Have you ever really thought about what you buy? Kate does, and she documents it on her blog. I think it’s a fascinating look into consumerism. Do we really need all this stuff?
Have you ever really thought about what you buy? Kate does, and she documents it on her blog. I think it’s a fascinating look into consumerism. Do we really need all this stuff?
So the airline rule (for now anyway) is you are allowed 1 carry-on plus 1 personal item such as a purse. These should be small enough to fit into the overhead compartment or under the seat in front of you.
As a chronic over packer faced with her first 7hour flight this meant I should try and squeeze every legal thing I could think of into a backpack. I needed options, lots and lots of options!
Remember, I talked about over thinking and freaking out about this trip?
Yeah, here we are again. I didn’t use half the things I took.
The silliest thing I took was a folder containing about 50 DVD’s.
Because the 11 movies on my laptop and the 3 episodes of my favorite TV show on my i Phone weren’t good enough! I needed OPTIONS!
Most of my stuff just got a free tour of Europe, grinding it’s self into my back with every step I took.
This my is my carry-on now:
It’s a Samsonite brand laptop back pack. Empty weight 2.4 lbs. I got it at Office Max after I got back from Europe. It has so many nooks and storage crannys it’s unbelievable!
The front outside pocket is for your phone, passport, boarding pass, lip balm, sunglasses, anything you need to access quickly.
The main center compartment is for a magazine, business files, your 3-1-1 kit , sleep mask, emergency feminine supplies, e-reader, snacks, camera, extra change of clothes (I usually pack my jammies), warm socks, ect.
The back pocket is super padded and is for your laptop and charger.
In the tradition of almost full disclosure here is everything I carry in it.
Laptop/charger/mouse (if it’s just a weekend trip I leave it at home. I can check my e-mail from my phone)
camera/charger
Flip
E-reader/charger (you can have 100’s of books and magazines)
glasses
3-1-1 kit
Trip file (confirmation e-mails for hotel, airplane, maps, guide articles, etc) Guide books are a packing light no-no I either photo copy the pages or the guide books are on my E-reader or i Phone
Magazine
Snacks (though in reality my snacks for a trip are not this virtuous)
Water Bottle (Check out this article by none other than Jason Mraz on water bottles, then check out these water bottles. Next time in Europe I’m getting one!)
My Knit wrap/shawl I bought about 5 years ago at Ann Taylor Loft
leggings
tank-top
warm socks
undies and bra (Not shown) No, I’m not showing my smalls on the internet!
Hair clip
Hair band (2 for 5$ at American Apparel)
sunglasses
I forgot to show my sleep mask and the feminine supplies. I’m sure you’ll forgive me for that one.
Maggie once compared her carry-on to the Tardis. That’s definitely my goal here.
Other articles you should read about packing carry-ons or what to pack for the plane:
How To Make Sure Flying Doesn’t Suck Out Your Soul
10 Days In A Carry-On
What about you? What’s your favorite thing to take on the plane?
Next up: Just what the hell is a Dopp Kit?
The boys invited a friend over tonight for a “sleep” over. This recipe is perfect for feeding other peoples children.
Beef Tacos
2 lb. ground beef
1 cup water
1 package taco shells or 10 small flour tortillas
1 cup shredded cheese
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 small tomato (diced)
3 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
Prep:
Dice tomato.
Make seasoning mix:
¼ cup flour
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
Mix all the ingredients well and set aside.
Brown the ground beef and drain the excess fat.
Turn the heat down to a simmer and add 3 tablespoons of the seasoning mix. Stir making sure all of the beef is coated. Add the water and stir well.
Simmer the meat for 10 minutes or until the sauce becomes thick.
Scoop the finished taco meat into a tortilla or taco shells and add cheese, lettuce, tomato.
Okay where were we?
Oh yes, suitcases.
This was my suitcase for the aforementioned trip to Europe.
Look at this giganto thing! Filled to busting with mostly stuff I didn’t wear, but had to have with me because, Hello! Paris!
But that’s a matter for another time. Today it’s about the suitcase not what goes in it.
When in search of a new suitcase there were definite things I wanted:
#1 Something other than black
– A black suitcase is more likely to be stolen
#2 No bigger than a 25 inch case.
– Maggie took a carry-on case for a two week trip to Greece! If she can do it so can we!
#3 Must weigh no more than 10 pounds or under (empty weight)
– This one is obvious. Weight=$$$ when you fly.
#4 Must have quiet rollers and sturdy handle
-These traits are signs of quality. You definitely get what you pay for.
Since I had a limited budget I took my time researching the best prices and times to hunt for the perfect bag.
Luggage season tends to be around January through April, or, the off-season for travel. The beginning of summer or during the big travel holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas are not ideal for getting a good deal on luggage.
I looked around online to get a good idea of what is out there. Here are some really good sites:
Zappos (LOVE Zappos!)
Amazon
Halsea
Target
Macy’s (Big Sale going on now by the way)
I wound up at Macy’s stalking a Diane Von Furstenburg bag. It was a little more expensive than I liked, so I had to wait until it came down in price. All that month I’d pop by and zip and un-zip, I’d wheel it around, then, go over and check out the others I was considering, and play with them too. But, I’d always drift back over to the DVF.
I’m sure the shop ladies thought I was some kind of fetishist. A luggage perv, that’s me!
Finally, I got a coupon in the mail and trotted my self over and bought my bag! With the sale plus the coupon, I saved a ton! So much so that my husband said “Wow, that’s not so bad.”
Ladies, you know that’s high praise indeed!
Drum Roll!!
Ta-da!
Now before you shriek at me, “Are you crazy woman? It’s suede!”
Yes it is. Faux suede.
I decided when I got it that, as much as I traveled by air, (once or twice a year) it would hold up well, and I could live with a few scuffs here and there.
It’s the construction and quality of the bag that counts and this has it, big time.
Know what else it has?
A BRIGHT blue lining!
You see why I was stalking it?
It also has two roomy pockets and an expandable top part that is really great for folded items and stuff you’d rather not get dirty.
Oh and this little pouch?
Un-zips into a shopping bag!
Awesome, right?
The other specs are:
22 ht. x 11wdth. x 14 across The interior is 25″ diagonally.
9.5 lbs (empty weight)
On a weekend trip to Las Vegas, it weighed in at 28.8 lbs! And, I’m proud to say that if I needed to yank it around the Paris Metro it would be something I could have done myself!
Next up, your carry on bag.
Don’t be this girl!
Yes that huge school back pack was my carry on.
Gavin says it all in this photo.
Let the mucking out BEGIN!
Ugg! I’ll let you know how it goes…
Let me tell you about the time I almost killed my husband in the Paris metro.
As I was packing to go on my first European vacation I suffered a common but serious illness. I completely freaked out!
I did not want to look like the silly American tourist, in short I didn’t want to go to Europe as myself. I wanted to be in an Audrey Hepburn movie. Uh-huh, yeah you see where this is heading right?
So, I went ahead and packed three 50 lb suitcases. Plus carry-ons.
My first indicator that this might go all pear shaped was the fact we could not fit all the suitcases into the car after we purchased them.
The other huge mistake I made was to take along full sized bottles of shampoo, body wash, conditioner, and mouthwash.
I don’t know why! I’m a rational person most of the time. I realize there are grocery, and drug stores in Europe. Like I explained earlier I freaked out! I over-thought the whole thing and let my insecurities get the better of me.
The last and possibly most regrettable mistake was to take the RER and The Metro from the airport to our apartment in the 6th Arr.
This is where it gets bad for my husband.
In Paris they don’t do escalators in the Metro like they do in the U.S. and the U.K.
I won’t scar you with the details of our journey through the Metro, but I will say that by the time we arrived at our apartment my husband had sweat completely through his shirt and was very red in the face. To his credit, he did not kick me in the hiney. He’s totally getting into heaven on this alone.
The lessons you learn hardest are the ones you learn the best.
I came home determined to learn how to pack light and be able to do it well.
I payed attention to people who travel a lot. I read what they had to say and tried to apply it to my life style.
In the coming posts I want to share what I learned about how to pack light, plus, share the sources of my education.
I’ll leave you with the photo of our luggage as we were leaving Paris to go to London. Where we took a taxi from the train station to our apartment. That is a lesson we learned very very well.
Easy Spaghetti Carbonara
1 lb. spaghetti
3 egg yolks
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ cup heavy cream
6-8 rashers of bacon
2 tablespoons of bacon drippings
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Prep:
In a bowl mix the egg yolks, parmesan cheese, and heavy cream then, set aside.
Chop the parsley and set aside.
Next, chop the bacon into roughly 1inch pieces and fry-up until crispy and drain on a paper towel. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings.
Boil the spaghetti according to package directions or for 10-12 minutes.
Drain the spaghetti and place back into the pot. Add the bacon drippings, the bacon and the egg and cream mixture. Stir briskly until all the spaghetti is coated well.
To kick off my series on travel, I here’s my weekend packing list.
The three outfit limit helps me not over pack. Which is a huge problem for me! (More on that later)
Kathleen Rear 