Pack Unpack What's That
 

I've read many posts talking about not changing hotels so they don't need to unpack and repack as often. My question, do most of you actually enter a hotel room and unpack all of your luggage? Just curious...
I rarely unpack, I keep all my clothes in plastic bags, in my luggage. Toiletries are also in a bag in the bathroom. It is easy for me to change hotels.
Am I unusual???
Cindy

If I'm staying in a hotel for, say, a week, before moving on then, yes I unpack and repack. If I'm only staying overnight or for a couple of nights then I certainly do NOT unpack! Live out of the suitcase.

I have never unpacked my suitcase and put clothes into a hotel dresser. It's easier to just live out of the suitcase for a few days. I may hang a few things in the closet, though.

I usually unpack mainly so I can hang things up to get the wrinkles out. We travel light, so it only takes 2-3 minutes.

Having said that, we would never change hotels in a city just for the change. Too much hassle (checking out, traveling to new hotel, leaving bags, being without a room for a few hours, checking in again). The longer we can stay in one place the better.

If it's more than one or two days I unpack. And since I'm rarely someplace for that brief a period I usually unpack. It's not that I'm avoiding packing and unpacking, it's that I don't see the point of traveling someplace just to spend a few hours there. I'm a slow traveler, basically.

And even if you live out of the suitcase you still pretty much end up having to re-pack the thing unless you are really really tidy and organized.

I never unpack and put things in hotel dresser drawers, because of what happened to me once long ago.

When I was first starting out in business, I was invited to attend a conference with many mini-managers like myself near head office in NYC.Big deal for the samll town kid...

We were assigned roomates for this swank resort and conference facility.
My roommate guilted me into putting my sweaters into the dresser drawers by "modelling" this executive-behaviour and looking at me a bit sideways as I had clearly been planning on leaving my stuff in the suitcase except for the closet hang-ups.

When the time came to leave, I managed to remember my socks and underwear from the dresser but it had turned hot and I left two sweaters behind. Both were brand new, one cashmere and my pride and joy; though 25 years have passed, I can still see them. I called the hotel right away, but no luck: someone else liked them as much as I did.

To this day, I have NEVER put anything in a hotel dresser and likely never will.

I alway unpack - can't stand living out of a suitcase. This coming trip, though, I will be living out of a suitcase since we will be staying in 3 different hotels. I told my family that we will only take 3 suitcases with us - 1 packed for each city. Not sure how that's going to work out - but I'll try.

Funny reading this post. My husband just discussed this last night. we finalized our trip to Greece and we are at 5 different hotels in 10 days. I was wondering if it was going to be silly to split our 4 days at Santorini into 2 and 2 just so we could stay at the 2 hotels we couldn't decide between.

I usually pack light so not much to unpack if I actually do it. Short trips usually not but a week or so I do. Makes you almost feel like you live where you're vacationing...although I carefully inspect the dresser before I decide...in Vegas once found a pair of skeezy underwear left in the drawer! Ekk

I always unpack. Put my things away, make myself at home. We usually buy flowers for the room too.
Of course, if I am staying somewhere a night or two, then I only take out the things I need for those days.
I don't like that feeling of taking wrinkled things out of a bag and what do you do with them when you take them off? pack them?

I always unpack, even if it's just for one night. First of all, sometimes there's noplace to open up the suitcase, except on the bed, which I'd rather not do!

I agree, using drawers that have had other people's stuff is a little icky -- but since I pack in ziplocks, I just keep the stuff in them -- so packing and unpacking amounts to transferring a few ziplocks between suitcase and drawers, takes 30 seconds, and hanging up 2 or 3 hanger-type things.

LJ, sorry to hear about your sweaters, that really is sad and i know what you mean about never forgetting them. But checking ALL drawers, under furniture, and bathroom (in shower, etc.) before checkout isn't a difficult habit to get into.

Scarlett, you sound so civilized! You southern girls really know how to live!

I unpack everything which will wrinkle, and shoes and cosmetics. nothing else, typically.

I hate unpacking, so I usually live out of my bag.

However, I'm a slob, so whatever I pull out off the bag gets tossed about the room. Before departure, I look around in dismay as I realize I've inadvertently unpacked.

As I pack, which I despise even more than unpacking, I swear not to ever unpack again....

For more than one night, I unpack. Seems I can never find the item I'm looking for in a tightly-packed suitcase, and as I usually fly with only carry-on, the suitcase is indeed tight. Also, I want to hang garments to get most of the wrinkles out and to easily find what I'm looking for.

For the person who mentioned buying flowers for the room -- good idea. I think I'll do that next time.

I feel like a snob I always unpack even if its just over night.I buy flowers for the room and light scented candles.
I usually try to stay 3-4 days in each city , and I never go to more then 3 places on one holiday, so unpacking makes me feel like this is my home base and not just a pit stop.
Maybe I should relax more, I always pack too much on top of everything, I've even had to send clothes home to make room for all the treasures I have purcahsed.
Fluffy

Anonymous? How do pack in ziplock bags (where do you find bags large enough)? Sounds interesting, please share.

Please share Anonymous, the largest bags i can find so far are not big enough for clothes....
Thanks, :):):)

Ziplock bags come in sizes up to 2 gallons, or even larger. You put the pile of clothing in, that barely fits, zip up most of the way, then squeeze and roll up the bag until all the air is out, then finish zipping.

http://www.drugstore.com/qxp70357_33...allon_size.htm

baemel,
5 hotels in 10 days!! You have got to be kidding? I will start saying prayers for you !!

I love Ziplock bags, always use them. When on a tour, just imagine packing/unpacking every night and morning! Gggrrrr.... I pack everything in clear ziplocks, toss them all out, pick out the ones I need for that night, and toss everything back in. Simple, easy, fast. Good for a lazy person like myself :) I have some clothes I know woun't wrinkle, and I save them for vacations only.

Ziplocks are sold in all stores - food, pharmacies, but they are only sandwich size (good for some pills or cosmetics) and 1 gallon. 2 gallon is harder to find. Living in San Francisco I got them @ Albertson. There was a long thread about Ziplocks and where to get them, but I don't remember - was it here on this board or on USA.

Most Wal-Mart stores carry 2 gallon ziplock bags.

Thank you flygirl:)

I do love those ziplocks also! After Air France decided to leave our luggage out in some sort of "lake" and finding out at the hotel that most of my clothes were soaked, stained, ruined, I use plastic bags when I pack no matter where I am going.
They cut down on wrinkles also. The keep things from getting lost and you can put the used clothing in one so you just dump it in the hamper when you get home.
Hi mina:)

My magic number is three. Three nights or longer in one place and I unpack. Just makes it feel a bit more like home, and when traveling for several months at a time, I enjoy feeling at "home" once in awhile. Of course, since there are no decisions to be made, I don't get the big deal about packing and unpacking. I think taking everything out of the closet and dresser and putting it in a suitcase takes all of a couple minutes. Big deal.

Target has 2 1/2 gal. ziplocks. Wal-mart ( in our town) did not have 2 gal. ones. CJ

I just tried this method. I happened to have som e 21/2 gallon ziplock bags. I dont know if I saved room but it organized the items. I am going for 6 weeks so I can't seem to pack lightly. I cant wear the same things over and over and 3 different climates.I guess I will mail stuff back if I buy. My main concern is getting on and off trains.

I usually unpack, especially if the hotel room is small and there is no place to leave a suitcase to open it repeatedly. Unpacking doesn't take more than a couple of minutes, and it just feels easier to me.

was it Austin Powers where Liz Hurley packed her clothes in baggies and had labels on them... Austin's line - Nerd Alert!

:)

not that it isn't a good idea.

We seldom unpack, but it's still a pain and time waster to change hotels frequently.

Do you put one outfit in each bag? or do you put many shirts in one, shorts in another, etc.? I think I will try this one....thanks

Speaking of bags - aren't there bags out there where they totally flatten your clothes to paper thin size? I don't know the name of them, but I think they exist.

Found the bags I was talking about - they are called Compression Bags. Anyone ever use them? Here is the website:

http://traveloasis.com/compacbag.html

There are indeed special bags that you can attach to your vacuum cleaner that will remove more air than the squeeze-the-ziplock technique. But they are expensive and how often do you have a vacuum cleaner handy for repacking at the hotel?

Aha -- now I see that donnabee wasn't referring to the vacuum-cleaner type bags, but to fancy ziplock type bags that apparently have a one-way valve for squeezing out air. I think I'll stick with my bargain regular ziplocks anyway.

I found ones that are cheaper - 3 medium and 2 large for $15. Do the ziplock bags work the same? or do you think the compression bags might get more air out. These will be great for when we go to the beach in the States and have to take our own blankets and sheets.

I pack my clothes with dry cleaner bags around them to reduce wrinkles.
I use some of the plastic to line drawers, then toss it along the way.
Also leaves more room in the suitcase along the way for acquisitions. Sometimes hotel rooms have plastic laundry bags that can also be used as drawer liners.

If I'm there at least two days, I unpack, at least I unpack what I will need for the two days. If I'm not at the beach yet, no need to unpack the swimwear.

I don't like having to walk around the suitcase or keep putting it up or off the bed, expecially when rooms are small. I also don't like having to rummage through the suitcase all the time--I end up having to repack it anyway before moving on.