travel light or fully prepared

[Zoe Girl]

I am getting on the train in about 2 hours for the holiday and it had me thinking, do you travel light or fully prepared and why? Oooh and what strange thing can you not travel without?

I travel light, it is just my nature. My dad took us on car trips and we had strict limits on how much we could pack. I only a couple times missed something important. One summer I had to buy a bathing suit in Estherville Iowa, not a large town. I didn't really like it but the trip was fine. More often I have a bunch of stuff I don't need. As long as I have a few things to do I typically wear jeans a few times during a trip anyway.

So my daughter got me the cutest tiny curling iron for my birthday this month. It is about 6 inches long (at target if you need one). I have travel size everything for personal care and only need one pair of shoes plus an emergency pair just in case my cowgirl boots do not meet all my social needs there. Ha, Like that would happen, they match the skirt and go with jeans and I wear them on the train so it is not a lot of space. I have only one crochet project that is small and my nook with my spanish study book on it and a drawing pad for the stuff I have been designing. I am even leaving the computer at home.

My strange thing I MUST have and takes up the space of at least 2 outfits is my zafu, or meditation cushion. I meditated like 15 years without one and now I bring it on every overnight trip. I just can't 'sit' on other things.

[Tradd]

I travel light. What I bring in the way of toiletries depends on if I'm staying with friends or not. If I'm staying with friends, I will use their toothpaste and shampoo, but I do bring my own conditioner, deodorant, and razor. Small container of hair gel, too, which means I don't have to worry about a hair dryer. I take minimal makeup (I don't wear much anyway), can usually get away with one pair of shoes, have books on iPod Touch or smartphone, although a magazine is nice for the airport (helps to save battery on electronics). I mix and match clothes, and will bring less if I'm staying with friends, as I can ask to do laundry, if necessary.

Last year I flew two states over for a long summer weekend with friends. I had a small LL Bean Adventure duffel. It was so small, it fit under the seat in front of me on the small regional jet. Friend was astonished I had such a little bag, even just for a 2 day/2 night trip. I introduced her to the joys of packing cubes.

[Tradd]

Speaking of traveling light, I found this tip below recently and it's such a neat idea!

http://jjmatheshikes.blogspot.com/20...aste-dots.html

[rosarugosa]

I've been known to take 9 bags for a weekend away. And I'm a jeans person - the bags aren't full of cocktail dresses and matching accessories. I just like to bring everything I own in case I want/need it. I certainly need my pillow and my coffee pot/coffee/light cream and wine/glasses/corkscrew and how do I know what I'll want to wear in three days?

[Zoe Girl]

woah what a cool idea Tradd, I could do that. I was wary of it being another thing to purchse which bugs me.

I have been wondering about getting an inflatable zafu, maybe one of those rings you blow up for hemmoroids (sp?). Kinda strange but when half the case is a cushion. However my practice has been going well and visiting family usually requires sticking to my practice.

[Zoe Girl]

I've been known to take 9 bags for a weekend away. And I'm a jeans person - the bags aren't full of cocktail dresses and matching accessories. I just like to bring everything I own in case I want/need it. I certainly need my pillow and my coffee pot/coffee/light cream and wine/glasses/corkscrew and how do I know what I'll want to wear in three days?

Sounds like my middle daughter. She is tiny (size 2) so bringing everything she owns is still not too large, however she may miss something! I actually carry tea bags and I like the creamer that is shelf stable when I am unsure of what is available.

[morning girl]

Have you tried an inflatable zafu? Zen Works and Carolina Morning sell them. Both are made in the USA and are very portable.

[herbgeek]

I try to pack just one bag, but I have all kinds of gadgets and comfort items that will make being away more comfortable. Not a lot of clothes, and what I do pack all goes with everything else in the bag. For gadgets, I have some swiss army knife or equivalent, flashlight, cutlery, first aid kit, earplugs, lotion, hand sanitizer, inflatable cushion, water bottle,...well I could go on and on. And always snacks, because you just never know.

[Dhiana]

I travel very light. No matter where I go or for how long my philosophy is if it doesn't fit in my carry-on I don't need it!!

Essentials for me are Passport, Credit Card, ATM card, tampons and a couple pairs of clean underwear. Where ever I've traveled the natives sell things like shampoo, shoes, towels, shirts, etc so really if I forget something it is available in some form.

I'm too tall for most of the clothing here in Japan so depending upon the trip, I sometimes take things knowing they are in their final hours such as old clothes or shoes and throw them out when I'm done but return with new clothes from countries that have clothes in my size.

Life's a Journey, Travel Light - Unknown

[Blackdog Lin]

Our travel life: the first 20 years we drove to California every year. In old beater cars that had no business making it across the state, let alone across half the country. But luggage wasn't a problem. Take the kitchen sink if you want to, there's always room. Shoot, I remember taking the playpen, and the baby swing.....and enough clothes to last me (and the young one) for 3 months for a 2-week trip. But with that kind of travel you didn't have to think about paring down.

The last 10 years of our travel life: actual airline travel, where one has to consider every packed item (the eternal dilemma: carry-on vs. checked bags). I learned to pare down.

And I learned well: the so-far highlight of my traveling life was DH and I traveling to the Caribbean in '06 for 10 days with nothing but 2 carry-on bags and our allowed "personal pieces". And his personal piece was his C-PAP machine; and mine was a soft-sided ice-chest that I made to double as a purse for the trip. And boy, that ice-chest sure came in handy.

My girlfriends to this day don't believe we did this, doing that big a 10-day trip with carry-on only, but it's true.

Walk softly and carry as little baggage as possible. Me, my quote, tonight.