Strange Idea for Strange Times
 

Maybe this is crazy, but for some time now, I have envisioned this idea....not optimal, but it may be coming:

No luggage other than your necessary meds (with Rx in hand), money and passport. When you arrive at your destination, you can purchase a 'life pack' of 1-2 days of clothing...general sizing, like S - M - L - XL, etc. and mini toiletries (incl. disposable razor). Maybe not fashionable, just generic ...just enough to get you by.
Of course, they would have to include some different ethnic group styles, even if generic sizing, styles.

What do you think?

:D OMG! This would make a great "business plan" for some students. Quick, run out and get a patent!

So, what you are saying is that we would all have to go shopping for a new wardrobe after we finish using our "life pack"? Could the "life pack" be designed by a variety of designers? I see a new reality show on the horizon! :)

Well, I love to shop, so it'll work for me...

BUT, could you imagine the host of questions on Fodors...

1. How much should I budget for new pants in New York City, San Francisco, London?

2. How much should I budget for new shoes? Can I find them in triple widths?

3....you see where I'm going with this... :D

OSB, I like your thinking.

Nah, not going to happen- well, if we ever have a "space age" it might. But people are far too vain/different physically/fond of creature comforts...

And I can't see that ever being financially sound- I mean, who would pay for the program?

Nope, I see air travel/travel in general becoming much faster and both cheaper and more expensive. Both more economy, and more luxury.

.....neat idea, though! It'd make a great sci-fi novel detail! Mind if I borrow? :)

Not if you send me a copy! I'm kinda hoping someone will take this and run with it!

Do you recall the "Friends" episode when Joey put all of Chandlers' clothes on ? I think I'm about to start doing that, so I won't have to check anything...

LOL, yes I loved that episode. No, not a good idea, SanParis. Not unless you are willing to pay for two seats, lol. You'll be rolly-polly AND hot. :D

Long ago I had a similar idea, for kids going to camp. Parents would be able to purchase the entire kit and kaboodle--shorts, pants, t-shirts, socks, undies, extra pair of shoes and pr of shower shoes, all toiletries, etc. online. It would all be stamped with the child's name and would be shipped directly to the camp. When Johnnie or Kate got to the camp it would already be in his cabin!

These clothes would be more or less "disposable," i.e. the kids could dress in their arrival outfit upon departure and the entire thing could be either thrown out or donated to a children's shelter.

The condition of my kids' clothing when they came home from camp was always such that I wished they'd not even brought it home. That's when I came up with this idea---great, I thought, but too expensive apparently.

Sorry but I think its a stupid idea. Reminds me of the other things I knew wouldnt work such as Ipods, Laptops and flat screen tv's :)

LOL, fromMA- and kswl, there is such a thing....camp uniforms!

I do hope that youre not working in the airline industry! Please keep this suggestion to yourself if you do!
This is one of the daftest things I have read since becoming a Fodorite!!!!!!
And I like a laugh!
But this isnt funny!

lol! moosey, at our camps uniforms are for dinner and Sundays, and we did purchase those through the camp outfitter.

Well the Life Pack would certainly solve all the <font color="green">&quot;What do I wear in...&quot;</font> questions! :D

Hi OldSouthernBelle!

Its funny b/c I was thinking of a similar &quot;pack&quot; we could get on the airplane that would include mini-sized chap stick, unscented lotion, bottle of water, gum, etc. Stuff that makes a plane ride more comfortable. I was thinking it would be more of a courtesy pack but would they really give that to us for free? Would anyone pay, say, $5.00 for it? I guess I would depending on the length of the flight...

Neat ideas!

Have a super weekend everyone-beautiful weather here outside of Philadelphia!

:)

Thats just a insane idea OldsouthernBelle.

When I look at what it takes to &quot;get&quot; ready for school in 2006, I think EXACTLY like OSB does, but in that education context instead of the travel one.

OSB, we did that exact thing 50 years ago. It was called &quot;traveling to Catholic grammar school&quot;. Nothing was &quot;optional&quot; and it was done simplistically as yours but in huge numbers. (There were 200 1st graders in my school.) Not even the shoe type needed a &quot;choice&quot; and the uniform service was set up in the school. You only wore your &quot;good&quot; regular clothes the first three days of school and never again during the year. We shared books and passed out pencils. The SAME books, despite some of us hardly knowing spoken or proper English. But we all were dressed the SAME.

And lo and behold a lot of us are doctors, lawyers and some of us- even retired FBI/CIA agents and authors.

What a great idea!

My BIL who worked for United for 22 years before he became disabled, says pretty soon you will just be striped naked to the girders with catheters, screened with plastic, sprayed (he sprayed chemicals to keep wings from freezing in coldest weather)and transported- receiving clothes at the other end.

JJ5. Yes, Catholic grade school- that's the first thought that occurred to me too! Trying to forget, trying to forget...you caused flashbacks- AAUUUUGH. Actually, uniforms weren't that bad, but I've never wanted to wear yellow polos (or even just polos) since then....

No offense, Mooselywild, but uniforms in most Catholic schools today are nothing like they used to be. They're more casual, comfortable and, in most cases, you have some choices. When I started Catholic grade school in 1958, as JJ5 said, there <b>were</b> no choices! High school was very slightly better. We actually got to choose whether we wanted to wear knee socks, bobby socks or nylons!

The airlines would probably like this idea (economics wise). Almost every flight contains commercial cargo. They could stuff the entire cargo area with commercial cargo instead of just a portion of it.

But that would leave most all of the contents on the plane unscanned, not sniffed out and not looked at.

Yes (I've seen old year books, so I know I was lucky by comparison)- but my school had particularily ugly colors, and everything but the shorts weren't very comfortable. And despite what my mom thought- the skort did NOT look adorable on me....So the only real choice I had was that they allowed girls to wear pants/shorts (although they strongly encouraged the girls to wear skirts/skorts)!

I used to go to the uniform shop and wonder why the parents had to choose THAT set of uniforms...LOL

I had a different thought. You could check the standard stuff in your luggage (or perhaps, you'd have to ship it in advance).

At the airport, security screening would be like those decontamination conveyor belts in old movies. In single sex rooms under the watchful eye of a same-gendered TSA employee, you remove the street clothes you came in with, get checked, and change into a flight-approved jumpsuit or toga (like prison clothes) and flipflops. You can store your streetclothes in lockers at the airport to pick up upon your return.

I don't think the life pack that you'd be forced to have at your destination would work. Travellers would stick out everywhere and be ripe for crime. I personally would never fly again. In addition, the costs of travel (which are already HIGH) would become prohibitively high for whole new classes of people - those who couldn't afford both to travel and to buy new sets of clothes.