In the good old days before September 11th each international traveler was allowed two checked bags up to 70 pounds each. Shoes, shopping, accessories, full size toliteries I had a 140 lovely pounds to satisfy all of my obsessions. Fast forward to 2010, 1 free 50 pound suitcase per international passenger(not for long I am sure). Since I don't have enough time for therapy (excepting the retail kind of course) I had to learn to make it all work with 60% less. (I found Magellan dot com on the web has great packing information. More recently, in the September Conde Nast Traveler, "The Unsophisticated Traveler" wrote extensively on the subject.)
Late fall 2010, I am off to Ireland for 12 days. I've been to the Emerald Isle at this time of year before. It's a mixed bag of mist, rain, sun and temp swings from 65 to 30 all in the same day.
Here's how I packed.
Checked bag: (5) pairs of jeans. (5) cashmere sweaters (very warm and very light), (3) Cuddle Duds long underware, (2) long sleeve t-shirts, (1) full length down coat, (1) microfibre vest, (1) pair walking shoes,(1) purse with a long handle worn across the body (1) pair short dress boots, pjs, underware. And since all jeans and sweaters get worn at least twice, most importantly, accesories, indoor/outdoor scarves, statement jewelery anything I can use to change an outfit's look. Total bag weight - 38 pounds
In order to get all this stuff to my final destination unwrinkled, I use the following pictured packing method. I unzip the down coat and lay in the microfibre vest, underware and pjs. I zip the coat and then make a toliterie 'wall' in the middle of the suit case. The heaviest items, shoes, books, etc go at the bottom to stablize the bag when standing on its wheels. Everything else goes at the top of the bag where I make an 'envelope' of the jeans and sweaters. Cashmere sweaters that easily wrinkle are packed in drycleaning bags.(See photo)
Carry on: (1) cashmere sweater, (1) Cuddle Dud,(1) pair fleece lined walking boots,and my foldable nylon black rain trench coat. (1) pair each, socks, underware, pjs.Adidas yoga pants and hoodie. Travel size blow dryer, medications and all electronics. And in my TSA approved zip lock bag: 3 oz Toothpaste, bare minimum of makeup, 3oz hair product, 3 oz hair spray and hand sanitizer. With the above I can survive for at least 24 hours at my desitination should my checked bag get lost. Total carryon weight - 20 pounds
My purse: Eye shades, slippers, pashima shawl tied around the handle, book, magazines.
I wear pair of jeans, cashmere cardigan and long sleeved t-shirt. Just before take off I head to the bathroom and change out of my sweater and jeans into my yoga pants and hoodie. Once seated, I remove my shoes, put on my slippers, untie my pashima to use as a wrap to get a few hours of sleep. Right before landing I return to the bathroom and put back on my cardigan and jeans to arrive looking fresh and neat for my first days activities at my destination.
And finally to satisfy my shopping urges? I bring my oldest pjs and underware which I throw out at the end of the trip, leaving room for all my new treasures
Most important packing tip of all? The $5.00 nylon neck pouch that stays around my neck for the entire trip. My cash, credit cards and the holy grail to all travelers my passport stays safely under my tucked in shirt. If you only take away one message from this post, protect your passport at all times. A US passport is worth thousands on the black market, losing it can put a real damper on your trip. Make sure you make copies of your passport and leave them with someone back home in case your passport goes missing,
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