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Category: Travel
Those heading out on their first trip always want to know "How and What Should I Pack?" Even experienced travelers ask this question (usually in the form of "How Can I Pack Better This Time?")
Truth is: Every trip is different. What you pack for a year of study abroad in a temperate climate will be different from how you pack for a three month backpacking trip, a weekend getaway, or a business trip. As simple as it sounds, the key is packing what you need, but as little of it as possible.
First is the type of luggage itself. This will depend mostly on how you intend to get around: by car, train, bus, bicycle, foot. Where will you store it when you get to your destination? Do you have a budget to pay someone else to carry your luggage for you?
Backpacks are great for camping or hiking trips. A lot of folks also use them for the "If this is Tuesday, it must be Belgium" European trips. While backpacks are easily transportable on these sorts of trips, I prefer a light duffel or over the shoulder carry-on bag. They fit more easily into overhead bins on trains, don't knock people over on crowded buses and trams, have outer pockets the traveler can keep an eye on, and allow travelers to blend in more easily with the locals (something that's important to me, since I've done a lot of solo travel and want to stay safe). In favor of backpacks, they do make moving a lot easier -- especially when escalators and elevators are less prevalent in train and subway stations and lower budget accomodations.
For business trips in North America, try to keep it to a garment bag and one carry-on: either a duffle-type or one of those flight attendant wheel-ons. Wheels are a little less useful in Europe: again, stairs can be problematic and wheels really make the traveler stand out.
Even if you have a car, remember that your luggage is not as safe as you would like to believe when you store it in the trunk. Roadtrippers should remember that motor inn parking lots are good targets for car thefts -- since thiefs know that tired travelers are more likely to be careless about leaving stuff in the car on the road than when they are at home. Since many motels don't have elevators, again, you need to have luggage that's easy to transport up a flight or two of stairs.
A few tips about identifying luggage. To avoid the harrowing feeling that your bags will get mixed up with someone else's at the baggage claim, make your bag stand out. Attach a colorful ribbon or patches to the bag. Not only will this make it easy for you to identify when it comes on to the carousel, it will lessen the likelihood of someone else grabbing your bag (whether they do so intentionally or not).
Your contact information should be on and in the bag. Use luggage tags on all bags (including carry-ons). Make sure to get the luggage tags that have a cover over the address (again for safety). I usually put just my last name, an address, and my work phone number (or a local number, if I know where I'll be staying). Also, make sure each bag has this information written on a sheet of paper put on top of your packings. That way, if the luggage tag disappears, there is still identification inside.
One final tip about checking luggage: watch the checker as they put the ID tags on your bag. Make sure the tags they put on match the airport code of your destination. You'd be surprised how often paying careful attention when someone else is not can save your bag from being sent someplace you're not.
Well, that's the first few ramblings about packing and I realize we never actually got to packing itself. Next time. Perhaps another reader will be inspired to write that one. Or maybe I'll come back and write more. In the meantime, happy travels.
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Submitted By
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Erica Ginsberg |
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Description
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Video producer, government bureaucrat, and avid traveler |
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