Coming home with less?
#1
Original Poster
Coming home with less?
Does anyone else like to come back from Europe with less than they took? I check one inexpensive duffle bag on the way over, discard things as I use them, and leave the bag itself. All I bring back is my carryon.
Tremendous feeling of lightness, not to mention the thrill of coming home to brand new underthings! Just curious, as so many posters seem concerned with "bags within bags..."
Tremendous feeling of lightness, not to mention the thrill of coming home to brand new underthings! Just curious, as so many posters seem concerned with "bags within bags..."
#6
Join Date: Jan 2003
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I don't take much of anything that could be discarded, so no, I don't do that. The only things I discard are a few pages from guidebooks that I may discard if I've finished with the area. I don't take clothes that are ready to be discarded. ugh, if that's what you mean. I wouldn't wear such things that are ready for the trash heap.
#9
Join Date: Jul 2006
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I buy all my clothes at stores like Daffy's, Filene's Basement, Old Navy, TJ MAX, etc. I never pay more than $10 for a pair of pants or $8 for a shirt. When I go on holiday, I don't care if I leave a few things behind to make room for things I purchase (wine, books, etc.).
There have been times when I've gone back to England with all my clothing in a Harrods bag closed with two of those big hair clips.
I am young and thin; therefore, I can get away wearing tiny jeans that can be rolled up in a mailbag, and tiny t-shirts as big as a handkerchief.
There have been times when I've gone back to England with all my clothing in a Harrods bag closed with two of those big hair clips.
I am young and thin; therefore, I can get away wearing tiny jeans that can be rolled up in a mailbag, and tiny t-shirts as big as a handkerchief.
#10
Join Date: Mar 2005
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Years ago, an excruciatingly well-organized cousin of mine used to follow the same course that you describe. She would pack her oldest clothes for a trip, and after wearing them would throw them away. She would come home with much lighter luggage.
I've never followed her example, because I'm too insecure to wear old clothes while abroad, and I'm also too cheap to miss out on the tax deduction of giving old clothes to charity.
I've never followed her example, because I'm too insecure to wear old clothes while abroad, and I'm also too cheap to miss out on the tax deduction of giving old clothes to charity.
#11
Join Date: Feb 2004
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Well, I am old and chubby, and bring home way more than I took over. None of my clothes fit into a tiny anything, and the stuff I buy makes the word "expandable" necessary in all descriptions of any bags I might take with me. Even when I was young and thin, I still brought home more than I took.
#14
Join Date: Feb 2004
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Another thought--my 22-year-old kid sister recently came home with a guy named Les. No kidding, this is for real!!
Dad is not too happy, as Les has a purple mohawk and works as a busboy for IHOP.
Dad is not too happy, as Les has a purple mohawk and works as a busboy for IHOP.
#16
Join Date: Jul 2006
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I traveled to Ethiopia last year with 2 large duffle bags and one overstuffed backpack and came home with just the backpack. I brought extra things (gently worn tee shirts, trousers, deflated soccer balls, pens, etc) and left them behind for the hotel staff and local children that I encountered. They loved it and rely on "faranje" (foreigners) to share with them in this way. The only stuff I brought back were my hiking boots, 2 pair of hiking pants and shirts, camera, watch, earrings and journal. My toiletries were left behind, too, and I gave away my silver rings to women who helped me along the way.
#18
Join Date: Feb 2003
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ditto what starrs said.
I cannot even wrap my mind around the concept of coming home with less.
<font color="green">nibblette: <i>I have taken some old clothes to discard when I knew I was going to get really dirty/muddy.</i></font>
niblette, care to explain why you'd get really dirty and muddy?
<i><font color="green">IOC : I buy all my clothes at stores like Daffy's, Filene's Basement, Old Navy, TJ MAX, etc. ...There have been times when I've gone back to England with all my clothing in a Harrods bag closed with two of those big hair clips.</font></i>
Well... whoever thought IOC was m_kingdom2 was sooooo wrong.
I cannot even wrap my mind around the concept of coming home with less.
<font color="green">nibblette: <i>I have taken some old clothes to discard when I knew I was going to get really dirty/muddy.</i></font>
niblette, care to explain why you'd get really dirty and muddy?
<i><font color="green">IOC : I buy all my clothes at stores like Daffy's, Filene's Basement, Old Navy, TJ MAX, etc. ...There have been times when I've gone back to England with all my clothing in a Harrods bag closed with two of those big hair clips.</font></i>
Well... whoever thought IOC was m_kingdom2 was sooooo wrong.
#19
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I can explain a situation like that -- I knew I was going to go horseback riding on some trips, and although I did not do this, I could see taking at least old pants to discard after that because after riding, pants really can smell of horse and you don't want that in your bags. I forget what I did in that case, I think I had to have them wrapped a couple times in a plastic bag or have the hotel clean them so they didn't smell up the rest of my stuff.
#20
Join Date: Aug 2005
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I know this is the Europe thread - but I didn't even discard the jeans that REEKED of fish after a morning at Tsjiki fish market. I wouldn't brin/wear clothes I didn't want to keep.
With one caveat - I brought all my old underwear and threw it away as I went. It didn't leave that much extra room though.
With one caveat - I brought all my old underwear and threw it away as I went. It didn't leave that much extra room though.