So, there is this clean ceramic bowl with running water in your room and some of you get squeamish about what is was used for yesterday? What about the bed? What about the tub or shower? What about the other ceramic thingy? I wash my unders in the bidet and can't imagine why not.

hopscotch, I guess it wouldn't be too bad if you just held your undies under the running water in the bidet, but why do that when the sink is right there?

The other ceramic thingy being the toilet and this ceremic thingy being the bidet, they both have traces of excrement. If it doesn't bother you that is fine, there are no bidet police.

Yeah, seems to me it would be the same as washing your clothes in the toilet. Yes, the maids clean it but I certainly wouldn't wash my clothes in it.

stillhouse- beware luggage salesmen!

seriously, i was a die-hard duffle bag traveler for many many years. then i borrowed a normal 22" roller from a friend one trip and never looked back.

i also don't recommend luggage types that try to be 2 things (i.e., backpack with wheels, suitcases with straps that make them backpacks, etc.). anything wheeled has quite a bit of weight added because of the mechanism and frame, so why then carry that on your back? Which ever you choose I'd get a backpack, duffle, or a suitcase with wheels... not a combo anything.

i found recently i don't even like an "expandable" top. the first time i used this feature and my suitcase which is normall quite easy to handle, was unbalanced and falling to the sides, rather than wheeling along nicely as usual.

Hopscotch -

Why not just wash them in the toilet - it's exactly the same!

stillhouse: Listen to suze. A large rolling duffle cannot be carried on. 21 or 22 inches is as large as can be carried on most airlines. (just like car salesmen - most luggage salesmen aren't travelers, they are salesmen)

Even if the duffle is narrower than a rollaboard - if it is over 21 inches in one direction it has to be checked. There are sizing boxes at the check-in counters and if the bag is larger than 21 (or 22) x 9 x 14 inches you have to check it.

What's the problem with checking luggage?

With all due respect, there are plenty of reasons why I won't check my luggage. 1. You tend to bring a bigger bag because you can and it's getting checked anyway, and then you wind up not "packing light" which by the way was the original question that you posed. Then you have to lug that around, and I am telling you it was a
pain to lug that suitcase to London to Edinburg to Glascow. Up and down the steps through the tube on the train....
and I thought that I did well with the packing light. (just lighter than my traveling companions) 2. Wasting time hanging around waiting for it to come off the carousel. and the best reason............. 3. Have you ever had them loose your luggage??????? Not fun. Although at this point in my life I would be happy because it would be an excuse for me to go clothes shopping. Hmm may have to reconsider on the checking.

nytraveler,

A bidet and toilet are not "exactly the same." Besides, I need the toilet now and again, but not the bidet. I can soak the wash for hours with no bother.

<i>&quot;What's the problem with checking luggage?&quot;</i>

Absolutely nothing. I do it all the time and have never had a problem. It's actually less hassle and less stressful than wheeling or carrying a larger carry-on through the airport and hoping there is enough space left in the overhead bins on the plane by the time you board and that it's not all hogged up by all the other &quot;light packers.&quot;

When I get to the airport, I check my 26&quot; rolled suitcase and don't have to mess with again until I'm through Immigration at my destination. And the luggage is usually already on the carousel by the time (or very soon thereafter) that you get through Immigration. Easy to push luggage trolleys are available to wheel your luggage to your ground transportation.

If taking public transportation you may have to deal with some stairs, but as long as your luggage isn't excessively heavy and you are reasonably healthy it's not that big a deal. We just exit the train and step aside for a few minutes to wait for the rush of traffic to clear. Then we can take our time getting up any stairs we encounter.

For me, a few minutes of hauling my luggage up a flight of stairs is worth having enough socks, undergraments and clothes so I don't have to spend my vacation time doing laundry. I don't over-pack, and I wear outer clothing more than once, but I prefer to spend my vacation doing more enjoyable things then rinsing out clothes and waiting for them to dry.

Remember: Packing light isn't right, it's just a personal preference. It doesn't make you a bad person if you pack more than 2 sets of clothing for a two week trip.

stillhouse- I do check my luggage on the flight, but still want to have the lightest, most easily handled bag possible for the rest of the trip.

Hopscotch, YOU may not need the bidet, your room's previous guest most assuredly did. But the question of use aside, would you wash your clothing in the toilet if you didn't need the toilet--or if you had two toilets in your room?

Doing laundry is not a big deal for me. Sometimes it is nice to have the break from sightseeing. I can sit and read, catch up on postcards, or chat with locals doing their own wash. Travel isn't all glamor and paparrazzi. And if my laundry demands attention on a day I'd rather sightsee, there's always a drop-off service at the hotel or nearby.

You're right, packing light is simply a preference, not a moral code. But having done it both ways, I'll never ever go back. Nobody ever says, &quot;every year I pack heavier.&quot;

No, actually I DO pack alot more now than I used to. But that is because in early trips I took packing light to an extreme and was ready to burn my few pieces of clothing by the end of 3 weeks. Everyone needs to find their own balance of how much they need to feel comfortable, how much they are willing to carry around with them, how clean they need there clothing to be.

NO!!!! ONLY MY WAY IS THE RIGHT WAY!!!

As suggested, take along only what you consider absolutely to be essential. And then take out about half of that. I make it a habit of finding second-hand or charity support stores where I purchase any necessary clothing items. Last trip I used this for an unbrella and also a coat which was heavier than the one I had hauled along with me. I packed back the umbrella and left the coat an another second hand store the day before my return trip.

Finally I agree with Edward!

Hopscotch has to be kidding. Somehow everyone is falling for it. I cannot believe anyone would wash their clothes in crap...much less crap that isn't their own. Come on now. Better to wear clothes that are full of sweat than clothes drenched in germs from bodily waste.

I also agree with Edward, in that I find doing the laundry on my trip a good way to relax, read, etc. -- especially since we sometimes get a bit obsessive about seeing as much as we can we sometimes leave out the part about relaxing...we're learning though! In fact hubby and I had a grand ol' time at a laundromat in Scotland (town of Stromness on Orkney). It had a great cafe attached to it, also owned by the laundromat owners...we had good food and relaxation while doing our laundry and the owner even gave us some laundry soap for free -- nice lady!

Well folks, do you know what a bidet is used for? The answer is that is for washing your crotch. It is a standard plumbing fixture in Europe. In America, instead of bidets, we have bath tubs and showers to wash the whole body.

What is the difference between a bidet and a tub? Just the size.

What is the difference between a bidet and a toilet? The water faucets and the small drain on a bidet versus the handle or chain and you know the rest, I hope.

Now as an aside, my maternal grandfather made his beer in the bath tub during prohibition. I am not making this up. Mother told me and she doesn't lie.