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Old 10-06-2015, 08:43 PM   #2361
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Hmm, is that material like nylon?

I have some athletic briefs like that, mix of nylon and spandex to stretch.

But they can cause chafing on long workouts. I don't run on trips but could walk a lot of miles a day.

I bought some cotton blend athletic briefs which are way more comfortable. And they may dry quicker. Maybe I'll try washing those and see how quickly they dry.

But humidity has been real high too on this trip.
I have not had any chafing problems with these. I bought them for hiking and to do multi day backpacking trips since they wick the moisture away from the body. I've worn them for many miles without any problems.

After I bought them I realized they were great for traveling too since they dry so quickly.
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Old 10-06-2015, 09:15 PM   #2362
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DH wears a lot of UnderArmor - particularly for walking/hiking/outdoors. Underwear that comes down and clings at mid thigh. He likes this because it doesn't travel up and bunch. Whatever the fabric is it's super comfortable. He would absolutely not tolerate chafing.

These do dry quickly.
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Old 10-07-2015, 06:46 AM   #2363
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We travel quite frequently. Five months out of the past twelve.

We find ourselves shopping for clothes with travel/packing in mind. What I mean is that when we always end up buying clothing articles that are good for travel. Easy care fabrics that wash well, clothes that layer, comfortable and light shoes, all in the same colour range.

Don't know when we started doing it but we do. Just came back from five weeks. Based on this trip, next time I will drop two shirts, one pair of beige shorts, some socks, and two underwear. I will look for some new light weight shorts to replace the heavy weight cotton ones that I now have.
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Old 10-07-2015, 10:15 AM   #2364
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We travel quite frequently. Five months out of the past twelve.
...

Don't know when we started doing it but we do. Just came back from five weeks....
I bet you can pack a suitcase in no time!

We have 12 weeks traveling in 2015 done or scheduled but only two trips were two weeks (hence the pack enough underwear to last the trip and no worries re laundry, for the most part)--things start blurring for me past that. Only four trips scheduled for 2016 at this point.
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Old 10-07-2015, 10:29 AM   #2365
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I read these sorts of things all the time, but for some reason this one was particularly helpful, I thought. I'm a junkie for clever packing tips and ideas, always looking for the magical way to pack more in less. And yet, when traveling, I happily go to hobo status immediately, with hardly any regard for more than basic hygiene, which usually means washing a shirt after I've worn it 3 days in a row!

The Ultimate Guide to Packing for a Long-Term Trip | BootsnAll
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Old 10-07-2015, 11:06 AM   #2366
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... I happily go to hobo status immediately, with hardly any regard for more than basic hygiene, which usually means washing a shirt after I've worn it 3 days in a row!
...
And get a couple more days out of it before it needs washing by turning it inside out.
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Old 10-07-2015, 11:11 AM   #2367
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I actually don't find that clothing is that important in my packing decisions anymore, no matter what the length of the trip, so am surprised that so many travel packing lists/articles tend to focus on this. I travel for long periods at a time (1-2 months at a go, usually, for 5-6 months a year), and have no problem going with relatively little clothing that I wear for multiple days and wash along the way by hand. Layering is of course key, especially when a trip spans dramatic climate differences. All in all, clothing decisions have become pretty standardized, but even there I'm sure I'm sure I could even take less than I currently do.


But no matter where or how long I travel, clothing just doesn't constitute the biggest element in my packing these days. In fact, increasingly the biggest driver of luggage weight and space for very long trips seem to be (a) toiletries/medicines and (b) electronics-related gear. For (a), I tend to bring everything I "might" need (first aid, antibiotics, etc.), as well as consumables like contact solution that I'll definitely need because it is very hard and/ or expensive to get easily abroad, especially in developing countries, and hunting such things down is *not* how I want to spend my time. The good news is that I 'use up' many f those heavy liquids as I go, thereby reducing luggage weight over the weeks. As for (b), if I carry an SLR camera, two smartphones (my US phone and my 'travel' unlocked phone for local SIM cards); a small convertible laptop/tablet; travel chargers and converters; etc. etc. -- that's easily 15+ pounds right there! So between these two packing categories alone the weight very easily takes up much of the 50 lb. airplane max. Other non-clothing items also tend to be heavy depending on the trip, including everything from clothes washing powder to a headlamp flashlight to a Swiss army knife to extra batteries, etc. etc. etc.


As for carrying it all - I am a female who just turned 60 but still use a (good quality) backpack, IMHO infinitely more practical and ergonomically better designed for carrying around a 40-50 pound weight than a roller or a duffel. This is especially true if you have to walk over uneven surfaces, long staircases, etc. -- including in train and bus stations or anywhere else you need to get. The other advantage of a backpack is that you have your hands free to carry other smaller items or hold on to handrails or whatever.

Anyway, I am lucky in that I don't have back or joint problems at this point, and I realize I may not be able to do the backpack approach for many more years :-), but I've never found an alternative that is more practical for travel when you yourself are responsible for moving your crap from point A to B, so will definitely hold on as long as I can! (Or until I move completely to a traveling style that includes **other** people responsible for my heavy luggage -- and that day will come!!!! :-) :-)).
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Old 10-07-2015, 11:26 AM   #2368
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If you're going to England, you might consider this American's views on the country:

Everyone loves this American tourist’s random observations about England - Telegraph

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Old 10-07-2015, 11:51 AM   #2369
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> I carry ... my US phone and my 'travel' unlocked phone for local SIM cards

Consider getting an unlocked phone. Then you only need to carry one.

The last time I bought a phone I purchased the unlocked, full price version. It's a chunk of change, but cheaper in the long run than "leasing" from the phone company and pay extra each month. AND it's unlocked and I can pop any SIM card into it I want...
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Old 10-07-2015, 12:04 PM   #2370
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Consider getting an unlocked phone. Then you only need to carry one.
The last time I bought a phone I purchased the unlocked, full price version. It's a chunk of change, but cheaper in the long run than "leasing" from the phone company and pay extra each month. AND it's unlocked and I can pop any SIM card into it I want...
Problem is, I simultaneously want to keep my US phone with its US number (and apps associated with that number), so it gets complicated switching back and forth between SIMs on the same device....
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Old 10-07-2015, 04:13 PM   #2371
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Bestwifever...I could pack and be out of here in 15 minutes max. Spouse might need 20 minutes. For a week or for several months.
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Old 10-07-2015, 04:14 PM   #2372
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> I carry ... my US phone and my 'travel' unlocked phone for local SIM cards

Consider getting an unlocked phone. Then you only need to carry one.

The last time I bought a phone I purchased the unlocked, full price version. It's a chunk of change, but cheaper in the long run than "leasing" from the phone company and pay extra each month. AND it's unlocked and I can pop any SIM card into it I want...
I plan on keeping my old, unlocked GSM iPhone when I eventually get a new iPhone. It makes a great travel phone and I doubt if I could get a better one for what it is worth.
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Old 10-07-2015, 05:03 PM   #2373
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I actually don't bother buying a local SIM card and swapping it. AT&T currently has a semi-reasonable option for overseas data (well, at least in Europe). I don't actually use the phone much as a phone (you know, for talking), but data is really useful for maps and looking up other stuff.
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Old 10-07-2015, 05:26 PM   #2374
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I actually don't bother buying a local SIM card and swapping it. AT&T currently has a semi-reasonable option for overseas data (well, at least in Europe)..
Yes, AT&T's Passport option is very good, and I've used it a number of times in Europe in the last year or so.

But the limitation is the phone number. Sometimes when I'm in another country, I would like a local phone number for any of a variety of reasons. Sometimes it has even been essential. So carrying an extra cheap unlocked phone just for the purpose of being able to put in a local prepaid SIM is only a small hassle.

You just have to be sure your "travel phone" has the requisite frequencies for where you are. Generally, I think if it's a "quad band" GSM phone it should work most places.
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Old 10-07-2015, 06:28 PM   #2375
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> I carry ... my US phone and my 'travel' unlocked phone for local SIM cards

Consider getting an unlocked phone. Then you only need to carry one.

The last time I bought a phone I purchased the unlocked, full price version. It's a chunk of change, but cheaper in the long run than "leasing" from the phone company and pay extra each month. AND it's unlocked and I can pop any SIM card into it I want...
Or just use T-mobile. You don't have to worry about dealing with a different phone, finding and switching SIMs (and being careful not to lose the home one), etc. Much easier!!!!

Having a European number hasn't been an issue in our recent travels so we're going to convenience next time and both of us will have T-Mobile smart phones.
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Old 10-07-2015, 09:57 PM   #2376
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What about socks which are easy to wash?

As for phones, you can now lease an unlocked iPhone from Apple.

I never tried these international data plans because they done seem to be enough data. Often hotel wifi is too slow for anything other than loading web pages so I try to get the most data I can for a reasonable price.

I had this Italian SIM which provided 10 GB. Over two weeks I used 7.2 GB. But I turned it on when I landed in Frankfurt. From the plane I did a speed test, downloaded my email.

Then tried a second speed test from my iPad and it was showing 35 Mbps and higher but then just aborted in the middle. Got a text saying I used up my daily 50 MB quota when roaming outside of Italy.

So a few hundred megabytes is nothing these days, even on a mobile device.
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Old 10-07-2015, 10:10 PM   #2377
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We haven't had trouble with data on mobile devices overseas. T-Mobile has unlimited data. The "catch" is that it's not high speed - usually 3G although sometimes 4G. But for emails, GPS maps, stock quotes and a few web pages that's just fine.

We've had quite good luck with wifi at hotels in Europe and do our more data intensive stuff there.

I've never run into multiple GB of cellphone data in a short period unless watching videos. Here in the U.S. we're often below 1GB for a month.
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Old 10-07-2015, 10:22 PM   #2378
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Internet in Northern Europe tends to be pretty good.

It's hit and miss in a lot of smaller towns in Italy though. I used mobile data to download podcasts faster and even some recordings on my DVR back home during my trip in Sicily.

Also streamed some NFL games too.

Also, the. Big international hotel chains are often the worst. They give you slow wifi for free but then try to sell you the business class wifi for more money and it's only like 5 or 6 Mbps.

At this Frankfurt hotel wifi is good but they give you a unique login and password for each device. I asked for 3 and at first the receptionist said they only give two because too many devices slow it down. Then she made an exception and gave me a third password, like she's doing me a favor.
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Old 10-08-2015, 05:43 AM   #2379
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Not sure if it's been mentioned before but here is a pretty good resource to check whether your hotel has fast wifi:

www.hotelwifitest.com
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Old 10-08-2015, 09:02 AM   #2380
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Or just use T-mobile. You don't have to worry about dealing with a different phone, finding and switching SIMs (and being careful not to lose the home one), etc. Much easier!!!!

Having a European number hasn't been an issue in our recent travels so we're going to convenience next time and both of us will have T-Mobile smart phones.
We used T-mobile and it worked well in Italy and the UK. I had to call customer service because our data wasn't working. Turns out one has to enable data roaming on the phone (Android).
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