Coming home with less?
Jul 26th, 2006, 09:16 AM
#21
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I try to come back with the same weight. Like you, I discard quite a few things, but not a bag. I take all my good stuff home, but chuck away old tshirts and underwear.
Obviously I cant throw away lots on every trip, but before I go to NZ in September I will go through my wardrobe and select things that are getting past it as we intend travelling with 1 suitcase and a carry on bag.
Obviously I cant throw away lots on every trip, but before I go to NZ in September I will go through my wardrobe and select things that are getting past it as we intend travelling with 1 suitcase and a carry on bag.
Jul 26th, 2006, 09:34 AM
#23
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Come home with less??? My goodness, what a strange concept! I have had to buy an extra bag in Europe because I buy so much stuff when I am there. Usually my bags are filled with wine, cheese, various food items, pottery, and just about anything else imaginable.
Sure, its a pain to lug around but its great to open my suitcase and pull out all of the great goodies I bough home. It makes being home from vacation slightly more tolerable!
Tracy
Sure, its a pain to lug around but its great to open my suitcase and pull out all of the great goodies I bough home. It makes being home from vacation slightly more tolerable!
Tracy
Jul 26th, 2006, 09:47 AM
#24
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What no souvenirs?
Of course.I come home with more!!
I cant imagine not bringing home "bounty" from my travels.
Maybe not big and heavy things but treasures for sure.....
Like the little box I got my friend in Amsterdam. She keeps her favorite rings in it.
Of course.I come home with more!!
I cant imagine not bringing home "bounty" from my travels.
Maybe not big and heavy things but treasures for sure.....
Like the little box I got my friend in Amsterdam. She keeps her favorite rings in it.
Jul 26th, 2006, 09:47 AM
#25
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I am neither Thingorjus, nor mkingdom. The only thing we have in common is that we are all from or orginally from the UK.
I am married to a woman, an American, and live in New York. I don't make a lot of money, do not wear designer clothes, don't stay at expensive hotels on holiday (unless we get a deep discount), and don't own a car. My wife and I think it is absolute madness to spend 100 bucks on meal.
So, there is really no comparison between any of us besides the Brit Wit.
Cheers
I am married to a woman, an American, and live in New York. I don't make a lot of money, do not wear designer clothes, don't stay at expensive hotels on holiday (unless we get a deep discount), and don't own a car. My wife and I think it is absolute madness to spend 100 bucks on meal.
So, there is really no comparison between any of us besides the Brit Wit.
Cheers
Jul 26th, 2006, 10:00 AM
#27
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I like my clothes too much to just drop them by the wayside. I'm with smalti on this. I'd rather donate clothes to a charity than have them end up in the trash bins in my wake. If lots of folks do this, maybe we now know why tourists have the reputation for wearing clothes they use to clean their garage or gutters in Europe!
Jul 26th, 2006, 11:12 AM
#28
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starrsville
So then I guess I now know what it means to dress American!
It means to dress in old clothes!
So then it is true! Some Americans on European vacation actually do dress like they are about to clean out somebody's garage!
I must make it a point of duty to look out for these old clothes wearing folks.
IOC : I hear you loud and clear...you are definitely not m_kingdom2 or Thin.
hmmm...the mystery becomes even more curiouser and curiouser yet...
So then I guess I now know what it means to dress American!
It means to dress in old clothes!
So then it is true! Some Americans on European vacation actually do dress like they are about to clean out somebody's garage!
I must make it a point of duty to look out for these old clothes wearing folks.
IOC : I hear you loud and clear...you are definitely not m_kingdom2 or Thin.
hmmm...the mystery becomes even more curiouser and curiouser yet...
Jul 26th, 2006, 11:20 AM
#29
I take my favorite and best clothes when I travel so would neer leave them behind. I've been known to ditch a pair of shoes if they broke along the way. The cosmetics& toiletries are used or tossed so that lightens things up a little. I don't do much shopping, so mostly I return with pretty much the same as I left.
Jul 26th, 2006, 11:23 AM
#30
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Nyse, my never-throw-anything-away husband would just DIE if I did what you do!!!!! We stayed in flats on our trip to Italy and I brought along a roll of paper towels. He about went nuts when I left the half-full roll of paper towels at the last apartment! I also left behind the two washcloths I bought, but I mixed them in with the used towels, so he didn't notice that! He brought a water pic with him and burned it out in our first flat and still carried the ruined water pic from Rome to Florence to Venice to Dallas; he couldn't bear to throw it away, even though it was ruined.
Jul 26th, 2006, 11:37 AM
#31
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Missy, your DH sounds like mine. When we were on our last trip to Italy I bought a cheap 5 euro "Attenti de Gatti" (what can I say...I'm a cat lover!) tile from a local ceramic store. It cracked and broke into aobut 15 different pieces halfway through our trip, but he still wouldn't let me throw it away!
Tracy
Tracy
Jul 26th, 2006, 02:15 PM
#34
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I ALWAYS leave with less. I throw away my underwear, socks, any shoes that have offended me (nothing like travel to expose which one are and are NOT your friends), all toiletries, most of my reading material and whatever I have brought to sleep in. My running shoes last about six months, so I always take an old pair to leave behind if I plan to squeeze in a jog or two, and of course I discard my workout clothes. I am a customs magnet, so not having people look through my dirty underwear is the top advantage to this strategy (although the fact that I don’t have any luggage may be the cause of all the special attention).
I usually will take only a tote bag which I use as my purse during the day. I fill my evening bag with cosmetics and stuff it and my clothing (which is always compressed by Ziploc bags) into the tote. I will then tie my ratty old running shoes to my tote bag. Getting my tote to actually close is difficult, but when finished I have a very compact bag which will fit under my seat.
This backfired once when BA insisted on weighing this bag, even though it was small enough to fit under the seat, it exceeded the weight limit!! I had to pull out my passport, credit card and $20 and carry those items on my person along with the gross shoes I tied to the bag. No problems on the return though as my bag was much much lighter (BTW I have since heard BA removed the weight restriction).
I usually will take only a tote bag which I use as my purse during the day. I fill my evening bag with cosmetics and stuff it and my clothing (which is always compressed by Ziploc bags) into the tote. I will then tie my ratty old running shoes to my tote bag. Getting my tote to actually close is difficult, but when finished I have a very compact bag which will fit under my seat.
This backfired once when BA insisted on weighing this bag, even though it was small enough to fit under the seat, it exceeded the weight limit!! I had to pull out my passport, credit card and $20 and carry those items on my person along with the gross shoes I tied to the bag. No problems on the return though as my bag was much much lighter (BTW I have since heard BA removed the weight restriction).
Jul 26th, 2006, 02:50 PM
#35
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Ditto, ditto, ditto on what starrsville and smalti said. Why would anyone even consider wearing clothes that they don't love?
If underwear is ready to be tossed, I toss it at home and wear my "travel undies". Same with socks. And shoes are the most important thing in my wardrobe.
Mainly, I hate waste, especially waste of my money. I would rather spend $100 on a piece of clothing I will wear out then to spend $10 on 10 pieces I care nothing about.
P_M,
It must be all of that handwashing in cold water that shrinks clothes while on vacation.
If underwear is ready to be tossed, I toss it at home and wear my "travel undies". Same with socks. And shoes are the most important thing in my wardrobe.
Mainly, I hate waste, especially waste of my money. I would rather spend $100 on a piece of clothing I will wear out then to spend $10 on 10 pieces I care nothing about.
P_M,
It must be all of that handwashing in cold water that shrinks clothes while on vacation.
Jul 26th, 2006, 09:44 PM
#39
Several years ago my Mom organized a trip to Scotland for 17 an extended family members. One of the distant cousins used the "Bring old, buy (LOTS) of new on the trip, and discard old along the way" system. Worked perfectly -- Except she had to buy a bigger suitcase in Edinburgh to hold all the new stuff - and EXCEPT when she got back home to CA, one package of old clothes was waiting for her and another one arrived a few days later. Neither hotel could not believe anyone would thow out perfectly serviceable clothing/underwear/shoes. One of the hotels even laundered the stuff before mailing it. The other package - well it was pretty gamey.
