a few. </p>
<p>Thanks for the offer of the packing seminar, PG. If I wind up traveling more frequently in the future, issues of my carbon footprint may compel me to enroll! Also, if I were traveling in a group, and therefore holding up the others by going to the baggage claim, I might conceivably pack light.</p>
<p>But I somewhat doubt it. My issue is not the packing logistics, nor the choices, but wanting to be prepared for most possible eventualities. So I had multiple boxes of the Band-aid blister bandages, Band-aids with antiseptic, Blister Block, a large tube of sunscreen, Neosporin, Benadryl cream, etc.–you name it. Also, I had pants for every day I was traveling–four black jeans, four black wool dressier pants. As it happened, I wore only the jeans. But I hadn’t been to this particular locale before, and did not know what would be most appropriate.</p>
<p>Back when I traveled on business, my suitcases didn’t have wheels. I learned.
So I’m a minimalist now. My 20" wheelie duffle can squish into overhead. Purple (what the store had- but if you see one, it may be me.) I pack flat and have lightweight v-neck sweaters that dress up or down. I hate looking like a tourist. So my walking shoes are rubber soled flats. One or two good pairs of dark slacks and then dark jeans. A good scarf or two, in case. Works for me. </p>
<p>I treasure the stack of postcards we sent family when we lived abroad and explored lots of small towns. They saved them for us. It’s something my kids miss, since they text or email when traveling. </p>
<p>Last trip, I brought home a half-round of local cheese and 2 bottles of very good local wine. And a Longchamps bag from Paris duty-free. Friends and I usually bring each other small, unique local food things we can cook with. </p>
<p>There’s a phone app called Day 1 Journal which is great for trips–you can take a picture and write a blurb. Fun way to remember what and where you went each day.</p>
<p>I spent enough time in Europe to know you don’t need to wash every piece of clothing every day. Quantmech, on your trip I’d have brought a pair of black jeans, a pair of dressy pants and possibly a skirt. I do bring a few bandaids and a tube of neosporine, but certainly not multiple boxes!</p>
<p>But it does remind me of a certain 17th century soldier who was said to have traveled with a trunk load of books, not because he was going to read them all, but because he didn’t know which ones he’d be in the mood to read.</p>