Travelling Light

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Started 1 year ago by Brandilynn
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Brandilynn
Member

I've never been much of a light traveller. I mean, I can if I put my mind to it (as I refuse to pay for taking a case!) but generally when I go home to the states I have two bags for free so one ends up being my stuff and one is gifts for my parents/family/friends. (I moved to Scotland 2 years ago.)

However, this time, I'll only have one suitcase for gifts *and* my stuff. And the case is already full. With gifts. D'oh! While I realise all the gifts might not go with me (which I am OK with) I want to take as many as possible.

So.. for travelling light.. what are your tips? (Also, if anyone knows of any blog posts or websites about this I'm all ears!)

So far I know I still need to order a allersac because I'll be staying in a few hotels/motels and bed bugs freak me out!! I also need to order new travel sized containers (GoToob seem the best!) and a travel towel (for the same hotels/motels) and finally a travel pillow because I've realised, 9 transatlantic round trip flights later .. I hate the ones on the planes!

However, other than that, my list is small. Just some clothes (will be with my parents most of the time and can use their washer) and bathroom stuff (although I do have shampoo/conditioner/some other stuff at their house in a box..)

Any ideas on how to bring the least? I'm especially bad at bringing too many electronics..

Ta,
Brandilynn

Posted 1 year ago #
mili
Member

THE Resource (note the capital R) for traveling light has to be onebag.com. Just to give you an idea: I have been raised on the entire principle of traveling light - when my dad was posted in south america when I was a young child my mom frequently travelled with one medium-sized suitcase & one small carry on - for trips 2+ months long :P And the carry-on was in the original sense of JUST the thing you'd need for the actual journey - plane, airport, car etc - not in the more modern sense of something that ALSO contains clothing for destination. Since then, I've continued to do the same in my own travelling. And I still got a whole lot out of onebag.com when I discovered it a few years ago!

To be honest, by now, I could add pages and pages to this post just on the topic of traveling light. One thing I would say however, is that if you want to declutter your home base AND significantly reduce your gear during travel, you are going to have to do some serious compromising because a lot of the tricks to traveling light are about having travel versions of many things you must take with you, and you would not want to use these at home because the bigger version is more convenient for constant usage.

Travel bottles are an obvious example. Take my own selection: I have enough of a range to cover trips from weekend length and casual style all the way to month long, with several dressier occasions (don't ask lol). But they take up around the space of two shoeboxes (hiking boots, not ballerina flats lol), and that's AFTER a recent decluttering and reorganization. I don't have a use for these bottles outside of traveling, except maybe one or two that live in my purse with sunscreen for touchups during the day and my fave hand lotion. And other than the bottles, my travel stuff (accessories only, not including luggage) takes up TWO underbed boxes. That might get my inner declutter-freak all hot under the collar, but get this - every time I've gotten rid of significant amounts of travel-specific gear, I have regretted it no later than the next trip. I did that twice, then learned :P

If you want to go down that way though, I can tell you it would be pretty rewarding. You will certainly feel it when you no longer have to be dragging crap like a pack animal at the airport. Modern air travel is cruddy enough as it is; everything that makes things easier for you is worth at least a good long look, as far as I'm concerned.

One place to start: MAIL those gifts. Seriously: look into having them mailed, to yourself if you want to give them to the people in person rather than have the gift delivered to them. Find a shipping company that charges per box (the large cardboard boxes used for moving; they are sometimes even bigger than a suitcase, so plenty of room there) and ship the pressies to an address stateside. You might even be able to use a post office if a street address isn't possible or desirable.

good luck and ask if you need more help :-)

Posted 1 year ago #
Sky
Member

Miss Minimalist travel list (google it) is the best I've seen. Really practical! I agree with mailing the gifts or skip them and take everyone out to dinner instead.

Posted 1 year ago #
Brandilynn
Member

The problem with mailing them is some of the stuff I can't easily mail (e.g. alcohol.. I do live in whisky country! ;)) and/or really expensive to mail (my wee brother loves coins.. and you have to mail currency in special ways that cost far more than I'm willing for some £2 commemorative coins! I mailed him a £2 coin that cost £6 or so from the royal mint and then another £7 to post! Not worth it.)

I don't really have that much toilteries to take, now that I think about it.. I have shaving cream/shampoo/conditioner/hair spray/hair protection spray/body wash at my Mum and Dad's.. as well as a flat iron and hair dryer.. I also have PJs there..

I don't wear makeup so I don't need to take any of that.. other than that I'll take perfume, steroid lotion (eczema! woo.), medicines (I take 9 pills a day, ugh.), razor, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss.. Hrm.. far less than I realised.

You know, now that I think about it, even with clothes I think I could fit everything in a carry-on sized suitcase.. Not that I'm bringing one, mind. I normally have my husband to carry my stuff around the airport ;) and this time it'll just be me. So 1 suitcase + my purse is all I plan on taking with me. It's difficult enough going through customs and immigration without trying to take a billion pieces with you. :)

Thanks for the suggestions! :)

Posted 1 year ago #
Brandilynn
Member

I'm afraid I'm not willing to cut out the gifts. :) My love language, so to speak, is gift giving.. It brings me FAR more joy to give gifts than to go out to a meal or arrive empty handed. I'm more than willing to lug a medium-sized suitcase around with gifts than to forgo it and have only carry on luggage. :)

I've see Miss M's travel list before, I felt like quite the overpacker to be honest! I did manage to do a graduation trip (for my husband's MA at Cambridge) with only a small carry on suitcase after seeing her list though :)

Posted 1 year ago #
Brandilynn
Member

hrm.. I think my best course of action is to do a dry run.. Pack up with what I'll need and then gifts then weigh it and see what it weighs.. (I don't believe in taking a suitcase you can't even pick up yourself! I've helped far too many people take suitcases off the luggage belt thingy because they couldn't pick them up and I'm tiny!)

Posted 1 year ago #
mili
Member

agreed about the gifts. frankly, the suggestion to OP to cut out the gifts sounded a bit ridiculous. First off, when you are going to a foreign country like that and living there, NOT bringing back a few mementoes for people you love tells them that well, you DON'T love them as much as they thought :P Joking (but only kinda). Seriously, a small something from somewhere far away is NOT replaceable by even the most lavish dinner at home. Not with people you value - your loved ones, as opposed to people you are forced to congregate with by circumstance rather than choice with (eg bosses, random coworkers, neighbors, and the like).

Moreover, it was obvious right from her first post that the OP gets some particular enjoyment out of gift-giving, to a degree that is above the average. foregoing that in order to reduce her gear is hardly going to serve her best interests, even if it would do for other people (including anyone who does not particularly enjoy gift-giving but feels pressured into it by social rules or pushy relatives).

But brandilynn, it does sound like you have a handle on things! And yes, the coins aren't worth shipping, but at the same time they are quite small. I was thinking more in terms of if you had to mail textiles - arran sweaters, tartan blankets, maybe a kilt? lol - or awkwardly shaped objects.

Hope you have a good, uneventful trip!

Posted 1 year ago #
Brandilynn
Member

I'd totally bring my dad or older brother a kilt if I thought I could convince either to wear it! ;)

I try to only give consumables if possible! My family and friends can all be sorta hoarder-ish so at least if I give them things they can eat/drink then they don't have them hogging up the house later! :) The only non-consumable I can think of that I'm bringing is a new wallet for my Mum because when I was home at Christmas hers scared me.. I actually think there is something growing in it. Oh, and a set of the UK Harry Potter books for a friend who graduated uni. I'd mail them but I don't even want to think of how much that'd cost.. I feel like I'm selling my soul to Royal Mail each time I go to the post office!

Posted 1 year ago #
Brandilynn
Member

Oh and thanks so much for the link to onebag, mili! I've been linked to it before but never really looked around. Very informative and helpful!

Posted 1 year ago #
mili
Member

wait, I just realized that you were trying to send stuff *by mail* NOW it makes sense why stuff costs so much!

I was thinking more of something that mails larger parcels, a shipping company. Couriers are obvious but expensive (and kind of a pain in the rear). Here's what: dunno where you are in scotland, but head to the nearest university town (the higher the proportion of students and faculty, especially from overseas, to non-students, the better) and look/ask around. You are bound to find some place that will ship individual boxes - students are always ending up with extra stuff that they can't take with them on the plane due to lack of room, even if they are quite minimalist and it's only books. They always end up having to send stuff if returning home involves taking a plane - those that don't, end up renting a u-haul (or similar).

These joints are used to shipping small quantities of boxes, even just one, per customer; they find a place for these in larger shipments, so you end up paying MUCH less than it would cost to mail items using the postal service. I also don't think you'd get trouble for shipping food, or even the whiskey so long as on the inventory they have you fill out, you make sure to state it's a gift. Really, the contents themselves should be enough to make it obvious you're shipping souvenirs for friends. About food: just watch out for delicate stuff eg chocolates etc.

and yeah, onebag is pretty die-hard :P No need to take them at their word for everything because they *can* be a bit fanatical, but they're good for inspiration :-)

Posted 1 year ago #
bandicoot
Member

mailing books out of the uk is cheaper than you think.
they attract a special rate....worth looking into.
i mailed a load of persephone books out of london last year and i recall being very happy with the rate.

gifts, hmm.
i am of the opposite opinion....i'd much much rather spend time with people, and buy a meal than haul some gewgaw across a continent or an ocean.
if i can drive to meet them, sure, i'll take them some handmade soap.
if i have to pack a bag....they will have to understand.
and nobody really reaonably expects the traveller to turn up with a rucksack full of goodies.

travelling light is one of my favourite topics!
i have been lying here with my broken leg, spending at least a little time on considering my travel wardrobe for japan in september.
i am totally doing this with one carry on bag....a smallish backpack.
the wardrobe is sorted....every item must be layerable, handwashable, drip dryable overnight, crushable, non-iron, mix and matchable.
for nine autumn days, i can manage with one pair of black leather clogs.
two sets of underwear/socks...one to wear and one to wash.
i've earmarked nine garments, one scarf, one pashmina.....i'll be wearing half of those on the flight.
i've picked clothes that will give me seven different looks...without the scarves.

electronics.
i managed to get my claws onto an ipad2 before we left for europe on april 2.
best travel gadget ever!
with that and an iphone and a small camera (i have a trusty leica d-lux3 that is getting on, but i am still enamoured with it) and the chargers (one apple thingie charges everything apple).... i am truly well-catered for.

toiletries.
i like to keep it very simple.
soap, shampoo, conditioner, moisturiser. all in gotoobs.
toothpaste, floss...travel sized. toothbrush.
razor. tweezers.
mineral makeup: dusting powder and blush. tinted lip balm. perfume.
makeup brush. hairbrush.

first aid:
tiger balm. tea tree oil. lavender oil. paracetamol. all purpose balm. eye drops.

misc:
spectacles. a couple of earrings/necklaces.
travel docs.

my husband is coming with me....he carries clothing, magazines (he just isn't into reading digital stuff on flights for some weird reason), his own electronics, some man-specific toiletries.

and to bring this post full circle, we WILL be carrying some small gifts of soap on this trip, because 1. it is japan and gift giving is enormous, culturally and 2. i will be meeting with some business contacts for the first time and it may not be the best time to shove my no-tchotchkes-please policies onto them!
i admit it, i'm a hypocrite, lol!

Posted 1 year ago #
mili
Member

"i'd much much rather spend time with people, and buy a meal than haul some gewgaw across a continent or an ocean
[...]
if i have to pack a bag....they will have to understand."

I just don't understand this attitude. It's like you're basically saying gift-giving has to be convenient to you, otherwise it's not worth it. Which will certainly be the case when you're talking about gifts that come from a sense of obligation - some co-worker decided to give you a gift for christmas, and you feel like you must return the favor so as not to appear rude or socially awkward, not because you enjoy making them happy.

But with loved ones, surely the whole point is to please them, and then not bringing a small item is kinda like saying, 'oh, my precious time ought to be enough, but I'll throw in a meal that does less to celebrate you and more to show off my cooking/restaurant choosing prowess'. Kinda like serving fine cheeses at a kids' party - it's not something they'll enjoy, it's only something that will make the host look all fancy to the other parents.

"and nobody really reaonably expects the traveller to turn up with a rucksack full of goodies."

True, they don't, but they DO like the message behind a small gift: that you thought of them while you were away and rate them highly enough to actually bring something back. I mean, come on, it's not like bringing something back will gobble up your entire suitcase! I've brought back enough for a couple dozen people in something the size of a shoe box (for proportion, that was in my large 65L case for weeks of travel). When I've had something larger I thought was perfect for x or y, or on shorter trips where consequently my luggage was smaller but I still had lots of people to shop for, I just mailed it to myself ready for whenever I saw them next after returning. Think small keychains and buttons, a tee for anyone who wears graphic tees, that stuff - and pack them without gift wrap; now THAT is something most won't care about, so just wrap them when you get home. Neither will it be useless gewgaws - not if you picked judiciously. Which you should have no problem doing if you are shopping for people you're close to.

"it may not be the best time to shove my no-tchotchkes-please policies onto them!"

but you kind of are. Maybe not with your biz associates, but with your family/friends. Just because YOU don't want THEM to bring you back stuff from a trip doesn't mean the same goes for them, unless you know that for a fact. At the end of the day gift-giving is about choosing according to the recipient's tastes, not ours. If we don't want to go to that effort, it means they probably aren't important enough to us, so they certainly won't rate the hassle of cooking or buying a meal for, either.

Posted 1 year ago #
Another Deb
Member

Perfect timing for my upcoming trip to the UK. I am dedicated to a carry-on sized suitcase and a backpack as the actual carry-on. My husband has a rolling duffel, that will have to be checked so I will check my suitcase as well.

We'll be gone a month so I am mentally sorting my wardrobe to see what can match, layer, FIT!!! I end up standing in front of it with that old whine "I don't have anything to wear!"

Now if I was coming TO the US,like Brandilynn, I would recommend that the person go to the Goodwill upon arrival and gather enough for the trip, then re-donate it back when they leave. Do they have GW's in England? :-)

Room for gifts is also a question in my mind. I can't imagine hauling things around for the month we'll be gone so I am trying to figure out how to buy lightweight things that can ship. Guess the alcohol from Scotland is a no-go, eh?

OK, I am off to see the Onebag and MsM websites! Thanks, keep the tips coming!

Posted 1 year ago #
bandicoot
Member

nah mili, gift-giving truly isn't part of our "thing" around here.
my family and friends do prefer to spend time and share a meal.
my husband and i used to be chefs and nobody has ever refused an offer of a meal we have prepared.
serving food and showing hospitality is our love language.
we put a lot of time and energy and money into it
to compare a fun evening with great food and great company to anything you could possibly buy me....seems crazy to me.
i am just not so enamoured of stuff as all that.

Posted 1 year ago #
mili
Member

ok, but basically, what you said kind of reinforces my point rather than refuting it, because what you're really saying here is that you're the exception to the rule: not only are most of your friends/relatives just as unclutter-ish as you are (NOT the case with most people), but *in addition to that*, you guys are chefs - so when you are making a person dinner, it's actually more than that and closer to me doing their portrait or covering their event for free. The dinner/entertaining is a gift in itself in a way it probably isn't for the average person with average cooking skills and an average house/dining area.

other than that, I can see why the whole 'spending time together' thing would be preferable for most occasions, but I still think that in the very specific context of returning from a trip, it's nice to bring back something (unless you fall under situation #1, with most of your friends & rellies being all into a decluttered lifestyle). And that's the context we're discussing here.

Not to mention, noone said it's either/or. You can get your friend a three-buck keychain that they will see everyday and it will raise a smile, and still invite them over as many times as you like :-)

Posted 1 year ago #
snosie
Member

Given this is a 'uncluttered' website, I'm not surprised people think a $3 key chain (even as a gift) is clutter that they wouldn't want to put onto someone else. I mean, as often as bandicoot travels, her friends would have 100s of keychains I think!

I think someone nailed it before - it's about love languages (which are gift giving/receiving, physical touch, acts of service, quality time or kind words). Clearly, you might 'speak' gifts, and bandicoot is a acts of service/quality time speaker. One is not 'more' right than another, it's just people are different.

Personally, i will take gifts from Australia to Israel & US (partly cause it's a big trip), but also because then I have space to buy things to bring back - but with a carry-on only planned for this trip, I might not be able to :s

Posted 1 year ago #
bandicoot
Member

most everyone i know would consider a $3 keychain or a button, a piece of unutterable clutter...no matter how long i had spent selecting it for them.
only the kids i know would be slightly interested, and then only for five minutes.
seriously...we are on different pages here, mili.
most people i know are downsizing and getting rid of stuff.

i watched a video online several years ago: the history of stuff.
i determined then and there to never ever again buy any piece of meaningless cheap disposable tat. for myself or for others.
those $3 keychains seem innocuous enough, but the manufacture of them is creating pollution, social inequities, landfill problems....and on and on.

and consider this:
"It may seem surprising, but most environmental problems are caused by unintentional side-effects of the manufacture, use and disposal of products. Looking at products closely highlights the environmental problems they cause. Over 30 tonnes of waste are produced for every one tonne of product that reaches the consumer. And then 98% of those products that do reach the end consumer are thrown away within 6 months. This whole process is about 2% efficient in terms of energy."

from this website:
http://www.biothinking.com/btintro.htm

98% of stuff is chucked within six months!
i truly believe that i am doing everyone a favour by not buying and distributing little bits of plastic crap...no matter how deprived and unloved my circle may feel by my refusal to participate, lol.

Posted 1 year ago #
Jackthetiger
Member

I really prefer not to give or receive little gifts from overseas. I never know how long I have to keep them before I can get rid of them. Someone bought me a little icon pasted onto a small piece of wood. I keep finding it in various places around the house and it really annoys me. I have nowhere to put it.

I have promised myself that I will not buy any cluttery gifts for friends and family anymore. It is not about a lack of love or not being generous or being unwilling to do things for people. Bandicoot is right about the environmental and social costs of all that stuff. I also prefer to spend time with people, so friends and family always get together for birthdays and Christmas rather than giving presents.

Posted 1 year ago #
Mimi
Member

concerning the gift dabate: i just don´t understand why anybody should value a material gift (whatever it is, a bottle of alcohol, a keychain, a diamond) more than an immaterial gift. for me, time spend with somebody i like is much more precious than anything else. and i hope that people like to meet me: not because i bring gifts but because i am with them.

Posted 1 year ago #
rutheverhart
Member

I read this thread with interest because I think the debate about gift-giving (are gifts important indicators of love or are they clutter) gets to the heart of why uncluttering is difficult. We each have different attitudes toward "stuff". I do think we need to give ourselves permission to evolve in our love languages, and see things differently over time. Obviously love is never caught and held in a piece of plastic, or even a perfectly cooked meal. None of these things matter. It's true that only love matters. Now, how to put that in a suitcase? (along with the toiletries)

Posted 1 year ago #

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