Packing hints

Old Mar 7th, 1999, 03:08 AM
  #1  
Jim Hawkins
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Packing hints

Hi, My wife and I will be taking a two week bus tour of Ireland during July. This will be our first time abroad. What and how much should we pack? Thanks for any comments.
 
Old Mar 7th, 1999, 07:15 AM
  #2  
elaine
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I have not been to Ireland, but the more I travel the more I feel strongly that you should take as little with you as is practical, unless you are wealthy enough to have the servants handle the luggage. From one female's perspective: A lightweight roll-up-in-a-ball travel raincoat is very helpful, an umbrella and at least one all-purpose sweater are essential. Wear one on the plane. Cotton slacks and skirts can be easily dressed up or dressed down with costume jewelery, a scarf, or a tie,depending on your plans for the day or evening. I'm assuming you won't have any very formal evenings. Comfortable shoes for the day and perhaps an alternate pair for night, that's a matter of personal taste.It is good to be able to switch shoes. Unless your time and/or hotel services are very limited, you may have some opportunity to do some laundry one day or pay a hotel to do it for you. Find out if any of your hotels will have such a service. If so, the cost is worth it. I wouldn't give it to the hotel unless I am sure to have more than one day to get it back, even if they assure me of same-day service. At the very least you'd be able to wash out underwear and cotton shirts in your room,and borrow an iron from the hotel or inn. You can get small packets of dry detergent like woolite, or very small bottles of travelers' laundry liquid, or in a pinch use shampoo.

There was a recent thread, within the past week or ten days, on this Fodor's site about essentials for your carry-on luggage.

Some people recommend a secured hidden wallet or money belt. I don't use them myself, but I do carry each day a totebag that can be securely closed, and/or my male companion carries a camera bag. These totes should be lightweight and crushable to begin with.In the bag goes my guidebook;my mini-umbrella unless there's 0 chance I'll need it; my travel wallet with what cash, credit cards, or ATM cards I'll need for the day; passport; telephone calling card;glasses/sunglasses; my small camera, an extra film,and a couple of purse items like aspirin, moist wipes to clean hands, and tissues. A couple of bandaids for the occasional blister or cut are handy. If the hotel has a safe, leave any valuables you don't need for the day in the hotel safe. Before I go I change the batteries in my camera, watch, travel clock and anything else that's battery operated.
You'll need to bring a voltage converter unless your hair dryer or other small appliances are dual voltage. If you can find out in advance that your hotels will provide hair dryers, you can save a couple of luggage pounds. You will need plug adapters even if you have no need for the voltage converter.
Also pack somewhere in your suitecase
a photocopy of the i.d. pages of your passports and the numbers of your travelers checks if you are using them.Some people also pack an extra set of passport photos incase their passport has to be replaced quickly.
In the outer pocket of my suitcase I always pack a copy of my itinerary with names of hotels, phone numbers and dates
in case luggage goes astray, but not too much personal home information. It also lists one or two names and phone #s to contact at home in case of emergency. Make sure at least one person at home also has your itinerary, the travelers checks numbers, and the passport copies.
Have fun.
 
Old Mar 8th, 1999, 07:30 PM
  #3  
Kathy
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The gore tex parka from LL Bean was a great thing to take. It has a hood so NO UMBRELLA needed. Folds up into it's own pocket. Don't pack jeans--too heavy and they take forever to dry. Khakis, black slacks, warm pjs, and comfortable shoes.
 
Old Mar 9th, 1999, 08:58 AM
  #4  
elvira
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Ireland, even in July, can be cold and damp. The no-jeans rule is a good one; they are heavy and bulky, and they can't be washed out and dried overnight (if they get wet in the rain, ditto). We did layers: turtleneck, knit vest, pullover sweater. I like that squishable goretex jacket idea; we used those plastic ponchos and just threw them away at the end of the trip. And my best advice for packing: EXTRA SOCKS.
Nothing more comforting than putting on warm, dry socks (learned this from a friend who treks and camps out). Always two pairs of comfortable shoes for walking (I have one pair of ties, one pair of slip-ons). Take a couple of gallon-sized ziplock bags; you can carry wet clothes in them; you can carry food in them. If a bottle starts to leak, just dump it in a bag.
I am a believer in travelling as light as possible; one carry-on bag with wheels and one totebag/small backpack is it. If it don't fit...it don't go!
 
Old Mar 9th, 1999, 05:39 PM
  #5  
Chris
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I really like this question, so I'm bringing it back to the top. I'll be in Switzerland, Austria, and Germany for 2 weeks from April 17 - 30. Will I need layers like sweaters/sweatshirts with or without turtlenecks and/or a jacket? I, too, plan to take a carry-on size pilot bag and backpack along with mini-backpack for day outings and small fannypack for money, creditcards, passaport, etc. How do you deal with any purchases you make along the way? I know it will bog me down as we're moving about from city to city! And, how do I get it all home knowing my little suitcase and backpack will be filled to capacity on the way out? Looking forward to hearing your packing-savvy tips!
 
Old Mar 9th, 1999, 05:40 PM
  #6  
Chris
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I really like this question, so I'm bringing it back to the top. I'll be in Switzerland, Austria, and Germany for 2 weeks from April 17 - 30. Will I need layers like sweaters/sweatshirts with or without turtlenecks and/or a jacket? I, too, plan to take a carry-on size pilot bag and backpack along with mini-backpack for day outings and small fannypack for money, creditcards, passaport, etc. How do you deal with any purchases you make along the way? I know it will bog me down as we're moving about from city to city! And, how do I get it all home knowing my little suitcase and backpack will be filled to capacity on the way out? Looking forward to hearing your packing-savvy tips!
 
Old Mar 9th, 1999, 05:40 PM
  #7  
Chris
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I really like this question, so I'm bringing it back to the top. I'll be in Switzerland, Austria, and Germany for 2 weeks from April 17 - 30. Will I need layers like sweaters/sweatshirts with or without turtlenecks and/or a jacket? I, too, plan to take a carry-on size pilot bag and backpack along with mini-backpack for day outings and small fannypack for money, creditcards, passaport, etc. How do you deal with any purchases you make along the way? I know it will bog me down as we're moving about from city to city! And, how do I get it all home knowing my little suitcase and backpack will be filled to capacity on the way out? Looking forward to hearing your packing-savvy tips!
 
Old Mar 9th, 1999, 06:34 PM
  #8  
Dayle
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I take along some sort of bag that packs flat and weighs little. I stick it in one of the outside pockets of my suitcase. If I need extra space, the more fragile things go in the suitcase and the soft things like clothes (dirty on the way home!) go in the extra bag. On the way home from France, wine, olives, perfume and chocolate got carried on!
 

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