Saturday, August 24, 2019

Rhys with Thoughts on Travel


RHYS BOWEN: I’ve just returned from a lot of traveling. I was six weeks in Europe, visiting England, Venice, Switzerland, Germany, Holland and France. And on returning home it was a ten city book tour, one city a day. Am I tired? Uh, yes.

And have I learned anything about how to make travel easier? The first thing for me is to upgrade to a better seat on an aircraft. I don’t need first class for short haul flights but I do need legroom and to be off that plane first. So when I get my itinerary I always rush to upgrade to the front rows. Worth every penny. (and on long hauls, yes, I splurge and get a bed I can sleep on).

But other things that make life a little easier: pack as light as possible. I went around Europe with one fairly small suitcase. And it is billed as the lightest suitcase in the world. Just 4 pounds.
Almost everything I took could be washed in a hotel sink and dried overnight. So my standard go-to wardrobe for travel is:
4 pairs of travel underwear, the kind that will dry perfectly overnight.
One silk shift to sleep in, long enough so I can face people and look decent without taking a robe.
One short sleeved white T shirt and one white tank top that can be washed in the hotel sink. Preferably Coolmax to wick away perspiration.
One long sleeved white ditto.
A long sleeved travel shirt from Travelsmith that can double as light jacket.
Long navy cardigan. Loose navy pants for sleeping in aircraft.
Light beige pants.
Navy and white long skirt. Navy and white short dress (both of T shirt material)
One light fancy jacket for evenings etc.
Scarf/pashmina for cold flights or evenings at a restaurant.
Super comfortable light sneakers. Ecco Walking sandals and Ecco fancy sandals for evenings etc.
And that’s it. Swimsuit in case the hotel has a pool. A stylish silk scarf or couple of pieces of jewelry and I have enough permutations to keep me going for ages.

Of course on a book tour it’s different. I have to look good every day. And I have to remember what I wore to certain stores the year before. There is nothing more embarrassing than someone handing me a photo she took of us last year or the year before and…. I’m wearing the same jacket.  I also know that I’ll have time to iron things in hotel room.

Other things I take when traveling abroad. A tiny/mini hair dryer because not all hotels have them. And a tiny pillow for aircraft and to put between my knees when I sleep.  It squishes to nothing in one of those packing cubes that are brilliant. All of my T shirts/skirt/dress and undies get rolled in one of those cubes. Shoes and tiny pillow in another. Good jacket and slacks on top.
I pack all my toiletries in ziplock bags rather than a big toilet bag because these are easy to stuff into shoes etc if I put them in the big suitcase and ready to remove for TSA if I don’t.

I have a super-light carry on bag with zillions of pockets for charger/ phone/earbuds/cosmetic bag etc.  Of course this could present a problem, as I confess with a red face. At Heathrow my bag was taken aside. “You have liquids in this,” said the man.
I replied hotly that I never had liquids in my carry on and that I had traveled through numerous airports with this bag.  He found a tiny bottle of foundation and made a fuss about that while I pointed out that if you turned it upside down it didn’t budge, thus not being a liquid.  He took it out and sent the bag back through the scanner. Still liquid. He went through every pocket until at last he fished into a pocket I hadn’t even noticed and in triumph brought out a bottle of orange soda. Imagine my embarrassment. It must have been there for weeks, since one of my train journeys and I had no idea!
So maybe you can have a bag with too many clever pockets!

And traveling domestically I always take a little bag of granola bar, nuts, Baby Bell cheese, just
One final thing I learned on this trip that is brilliant. Carry in purse a list of vital phone numbers. Make them say “Husband John. Daughter Jane etc. And a list of hotels where you will be staying.
Someone said to me “What if you collapsed on the street? They’d look in your phone and see “John. Jane etc” but they wouldn’t know who they were and who to call.

Also a tip I have learned for book tours when I’m in a different hotel every night. Take a picture of my hotel room door. Otherwise I get home, tired, and can’t remember the room number! If you’re a nervous traveler you can buy a tiny wedge to put under the door so no one can get in.

Lastly: there are stores everywhere. Buy a tiny toothpaste. When it’s done buy another one. Saving weight is the most important thing for me.
So what clever travel tips do you want to share?

50 comments:

  1. Wow! There’s no way I could top that traveling/packing list! But, added weight or not, I’d have to take a book along, too . . . .

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    1. I'm with you there Joan! a book or two, plus kindle just in case

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    2. I have the Kindle app on my phone for short trips, my real Kindle for longer ones

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    3. Kindle has been a huge weight-saver for me, too. I often wind up buying books on a trip, but at least I don't take any with me at the start. I have a Kindle Fire, so unless I'm trying to write (ha!) I can leave my laptop behind and use the Kindle as my pad.

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  2. In your phone contacts, you can list ICE...in case of emergency..... and put your info there. Emergency personnel will look for it in the US. Newer iPhones also have a feature that stores emergency contacts that are available without the phone being unlocked.

    What do you do in winter? Swap the white for grey? Or do you travel all summer and write all winter? That sounds like a great schedule to me. And I agree as we get older, weight is the bane of travel. I have started swapping to a coin purse and mini crossbody bag to replace my ‘holds everything I could possibly ever need’ purse when I travel and I find I’m not tired out as quickly. Safe travels and happy writing!

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    1. I don't travel abroad in winter. We spend our winters in Arizona where I write steadily

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    2. Good point about accessing phone information.
      I had my husband listed as ICE, but then realized that my phone would be locked in an emergency.
      So, I wrote a small list with designations and numbers:
      Husband xxx-xxx-xxxx
      Son xxx-xxx-xxxx
      Daughter xxx-xxx-xxxx
      and put it inside my clear phone cover on the back of my phone.

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  3. I too can pack for weeks in one small light bag. When traveling, I seldom go to the same restaurant/shop/whatever twice, so it doesn't matter that I wear the same thing over and over. What I don't do is wash things in the hotel sink. We always take a couple of hours one afternoon and go to a laundry, read a book while the great load spins! Two women traveling together is a lot of room laundry, and this method suits us better.

    For those of us with iPhones, do check out the little health icon. It's a red heart. Fill out the medical ID and keep it up to date. This can be opened even if the phone is locked, and it is a life saver, literally, per my friend the cardiac cath lab nurse. You can list all your meds, medical conditions, allergies, durable power of attorney, emergency contacts,and your position on organ donation. This is vital information in an emergency when you might be unable to talk, maybe even alone. I don't know about the system on other smart phones, so if you have one of those, have a look. I suspect there are the same options.

    I also buy a medical insurance policy for overseas travel, one that will airlift me home if necessary. It costs less than $200 and is worth every penny. It's not so hard not pricey to get medical attention for something minor, but if I need a med evac, it could cost tens of thousands of dollars to get back to NY. Old ladies think about this stuff!

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    1. We also have the emergency evacuation policy, Ann, plus travel insurance

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    2. Ann, where is this health icon on the phone?

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    3. Libby it is a white icon with a red ❤️. You can’t remove it so it’s there somewhere. Maybe scroll through screens?

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    4. I needed to go to Settings to find it.

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  4. Curious about rain gear? Do you carry it or just an umbrella?

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    1. Oh, of course. One super light rain jacket and one tiny umbrella

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  5. I can't think of anything else! You are a brilliant packer.

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  6. My oldest daughter was an ER nurse for several years, and she urged us both to create ICE contacts. My husband is ICE One; she is ICE Two. Who better, right?

    Margaret, when I traveled to Europe with only one small bag and a carryon shoulder bag, I did not take an umbrella. Instead, I had a super lightweight hooded jacket, from Costco, of all places. In the end I was grateful to have it, because that summer happened to be rainy and cold, and I really needed the protection.

    Great idea on taking a picture of the room door, Rhys. One year at Malice they had torn up the parking garage, so I took photos of every confusing turn to the elevator. It made a huge difference in finding my way back to my car, 15 hours later, like visual breadcrumbs.

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    1. Karen (and Margaret) I've used a compact rain poncho before, the kind you get in camping stores or departments. It's not as chic as a hooded rain jacket, but can cover more of your body if you're stuck in a real downpour, and it's easy to protect your handbag/packages/seat from the rain. Mine folds up into a pouch about the size of an iPhone.

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  7. I'm in a hotel room right now in Corte Madera, about to rise and shine for the Book Passage Mystery Writing Conference. What I hate is when I have to bring my computer with me (usually because I need to use Powerpoint to teach)... hate that extra weight.

    Rhys what do you bring by way of detergent for washing clothes? And what about socks?

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    1. I carry small packets of powdered woolite. I have to use a laundromat for my husband's stuff and my t shirts and socks. I've only had luck drying stuff on a heated towel bar.

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    2. Hallie, I'm with you on the computer weight. I have a large laptop because I like working on a big screen (and I like to stream movies and shows on it!) but it's a PITA if I need to travel with it. I think I'm going to indulge myself with an ultra-lightweight laptop specifically for traveling with when I get the next royalty check.

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    3. Ooh. Let us know what kind you get.

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    4. In a pinch, fyi, you can always use shampoo to wash your clothes. The cheaper, the better.

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  8. I bring a small ziplock bag of detergent. You only need such a small amount to rinse out a couple of garments. And socks? Compression socks when I travel otherwise mainly sandals
    And my new MacBook is pretty light but before that I made it around Europe with an iPad mini

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  9. I have no expert travel tips to share because I am not a very experienced traveler, but thank you for this wonderful list! My husband and I are planning our first trip to Europe and I will refer to this when we are packing!

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  10. Rhys! Cyd Redondo would be ecstatic over this list as am I. My key for winter, carry-on only travel, is mohair, as it weighs nothing as is still super warm. Loved the new book, congrats! And by the way, what brand is your 4lb suitcase? I have a Lipault 22" that's 4.3, but, like you, I'm always looking to downgrade on weight...

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    1. It's called IT Luggage. Super light. Maybe a bit fragile so I'm not sure how long it holds up

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    2. I have Lipault in the bigger size--28 inches?--and it's been great. So far it's held up okay on several trips to the UK.

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    3. Thanks so much Rhys, I will check IT out. Deborah, my Lipault has gotten me through dozens of trips to Australia and elsewhere. I swear by it.

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  12. Reading these travel stories is my kind of personal horror movie. I think the most horrific thing about the idea of my totally never going to happen book tour is the notion of having to dress "nicely" for the events.

    For someone who pretty much dresses in shorts and heavy metal or sports team T-shirts (with long pants for the winter months), putting on what would by considered by me as "date night clothes" would likely make my skin crawl.

    But at least I have some idea of what to bring and how to pack it in the incredibly unlikely event of me having to go out "on tour".

    As for regular travel, I don't really do much of that at all. The one trip I took to Philadelphia in 2005 was a single suitcase with carry on bag that had stuff I couldn't replace easily if the suitcase wound up in Zimbabwe. Everything worked out fine. But given my cranky nature, it's far better for me to either stay home or only travel to places that I can leave at the end of the day and go home.

    I don't know how everyone does it. I went to Hank's signing event in Plainville (at An Unlikely Story) on Thursday and there she was looking like a million bucks. I was tired thinking of the effort of getting all gussied up, never mind putting forth the actual effort to do so. By the way, the event was awesome and Hank even used me and my reviewing for Mystery Scene to illustrate a point she was making in her talk (and there is VIDEO of it!). And met Joan Lang, who came over and said, "Are you Jay?". My first thought was, "Oh god, what did I do now?" but it turned out she was a fellow JRW poster and get this...she likes my apparently funny posts. :D Look out George Carlin!

    Anyway, back to the travel portion of the reply. I don't do a lot of travel. Maybe if I wasn't ME, I'd love to do more and I'd have something constructive to add to the conversation. But at least I can file this post away and pull it up should I end up on an airplane to somewhere someday.

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    1. Jay, you remind me of my dad (not in age, don't worry!) He's a super homebody as well. The rest of us are all pretty travel-mad, but he likes having his things the way he likes them, and he can't think of any place he'd rather be than comfortable at home. I'm pretty sure the last time he was more than an hour away from home was my sister's wedding in DC - in 2000.

      And no one expects him to travel. We come to visit him (but not too often, he doesn't like that) and we're all happier knowing he''s happy and comfortable.

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    2. Julia, it does appear I skipped middle age and went right on to grumpy old man.

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  13. You are so brilliant, and absolutely! I am on book tour right this very minute, in fact, I will be on the road for 11 days, and I have one carry-on bag! We shall see if it works! And I agree, weight is everything! Welcome home, dear Rhys, you are astonishing.

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  14. Thank you for the great tips!

    I use a strap on the outside of my suitcase, especially for long trips. Practical and piece of mind when a zipper goes mid-trip.

    With so many electronics, I travel with a USB adapter with multiple ports. If I have a few non-USB plugs, I pack a light-weight travel power strip. It’s especially helpful overseas since I only need an adapter for the power strip and plug everything into a power strip as normal.

    For overseas trips, I usually check one bag and always bring a travel luggage scale. If it goes over, I wear more on the flight home!

    When I check a bag, I always travel with a small corkscrew. After losing it on the second day of a recent trip to Morocco, I’ll pack two next time.

    I always carry tissues in case toilet paper is needed.

    While traveling, I drink a lot of water!

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    1. Travel corkscrew. Yes! And I like the travel size wet wipes, just in case.

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  15. Interesting to see everyone's tips! I made it through a 10+day tour in India with a carryon size suitcase that I checked and a carryall that folded up for on the plane stuff. We're spending 9 days in London next month, not counting travel days. I plan on that same small suitcase, checked, and a wheeled tote bag that supposedly fits under the seat. I am waiting to get more of a handle on the weather before I plan what to pack. Pleeeease let it be cool! I could use a nice white tee; my old ones are just too thin and see-through. Any recommendations? For washing clothes I have a small squirt bottle of travel detergent; also a little case of sheets of soap, like tissue paper almost. But since my husband will be on the trip we will use a laundry service or coin-op. He is not the type to wash his things in the sink. Nope.

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    1. Pat, Eileen Fisher short sleeved tees in black, white, and gray are great. They are expensive but I've decided they are worth it. The white and black are my new wardrobe essentials. Still contemplating the gray.

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    2. Thanks! I will check it out.

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  16. Most traveling had been done by car until the last two/three years. Now I can get on a small plane for the short trip to Portland (Oregon). I'm still trying to make my one bag lighter. I have a duffle, it rolls, which is great for car and plane. I used take the duffle to the plane where it was loaded from the cart on the tarmac, picked it on the tarmac at the end of the flight. Yes, no gateway to board the plane. Latest trip, things had changed, the airline increased the plane size and I had to leave the bag at the counter to be loaded and then fetch it at luggage at the end. I'm spoiled, hate waiting for luggage. The duffle didn't quite fit for carry on size.

    No matter how I travel, I take business cards, not to pass out but as luggage tags information. My office has generic cards, company name, address, phone; I add my name and tuck one in the built in ID holder on my luggage, tuck one in my wallet and pocket in purse. The one thing I carry with me other than a book, is yarn and crochet hook tucked in Ziploc bag, always a small, single yarn project so scissors aren't needed.

    In the car, I have a small ice chest with at least one or two cold packs, 2 water bottles, one frozen, cheese and crackers and some easy fruit. Little nibbles, blanket/towel and pillow. Cars can be easier but they do take more time. This Labor Day, I hauling stuff to Oregon. My return will be interesting, I'm bringing frozen beef and pork home with me. Thank heaven my AC is working in the car. Wonder where I can get dry ice.

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  17. Shalom Reds and fans. I don’t travel much; mostly due to the expense. It’s been almost thirty years that I haven’t been on a plane. Most, if not all of my traveling, has been to be among family at life-cycle events. One brother in DC. The other in Boston. I’ve been to weddings and funerals, brit milah, seder and bar mitzvah. They generally are two/three-day events and it’s all right to pack light. The one thing, I wish I had taken, would be a family tree. Growing up I had twenty-two first cousins, whose names I all knew. But the names of stepbrothers and sisters, and the names of spouses and children, I just couldn’t keep straight, mostly for lack of trying. The only other thing, I wish we had had, was the ubiquitous smartphone camera. I have one now, but I don’t usually feel comfortable taking pictures of people who are not family. I should probably more courageous and ask, but it feels like an intrusion. I just this morning, installed a printer/scanner and now I hope to convert my small treasure trove of photos to digital files and post some of them on Facebook and Instagram. Happy trails.

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  18. It's taken me years to learn that it is possible to travel lightly. Now that I know I can I cannot imagine doing it any other way. Donald and I had 14 days in Amsterdam and Paris - one small carry on for each of us, and a tote for bringing home souvenirs. Sticking to a color palette of black, white and red helps. Little black dresses of the casual sort that roll up nicely; that's my go to outfit (with a scarf of course!). AND I can do even better next time because there were a couple things that were not worn this past trip.

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  19. I traveled every year for over 25 years to most of the places that I wanted to see. Towards the end, I got sick of plane hassles (and this was pre-911) and did some train trips. Now my traveling companions are dead and I have medicines and a night guard to carry so am no longer interested.

    On the plus side, I now enjoy cooking, baking, gardening, and lunches with friends, including our church senior club. Glad I traveled when I was younger and have my memories.

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  20. This is brilliant, Rhys. I, too, travel with just one small bag, and limit all of my colors to two so it's red and black or green and blue, etc. SO much easier! I'm going to look into one of those travel cubes - sounds very handy!

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  21. Good tips about travelling Rhys. I tend to travel lightly too.
    Thank you for reminding me of correcting the health informations on my red hearth app.
    I loved reading Love and Death among the Cheetahs

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  22. Packing light is my main concern as well, but I love your ideas for the right clothes to take. When I tour (rare, but known to happen), I take black slacks and top and a couple of brightly colored featherweight tops and scarves.

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  23. Testpost to see if comments are working for me now.

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  24. So happy to be back on JRW's there is an issue now between Firefox and Blogger. I had to download Goggle Chrome. Hope this might help someone else.

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  25. Rhys, thanks for all the great packing and traveling tips! This isn't really a travel tip for everyone, but for me, if I'm going to be staying in a hotel room for more than one night, I like to have a liquid soap option. The little hotel soaps are so messy. If I'm traveling by car, I will pack a bottle of liquid soap in my bag. If flying, I buy a bottle when I get to my destination, usually from a nearby drugstore. For me, this increases my comfort level a lot.

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  26. Rhys, that reminds me. Never wrap anything in foil! Never carry a knife - not even a bamboo knife!

    Six weeks travelling in Europe! That's unusual for an American to be able to travel for six weeks!

    About clothes, I never remember what authors are wearing. As long as the clothes are neat and presentable. I have an actress friend who wears the same black outfit at every conference. No biggie! That reminds me. Do I wear the same outfit every time I attend an author event?

    Diana

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  27. I'm impressed that you travel in white clothes. I wear dark colors so stains don't show.

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