Image via WikipediaOne of my ongoing tasks as I get ready to go to Europe to work on project for a client is to pack my suitcase.
On my first study abroad experience, I remember going into the REI store in Bloomington and picking out a Lowe backpack?for the trip. It was a backpack that became a softsided "suitcase" for airplane/bus check-in. There was a cover that zipped over the backpack straps.?Brilliant.?I packed almost everything I needed for almost six months of travel in that pack. In fact, I stlil have the pack and still use it for some journeys.?
After I returned, I started my first "road warrior" job as an admissions counselor. I was usually traveling for a week at a time. Sometimes two or three. I always packed in the smallest bag I could for clothes because my briefcase and marketing materials always took up the majority of the space and weight.
In the mid-1990s, I was invited to be part of a 7-9 day trip to London and Salzburg, Austria for study abroad advisors to learn about a specific study abroad program. I extended my trip a couple of days to take advantage of traveling over the weekend to Heidelberg and Worms, Germany. I showed up in London with two pieces of L.L. Bean luggage from their Sportman's Collection, a briefcase and a carry-on dufflebag. Everything I needed, including business suits and dress pump shoes, were in those two bags. (I still own the bags.)
A number of my advising colleagues were astonished that I had packed so lightly for a weeklong trip. ?I explained that we are constantly encouraging our students to pack light for their trips. Should we not take our own advice and travel the same way?
I still prefer to pack light. I've continued to be a road warrior at various times in my career, which has helped me to maintain and develop new skills in packing for various types of journeys.
For the past couple of years, my luggage of choice has been TravelPro, which is used by many airline professionals. For this trip, I'll be taking two bags.
One is the smallest TravelPro carry-on suitcase. I believe it's 19" — which is smaller than what American airlines require for a carry-on, but meets the requirements of many European airlines that demand smaller dimensions for carry-on luggage.
My second piece of luggage is a regular size backpack that is made for specifically for laptop computers. It actually allows me to carry more than what my TravelPro rolling computer case holds!
And I will take my trusty Health Bag Microfiber purse that I?can easily empty and put into one of the other bags, if need be. And I always pack a folding tote that can be used for day-trips and/or if I find I have more things to carry on the way back (which I really don't want to do).
And how do I know what to pack? One of my favorite resources is the web site OneBag.com, whose tagline is "The Art and Science of Traveling Light". When in doubt, I always go back to that site and recheck my packing list against theirs.
It's my plan to get over to Europe with carry-ons only. After that, I'll have to see if it will be better to carry-on or check luggage on inter-European flights. On the way back, I'll probably check my suitcase. A full day of travel back to the USA is not the time I want to be hand-carrying all my bags. We'll see!
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