At long last, Steve and I are packing our bags again for a jaunt to the Old Country on a family visit! And you’re seeing that right: this time, we’re going to Germany via Paris – which is also a family visit, as one of the Offspring is going to uni there at the moment. I’ve never been there (neither has Steve, for that matter), so we’re bringing a guide book to tell us where the best spots are. Paris will be just a three-day stint, so we’ll have to make the most of it.
I thought that maybe I’d give you a little glimpse into the packing process, the way I’ve done it for the last, oh, four or five years or so, and pass on a few tips I’ve collected on the way.
As you can tell by the guide book, I’m a big fan of Rick Steves, the travel writer/presenter. I have no affiliation with him or his organization whatsoever, I just like his travel philosophy, his TV shows, and his swag. (Although, Rick, if you’re reading this and want to hire me or give me a discount on one of your guided tours, my contact info is at the top…)
A few years ago I stopped in at the Rick Steves flagship store outside of Seattle and treated myself to one of his carry-on backpacks. They’re specially designed to fit the maximum dimensions of airline carry-on luggage while still being perfectly portable – genius. The other genius design is the Packing Cubes: zippered stretchy mesh cubes to hold your stuff. Of course, they’re sized to perfectly fit the inside of the backpack.
Having packing cubes in my luggage is like having portable dresser drawers: one for my T-shirts, one for my PJ’s and night things, the big one for pants and sweaters, and another medium-sized one for toiletries and bits and bobs. I always know exactly where to lay hands on what piece of clothing, which, in a soft bag, isn’t necessarily a given. And here’s a trick: always roll your clothes, don’t fold them. A nice tight sausage of a T-shirt packs more neatly and takes up less room than a flat-folded one. (I got that tip from Lee Strauss, my friend/editing client/fellow writer, who is a veteran traveller.)
The other packing trick that’s been really helpful is to vacuum-pack small items of clothing such as socks and underwear. I put them (rolled up tightly, of course) into a big ziplock freezer bag, squeeze all the air out, and zip it shut. That way it takes about half the amount of space it would take un-compressed.
So, T-shirts, a sweater or two, spare pants, maybe a piece or two of something dressy, underwear and socks, toiletries, a second pair of shoes – what else? A notebook and pen and my trusty Kobo ereader (do you think the 600 books I’ve got on there will last me the three weeks I’m gone?). This time I’m bringing my little netbook, so I can still get on the internet in case my phone packs it in or gets stolen (the latter of which is apparently a distinct possibility in Paris). A couple of collapsible extra bags – a small, lightweight backpack for a daypack, and a foldable duffle bag to haul back all the balls of self-patterning sock yarn I intend to stock up on in Germany (yes, I’ve got checked luggage booked for the return trip).
The backpack is full – very full. But everything fits. All that’s left to do is stick in my small pillow (without which I can’t sleep), put Steve on top, and tighten the straps across (he gets strapped in solidly – a bear’s gotta have his seatbelt on).
And now I’d better get to bed, as I won’t be getting a whole lot of sleep for the next couple of days.
This is Life, the Universe, and At Long Last Another Trip. I’ll try to keep you posted on our adventures!