The Underwear Plan…
 

How about this trick I learned from an old family friend: <BR> <BR>Take all your old underwear with you and throw them away after you've worn them. <BR> <BR>The trip back should be somewhat lighter…

Trick learned from my son's camp days. Wear 'em backwards, inside out, & inside out & backwards. Worked for him!!!

I'm sorry but how completely gross! How much room does underwear really take up that one wants to spend walking around while on holidays wearing old groddy undies? What if you were hit by a car and had to go the hospital? (mother knows best) When underwear gets old there is only one thing that you should ever do with them and that is throw them away! <BR>Liz- (always travels with new undies)

My old underwear is either elastic-stretched or doesn't stay over my rear very well. I have no desire to wear it & toss it on vacation! Thanks, but no thanks. I'll take clean underwear & wash it while on vacation. Underwear takes up so little room when you're packing, anyway.

Liz - I had to laugh. I was in a car accident in Germany last month, and as they were cutting off my pants - that mother knows best thing was going through my head (Thank goodness I have on decent panties!) My grandmother would have something to say about throwing them away at the end - she used to dust with my grandfather's!!!! (How's that for oversharing!)

Underwear only takes up room in your luggage if you wear them. :)

Lee - huh???

What if you run out of udies in the middle of yout trip..T <BR>

I think Lee is saying that he goes "commando". <BR> <BR>

Is it just me, or is the whole strippenkart thing very confusing? In Toronto we have tokens (looks like a dime) which is good for one way, as many transfers as you like for as long as it takes to get where you're going. We also have day passes - you scratch off the date and away you go. So, I went to the website mentioned earlier in this thread and am still confused. It states that you can buy an 8-strippenkart which can be used as a day pass in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Den Haag, or two 8-strippenkarts for all of the Netherlands. Does this mean local transportation only or can you actually travel TO Den Haag, for example, on the strippenkart and then around the city and then back to Amsterdam all on two 8-strippenkart?? <BR>Someone please help?!?!

Meagan, <BR>Take another look -- I think you've posted a reply to the wrong thread.

okay, not sure how a response i posted 2 hours ago got in there. i just responded to the underwear issue and for some reason, the above was posted instead. my apologies. <BR>BTW - i was thinking of bringing old underwear or going commando until I remembered my friend's incident last summer in Malta, involving a scooter accident . . . maybe I won't bring any skirts after all . . .

Lee! I'm shocked! And laughing out loud.....

My travelling companion tried this once - at the end of the day, tossed his ratty boxers into the wastebasket. Next afternoon, came back to the room to find that the maid had very conscientiously fished them out of the trash, and fearing that we had mistaken the trash for a laundry hamper, had them laundered, pressed, neatly folded and resting on the bed when we got in from site seeing. <BR>Clearly, what we thought was ratty was still considered worthy of wearing by at least one person! <BR>And I'm uncomfortable with making another country my landfill - remember the old backpacking credo of "pack it in, pack it out."

Stacey, way too funny, my mom used to use my dads for the same thing, it was pretty funny when friends came over and I had to explain what mom was doing wearing my dads underwear as a glove! One more thing, what if one happens to get lucky while abroad and you are caught wearing nasty panties, how embarrassing would that be!

I am female, My travel companion (female) brought all her matching Victoria Secret bras and panties about 19 pairs of each for our 9 day vacation. She thought she might "hook up" with someone and sacrificed other more important things when she packed so her undies would be fancy! <BR> <BR>No such luck... but if something had happened and her pants would need to be cut off, maybe the doctor would be impressed!

I'm laughing too --- stop and think about it. Lee posts that he... ummmmmmm... doesn't need to pack 'em ... then Megan's "mispost" about "strippenkart"??

Geez, if I'm in an auto accident, ratty underwear would be the least of my worries ("no no, don't cut off my pants to save my leg - I have ratty underwear on!"). Oh, and like we all wear gorgeous underwear every day when we're home...'fess up, girls (guys need not apply, we KNOW how you deal with underwear), your underwear drawer contains 1/3 get-lucky underwear, 1/3 everyday underwear, 1/3 I-haven't-done-laundry-yet ratty underwear &lt;- I guarantee that at least 80% of you reading this have that on right now. <BR> <BR>And if your ratty underwear has no elastic and no longer fits, may I suggest you throw it out and treat yourself to several new pairs (see thread about what Europeans like about America and Kavey's responses). <BR> <BR>Pack in/pack out works for camping and hiking, but does that mean I should save all my dirty kleenex to bring home from Europe?

Dear Elvira - you make me laugh! <BR>Please write a book...

I just picture those poor, poor maid's having to fish out all your crappy old, worn, dirty underwear. Talk about needing to leave a nice tip!!!

You want underwear stories, I’ve got one: <BR> <BR>Some years ago we would take in a baseball game as a family. My daughters (3) <BR>were all in their early twenties and they’d invite their boyfriends of the moment. <BR>This was a Milwaukee Brewers- New York Yankees game in Milwaukee. There <BR>were over 50K people. We tailgated, saw the game and had an all around good <BR>time. My oldest daughter (kind of flaky) was wearing a denim mini-skirt. It was <BR>her 2nd date with this new guy. As we’re leaving the game we’re in front of the <BR>ballpark with all 50K people milling around. An old family friend saw our group <BR>and stopped to say hello. He kiddingly slapped Wendy on the back to say Hi. <BR>Her underwear fell to her ankles and she stood there, not knowing what to do. <BR>We’re laughing so hard. It seems she had run out of good underwear and <BR>elected to wear a pair with a broken elastic band. As her father, I gave her the <BR>best advice I could think of. Just step out and keep on walkin’. Every time we go <BR>to a game we remind Wendy to wear good underwear!!! I often wondered what <BR>the cleanup crew thought of when they found them right in front of the <BR>ballpark.All I know is that’s the last time we saw that new guy.

Paul J -- the tears are rolling down my face. What a story!!! I trust your daughter has grown up to be a resourceful adult ;)

[Message: I'm sorry but how completely gross! ] <BR> <BR>Liz: Apologies for offending your sensibilities, but I was just kidding. You've never had a kid return from camp, I guess! I always follow the "what if you were hit by a bus rule" myself. :-)

My husband and I saw underwear sticking out of a trashcan in a hotel hallway in Spain. I forget which city we were in. I thought of the people who travel with old underwear and throw them away. If you plan to do this, please throw them away in your room, not in the hallway. It was kind of gross. It was still there when we returned from a day of sightseeing. I guess nobody wanted to touch it.

Just don't forget your underwear! <BR> <BR>Two years ago in Hamburg I opened up my suitcase and found 2 umbrellas but no underpants. I had to go shopping for underpants and I don't speak German. Well, I did learn the German word for underpants ("slip") and the vacation was saved. <BR> <BR>It did help to have a sense of humor about the situation.

i dont know but the suggestion of xxxx left me roaring with laughter. how in hell can you pee if the fly is on backwards. the logistical problems are hard to cope with unless you drop the whole affair to the floor. whatever happened to a small clothes line in your bathroom to dry washes underwear??

Elvira, I like my "grandma" underpants and always have, even as a teen. They cover the area that I want covered. I don't get the whole thong thing at all. Eeeewwwww. Just imagine what those must be like at the end of the day, considering where they've been on your bod. If it's butt floss you want, wear a thong. As for the other kind, well, I just seem to spend my of your time keeping them OUT of that thong area, so give me my comfy old lady undies any day.

Elvira is right on, as always! But, when I go traveling, I take the nice stuff. So does my husband, if he wants to get lucky. I always wonder what the maids of Europe think of those Americans who toss their dirty, tattered underwear in the wastebasket every day. I cannot think of anything more ridiculous that "savvy tourists" leaving their old underwear everywhere they travel.

I only have a few pairs of underpants that are maybe old and those are around just in case of certain days, if you know what I mean. In short, I do not own or wear gross underwear ever; but when I go to Europe I pack somewhat lighter weight stuff as it washes and dries more quickly (ie, less 100 pct cotton, more microfiber). My boyfriend once joked I needed a suitcase just for my underwear as I like nice stuff and have a lot of it, but you should try it as he really was not complaining at all and he finds it very interesting as he did not know a woman before me that had as nice stuff or much of it including his ex-wife who I think did wear groddy stuff and lots of it. In all courtesy, though, if you must throw stuff personal gross stuff away, you do not just put it in the wastebasket as is, have some manners and put it inside a bag or newspaper or something before discarding it.

Why not just bring a few sets on your next trip to Europe and buy when you get here. It's fun to take home souvenirs slightly out of the ordinary! I live in Belgium and there are many lingerie shops...the ladies here take lingerie shopping very seriously indeed.

Lets face it folks. If you are in an accident and are scared enough, it may not matter how new you undies were as they may be a glorious brown by then anyway. <BR>

Art! This is (ahem) beneath you!

Lee - Thanks for the laugh! <BR> <BR>I always pack less underwear than I'll need. That way, about three quarters through the trip, I tell my husband that I didn't pack enough underwear and have to buy some. I've got drawers from London, Madrid, and Berlin. It's always nice to get dressed in the morning - I open my dresser, pull out a pair and say, "I remember buying these at that funny store underneath the supermarket in Madrid."

I can't bear the thought of not wearing nice underwear at all times whether i'm here or overseas!! I could be looking like a comlete dag on the outside but peal away the layers & I can guarantee you i'll be in something lacy, silky, sexy or sheer (or preferably all 4!!). <BR>The thought of saving up old ugly undies for a special holiday horrifies me no end. <BR>I realise I'm a bit extreme - Perhaps its some subconscious desire hoping I'll get lucky....

I like to wear nice undies while I'm away, but I only pack about 3 or 4 extra pairs and throw the ones I've worn the previous day into the shower tray before I get in - the shampoo and shower gel suds that get rinsed off me are sufficient to wash them and then they just need a quick rinse out under the tap.

Take more underwear than you think you need. When I was 15 I didn't listen to my mother and didn't pack enough and ran out when we were in Italy and she made me wear my sister's panties.Trust me,never skimp on underwear!

Dr. Betty !!!

This thread is a hoot! <BR> <BR>The question of the day is: Does underwear really take up that much room in the suitcase that throwing it out makes room for substantially more souvenirs? If it's ratty enough to throw it out in Europe, throw it out before you go and buy some new for your trip. <BR> <BR>Anyone ever hear of Woolite to wash it out in hotel rooms? I don't leave home without it.

I'm with you Lauren: <BR>I always but new stuff going away. <BR>It goes in the suitcase right from the store. ratty underwearm Yuck. Throw it away! <BR>

Last trip, I took mostly old, slightly frayed clothes (always wore a jacket so it did't look bad) and before the trip was over, I had thrown away everything except what I was wearing and one shirt.