How did I miss this the first time around.

If you wear baggy underwear with loose elastic it will be easy to step out of them and leave them where they fall.

I love this idea, so it pains me to say that I cannot imagine ever doing it. If I'm going to wear a small collection of clothing for weeks at a time, I've got to love those clothes and feel great in them. And that means I won't want to toss them afterwards.

I was raised in a family who took old underwear on road trips and discarded it along the way (no...not ON the road! I was a child then, but old habits die hard. Several of the old panties I took to Paris recently, stayed there.

Before anyone else says EWWWW....you don't just toss them on the floor for the housekeepers to pick up. I kept them put away, then on the day we left I dropped them into a plastic shopping bag, tied it up and put in the wastepaper basket in the room, along with other discarded stuff from the trip. And no one was the wiser.

On the last trip, for the four of us I packed five pairs of raggedy underpants and five pairs of holey socks that I had saved up just for the trip. It would be ten days, and I would wash the undies and socks once, then throw them away. Well, I couldn't do it! The penny-pincher in me knew I could still use these for rags at home to do household chores. So the rags all came home with me.

Now I have bought just one pair of quick-drying travel underwear and travel socks per person, which we will stomp on in the shower and let dry overnight. That's light packing.

I think Nancy's throw-out strategy ac work if you can bear to part with the clothes, but please dispose of the clothes properly in a trash bin -- outside of your hotel room if you are embarrassed to have hotel personnel see it.

Please consider that the people who clean hotel rooms typically have a certain number of rooms they must clean in a very limited amount of time, and every second counts. Having to pick up and dispose of a hotel-patron's clothes takes up precious time and can hurt that cleaning person's job-performance.

There are a couple of reasons I don't take my unwanted but wearable clothes on vacation. First, if they are good enough for me to wear, they are good enough to be donated to charity for someone else to wear, and throwing them away is a waste. Second, I like wearing my favorite clothes when I am on vacation. It makes me feel good while I am there, and when I get back, I always have this dress, sweater, or whatever that reminds me of my trip and is extra-special for having been on the trip with me.

You all wear underwear while traveling?

Why, yes, I see no reason to retain clothes after they have been worn. My old underwear can always be used by others for washing cars or polishing floors, and my old shirts are great for sleeping. For those who can fit into my old trousers, they will probably give years of wear. The coats and jackets are quite useful for their originally intended purpose, so they should be left neatly hanging in the closet.

All of the left clothing should be laundered or dry-cleaned after use and before leaving it in the room. If left in the original wrapping from the laundry, those finding it can be assured it is clean and usable. If time doesn't permit cleaning before you leave, then you need to leave enough money to cover the cost of same.

The problem with this is that I still start out with the heaviest load. After a few years of contemplating this issue, I decided simply to purchase my clothing as I go. Therefore, I wear something on the plane and carry something for the first night and day after arrival; and from that point forward I simply visit the nearest local department store and buy my clothing for the next couple of days--then discard it and buy more. Thus I end up after the trip with only a few items that I just wore, and I have been able to travel with little more than a briefcase all the way through. The only thing I save for the entire trip is my deodorant, for obvious reasons. Besides, I'm basically a thrifty person.

As for shoes, I've never seen the need for more than one pair. A good sturdy pair of comfortable shoes in some dark color can get me by in any situation. If they are somewhat washable, that is even better. I would never use old socks with holes in them (too uncomfortable).

If you travel with this in mind, you have several advantages:
1. You never worry about lost luggage, because you never check any.
2. You can take advantage of good prices and unique bargains wherever you go.
3. You are contributing to the welfare of those less fortunate by leaving nice clothes for them to use.
4. If you ever lose or forget your luggage, you haven't lost anything. And you don't have to buy any kind of insurance.

Of course, if you are a married man as I am, all you efforts are actually in vain. Your wife will occupy your weight allowance as well as hers, plus some overage. And I would never allow my wife to buy clothes as she travels around; now THAT would be expensive.

This past trip to Italy my jusband abandoned his older pair of pants and an old sweaatshirt that was frayed. I wanted to give then to the hotel staff or goodwill or somewhere but being in a hurry to catch our plane we just left them neatly folded on the bed. They were clean and only slightly too worn to keep so hopefully someone did something useful with them! He decided it was more important to have enough room for the wine and chocolate! I certainly can't argue with that kind of logic!

I say the same thing I said back in March... I wear my best clothes to Europe. A trip is too special of an occasion to be wearing raggedy stuff.

If something gets damaged (strap torn off sandals, bad stain on shirt, for example) then I would throw it out.

I have not read all of the responses so perhaps someone else has already expressed this point of view. From an environmental point of view I would feel that I was being irresponsible choosing to add to the landfill problems of what seems in many places to be a crowded continent. The Eurpoeans that I know are more into the priniples of reduce, reuse and recycle. We can afford to learn from that example.

I don't wear my best clothes, but I feel most comfortable dressing in a business-casual style with comfortable shoes like I do most days at the office. Admittedly, my normal clothes might be someone else's discard-ready rags.

I read that one can pack more lightly by reducing the amount of underwear... wear once, then turn inside out and wear again.


Kidding!!!!

Yes--I just abandoned in Germany a pair of suede hiking boots that didn't work for me this time around, as well as a pair of uncomfortable corduroy pants. That latter will go to a homeless person in Washington, D.C.

I once threw away a pair of beach shoes, and the hotel maid kept fishing them out of the bin. Most amusing.

I almost always take one pair of comfortaable walking shoes that are well worn-in (but not well-worn or unsightly) and leave them in Europe toward the end of the trip, after I've had time to find the perfect replacement pair for them while shopping there.

Right, that would be the first thing I would think of if I checked into a hotel room and saw old underwear piled up, "gee, I could use those to wash my car".

Have you ever tried to clean your closet out & just can't get rid of things. These are perfect for throwaway clothes. I am one of 7 kids & we did that quite a bit when we trvelled-only those were pretty worn-Chris

I'm with you, suze, on this one as I was also back in March. I will take with me only what looks good and is right for the place I am visiting. I will usually buy a few new items to update what I already have. I would not discard clothing on my trip since I only take what I really like and is appropriate for my destination.

Unless something is badly damaged or destoyed by a spill or other (I once had a the heel of a shoe break while in Paris), it comes back with me.

I am imagining myself as an Italian person coming in to prepare a room for the next guests and discovering a frayed sweatshirt neatly folded on the bed as a "gift". Mama mia!

>Does anyone else discard clothes after you wear them?<

If they do, they haven't told me.

I had a pair of pants, a shirt and a jacket on this last trip that I hadn't worn in many months. When I put them on I discovered there were way too big (note to self: try everything on before you pack it). I ditched those right then and there. Put them in the trash bin. I also left a large pile of books and maps stacked by the trash that we were leaving behind.