Go-Go, Slow-Go, No-Go Travel

[Chuckanut]

I have done three weeks overseas with one carry on bag and one small overhead suitcase. It can be done. Just don't plan on being a fashionista for every possible occasion.

 

[googily]

I have done three weeks overseas with one carry on bag and one small overhead suitcase. It can be done. Just don't plan on being a fashionista for every possible occasion.

Also plan on burning everything in your bag when you get home, because you will never want to wear any of it ever again. (DH and I did 11 days in three countries in Europe with just carry-ons.)

 

[FreeBear]

But that's the best part of forsaking airline travel! Fill up the vehicle with everything you might possibly need!

We now do most of our vacation travel in our motorhome, but we flew and drove all of our lives. Just a change of pace.

Now we take everything including the kitchen sink. One of our favorite things is the availablity of a clean bathroom and our own food all the time. No looking for "clean" restrooms or road food. We carry supplies for up to 10 days or more. It takes full day or two to pack everything, but the time away is actually pretty relaxing since no packing/unpacking and no exacting schedule.

 

[brett]

Also plan on burning everything in your bag when you get home, because you will never want to wear any of it ever again. (DH and I did 11 days in three countries in Europe with just carry-ons.)

Pre covid we did 7-9 weeks of international travel twice a year. Carry on only. Spouse was fed up her clothes by the time we got home. Winter snowbird trips are easier. Even worse when we did six months w/ carry on only.

We are now in the habit of packing for six or seven days. Does not matter if it is one week or two months.

Different when we do a road trip in our car. Then even the kitchen sink can go.

 

[sparky08]

Transatlantic flights usually land early in the morning. So, we're tired from travel and can't check into our hotel until 2PM (or 3PM).

Just got back from a trip to Geneva. Landed at 7:00 in the morning. Drove to the hotel and dropped our luggage. Would have loved to shower and take a nap, but check-in time wasn't until 3PM. (And they wouldn't budge).

Otherwise, it was a great trip!

 

[pb4uski]

Transatlantic flights usually land early in the morning. So, we're tired from travel and can't check into our hotel until 2PM (or 3PM).

Just got back from a trip to Geneva. Landed at 7:00 in the morning. Drove to the hotel and dropped our luggage. Would have loved to shower and take a nap, but check-in time wasn't until 3PM. (And they wouldn't budge).

Otherwise, it was a great trip!

When I first started traveling to London regularly for work on Sundays, the firm would reserve a room for Sunday night that I would check into early Monday morning after arriving from the US. I would then be able to use the room to shower and get ready to go to work. Sometimes I would even sneak in an hour or two of sleep in a bed and then get ready and go to work. You could always do that.

However, with BA business class they had nice private showering facilities at Heathrow that I could use when I arrived from the US. They also had a neat feature where I put my suit, shirt and shoes for that day in a compartment on the door and pushed a button to alert the staff and by the time I finished showering my clothes were pressed and shoes were shined. Once I started doing that I didn't bother with a room for Sunday night.

 

[googily]

When I first started traveling to London regularly for work on Sundays, the firm would reserve a room for Sunday night that I would check into early Monday morning after arriving from the US. I would then be able to use the room to shower and get ready to go to work. Sometimes I would even sneak in an hour or two of sleep in a bed and then get ready and go to work. You could always do that.

For people who are wondering how to be better at Blowing that Dough, reserving the room even if you aren't going to arrive until morning is a great way to go.

 

[athena53]

For people who are wondering how to be better at Blowing that Dough, reserving the room even if you aren't going to arrive until morning is a great way to go.

I've done that with an Airbnb. Just make sure the hotel knows when you're arriving so they don't conclude you're a no-show and give your room away. I also did that when traveling to India on business- typically planes from Heathrow landed in the wee hours of the morning. Once I arrived and my room wasn't ready. I can guess what happened- international flights out of Delhi leave around 10 or 11 PM and they probably collected extra $$ from someone to remain in the room late (even though I'd paid for the night) and then didn't clean it in time for my arrival. They offered me dinner but I'd already eaten- I waited it out for an hour in the lounge.

 

[Music Lover]

We have no plans to stop traveling. A sedentary or inactive lifestyle is extremely dangerous.

Travel and lifestyle are unrelated. I know sedentary travelers and very fit people who never travel.

 

[audreyh1]

We now do most of our vacation travel in our motorhome, but we flew and drove all of our lives. Just a change of pace.

Now we take everything including the kitchen sink. One of our favorite things is the availablity of a clean bathroom and our own food all the time. No looking for "clean" restrooms or road food. We carry supplies for up to 10 days or more. It takes full day or two to pack everything, but the time away is actually pretty relaxing since no packing/unpacking and no exacting schedule.

Yep, that was definitely one of the most appreciated perks when we fulltimed for 5 years.

Plus never packing and unpacking for 5 years! That was huge! I remarked on this recently to DH when we loaded up the car for a long road trip.

 

[Bamaman]

Transatlantic flights usually land early in the morning. So, we're tired from travel and can't check into our hotel until 2PM (or 3PM).

Just got back from a trip to Geneva. Landed at 7:00 in the morning. Drove to the hotel and dropped our luggage. Would have loved to shower and take a nap, but check-in time wasn't until 3PM. (And they wouldn't budge).

I scour the internet on Matrix ITA mainly looking for budget airfares. Low price is not necessarily the best value in all cases. I pay close attention to time in the air, time on the ground making connections and especially what time we arrive in Europe.

I've long ago given up on those 6:30 a.m. arrivals when I know it's going to be 2:00 p.m. before I can check into the hotel. Later outgoing flights to popular destinations are usually available.

I also pay close attention to the airports I fly out of and the airports connections are made thru. We can get American Airlines non-stop flights to London from Nashville and Nashville is one of the less expensive airports due to having 3 budget airlines.

Last trip, we flew out of Huntsville to London (to save $) making connections to London in Charlotte. They tried to send me through O'Hare which is an airport to avoid. If you fly Delta, they often try to send you to JFK--another airport to avoid like the plague.

When planning trips, I look up European Airports on Wikipedia to figure out what airlines go where. And I'm always looking for budget European airlines' flights too. This is especially useful when I'm traveling around Europe--avoiding trains over 3 hours.

European airports are now experiencing staffing problems, and even the previously great AMS is having flight delays, etc. There are some airports that I do try to avoid in Europe more than others.

When flying home from Europe, the cheapest airfares will often put you on a 6:00 a.m. flight out. The traveler will just fly to a larger European gateway airport where they will sit around until mid-day or just after noon to catch the non-stop back to The States. It's bad enough having a long travel day--and even worse when you have to get up at 3:00 a.m. to make that 6:00 a.m. flight. I refuse to fly out until after 9:00 a.m.--and get the same airfare usually.

 

[marko]

I have done three weeks overseas with one carry on bag and one small overhead suitcase. It can be done. Just don't plan on being a fashionista for every possible occasion.

Also plan on burning everything in your bag when you get home, because you will never want to wear any of it ever again. (DH and I did 11 days in three countries in Europe with just carry-ons.)

Gentle reminder: Hotels have laundry service.

In my w*rk life, I'd regularly do 'round the world runs (Boston, Paris, Munich, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, Boston) in 10 or 14 days with carry on. Only need three dress shirts etc when you can get laundry done every few days.

Key: Bring your dirty laundry to your next destination and get it laundered upon your arrival at the next stop. Otherwise, you're in a crunch waiting for your clothes when you want to leave. Packing dirty clothes is also easier to do!

 

[marko]

Transatlantic flights usually land early in the morning. So, we're tired from travel and can't check into our hotel until 2PM (or 3PM).

Just got back from a trip to Geneva. Landed at 7:00 in the morning. Drove to the hotel and dropped our luggage. Would have loved to shower and take a nap, but check-in time wasn't until 3PM. (And they wouldn't budge).

Otherwise, it was a great trip!

I book the hotel for the night before and then call them to make a note/remind that I won't be there until morning. It's worth the extra cost to get a hot shower and warm bed/nap at 10am after a long flight.

 

[audreyh1]

These days with online check-in hopefully makes this process easier.

 

[audreyh1]

Gentle reminder: Hotels have laundry service.

I'd regularly do 'round the world runs (Boston, Paris, Munich, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, Boston) in 10 or 14 days with carry on. Only need three dress shirts etc when you can get laundry done every few days.

I have never used the hotel laundry service. I can see how it would be essential on a business trip.

 

[Souschef]

I book the hotel for the night before and then call them to make a note/remind that I won't be there until morning. It's worth the extra cost to get a hot shower and warm bed/nap at 10am after a long flight.

Absolutely! We had a 10 hour layover in Tahiti on a flight from LA to Auckland. We got a hotel near the airport and got a good 6 hrs sleep plus a hot shower.
There are only 4 gates at the airport, so we showed up an hour before the flight and greeted the crew checking in.

 

[grasshopper]

Years ago we had some flight problems going to Anchorage AK. Ended up getting in at 2 AM. Dropped off our luggage and walked in the daylight to Denny's. It was the summer solstice.

 

[Chuckanut]

I have never used the hotel laundry service. I can see how it would be essential on a business trip.

As part of an enhanced cultural experience and to get to know the locals better, I have visited a nearby laundromat, where the the machine controls are unlike any I have seen in the USA and all the instructions are in a foreign language. What fun!

I once made the mistake of booking a 6 AM departure on a flight home. After all I saved $100! NOT! It seems the 3 euro bus to the airport I was planning to take made it's first trip at 5:30 AM. So I ended up with a 50 euro cab ride to the airport. At the airport nothing was open for breakfast, so I starved on the first leg of the flight until I reached London. There on an empty stomach I battled the crowds in Heathrow airport, where I ended up blowing 20+ dollars on a truly lousy lunch. So much for saving money on a cheap flight.

 

[audreyh1]

Oh, we’ve done laundry using overseas laundromats many times.

That’s completely different from using the hotel laundry service.

 

[brett]

For the past ten plus years of retirement we have been doing two 8-9 week international trips a year. Always do carry on for reasons of convenience and physical ability to handle luggage.

We have yet to have a challenge finding a place to have our clothes cleaned. Hotel, laundry, laundromat etc. Corner stores in some countries. We are normally in one spot for at least three days.

In Thailand, for example, we can take our laundry in at 9AM and have it back by 4 or 5PM in most places....small convenience stores take it in.

In Europe there are many laundromats that have a drop off service. Drop off in the AM, pick up in the afternoon. Washed, folded, ironed, whatever.

Our experience is that it is hardly a challenge or much of an inconvenience to get our clothing laundered.

Not to mention the hotels, condos, B&B's where we have stayed that have self service washing machines on the premises.

 

[marko]

I have never used the hotel laundry service. I can see how it would be essential on a business trip.

Well, for me, it's just a lot easier to have the hotel do it than spend some of my travel time doing it when I could be exploring or relaxing.

"Make it someone else's problem" has always been one of my life strategies.

YMMV.

 

[foxfirev5]

"Make it someone else's problem" has always been one of my life strategies.

YMMV.[/QUOTE]

NICE

 

[braumeister]

We have yet to have a challenge finding a place to have our clothes cleaned. Hotel, laundry, laundromat etc. Corner stores in some countries.

I would agree. It's great to be able to do that on a trip. And we've never had anything but wonderful service.

 

[rodi]

Oh no - after I just preached the joy of travelling with just carry-on, I'll confess that I just upsized a bag to checked size. We're going to Machu Picchu/Galapagos and walking sticks are strongly recommended for the Galapagos. TSA doesn't allow hiking poles/walking sticks. So we figured we'd check one of our bags... but the hiking poles don't fit in the bag, even diagonal. So we upsized the bag and decided to bring our own mask/snorkel (leaving fins at home). We'll still have space to spare. I am still struggling with the idea of checking a bag and worse - that it's a bigger bag.

 

[braumeister]

So we figured we'd check one of our bags... but the hiking poles don't fit in the bag, even diagonal.

FWIW, I bought these trekking poles a couple of years ago. They should fit easily in your carryon, and are excellent. Just 16 inches long in their folded state. Not cheap, but when you need them...

Leki MCT Superlite Trekking Poles