Packing 4 a RTW

Nightmare in the New Forest[:0] In under a week we depart on our RTW with the two kids and my inlaws. We have to pack and take account of the size of a Toyota Previa(hire car in NZ) with six people and all our bags. The RTW takes in HKG SYD NZ(South) NZ(North) Tahiti LA SFO. so hot coldish tropical etc. Many of you on here have knowledge of these trips and we dont, so whats your best travel tips on packing[|:)]

PS Stay home is not an option[ii]

[Scrooge]

paging HighFlyer..would LSoM please report to this thread:D

in all honesty she is the expert in this field.I'll see if I can track her down for you.

[fozzyo]

One word ... laundry! Remember hotel laundries are your friend for these long holidays. Saved us a load of space on our Two week US trip.

Mat xxx

[Scrooge]

good point,what I tend to do on these long trips,it's been a while,is pack light,then buy cheap stuff as I go,then leave it in the trash bins in the hotels..I know it's a waste,but as you say when your going from one climate to another it can be a royal pain.

[honey lamb]

I have friends with two schools of thought.

One is as echoed above - bring old clothes and buy cheaply, leaving behind what you don't want.

The other is an old friend who is noted for her packing classes in Sacramento where she teaches people how to pack for a three week vacation using a rollaboard. I would have failed her course miserably! [:I]

Originally posted by honey lamb
One is as echoed above - bring old clothes and buy cheaply, leaving behind what you don't want.

My biggest regret is arriving in Bangkok last xmas with a full suitcase!

[HighFlyer]

Hi Dave

I'll send you a PM shortly ... sorry i havent replied earlier, but i have had a major disaster at home - my internet is down and wont be up again till the 6th December!!! I am currently at work making use of their internet LOL

Stephen

My packing tips for the RTW .. gosh É

1) Limit yourself to one suitcase per person

Resist the temptation to take as much as you can, you will only get fed up carting cases to and from multiple airports and typically with most holidays you only end up wearing the same small selection anyway. I took away clothes that I didnÕt even wear and its such a waste of luggage space Ð considering I couldnÕt bring back many souvenirs as my case was so full.

2) Take clothes that travel well and are multi-functional

Maximise your luggage space by taking clothes you can wear in a variety of climates and to a variety of places. Firstly, see if you can figure out how many ÔsmartÕ days/nights you might need and pack accordingly. On my RTW I had trips to the Opera and dinners out to pack for, as well as days were I was hiking in rainforests and bathing elephants in rivers Ð so while I had the perfect excuse to take lots of clothes I also had to be creative.

You cant go wrong with things like jeans, smart t-shirts and so on, especially for guys who can later dress those up with smart shoes and a shirt. I took two pairs of blue jeans and got a lot of use out of them both smart and casually. Also, some countries (like Australia) seemed more casual than others when it comes to dressing up to eat out. Similarly, if you plan to eat at a lot of 5 star restaurants you will need more smart shirts and trousers than if you plan to make use of the hawker stalls or dining in the local town. If you have a good idea of what you are doing during your trip you will be able to pack accordingly. I think I had a chart with what the planned activity was written down for each one of the 28 days I was away Ð might sound crazily organised but it really helped.

DonÕt take clothes that you know need lots of ironing or clothes that only go with other clothes. If you pack a lot of neutral colours (black, white, denim, beige etc) then you should be able to maximise your wardrobe quite efficiently and not be wearing the same stuff in all your photos. I ended up taking shoes that only went with certain dresses etc, and its really pointless. Id also recommend investing in lightweight linen shirts and trousers if you donÕt have them already. I bought some and wore them constantly as they are comfortable and cool in the hot weather, they also pack well. In addition, pack a fleece! It will serve you no end when you get to cooler climates!

The same for shoes Ð I think i took 9 pairs away with me, but realistically you should only need two pairs of casual and two pairs of smart.

You could also pack some disposable stuff as Honey Lamb suggests. I purchased some cheap tops, socks and undies and just threw them away as I was travelling; I couldnÕt see the point in lugging them around dirty.


3) Hotel laundry

Agreed with Foz! DonÕt dismiss laundering your clothes at the hotels. I found hotels that included this in the room rate, but even if you are paying for it, it can work out to be a wise investment. Figure in the cost of the laundry as opposed to having to take twice as many clothes. Personally speaking, it was heaven to come back from a day trip to find my dirty clothes from the past week all washed, pressed and hanging in my wardrobe!

Oh Ð and donÕt forget that you will likely want to buy clothes while you are away Ð either because you want something new or because you didnÕt bring something you need. Allow room for these extras! I didnÕt bring enough warm clothes for when I got to Oz and had to buy some Ð and then realised I couldnÕt quite fit them in my case.

Gosh, thatÕs about all for now, if I think of any more IÕll add to the thread, and if you have any questions feel free to ask me.

Hope you have a great trip Ð you must be in panic mode now with only a week to go!!

[fozzyo]

Oh and because you'll be doing lots of packing and unpacking remember to learn the crazy japenese way of folding your shirt!

http://www.fold-your-shirt.com/

Mat xxx

What a lot of fantastic help, i have passed this on to Mrs N. No panic yet but will pack over the WE.

Many thanx everyone and really helpful[^][^][^]

Excellent advice everyone.
The simplest thing to remember is once you have packed, chuck out a third of it cos deep down you know you won't wear them.
We have to make room for 8 amenity kits when we go to Sydney, especially after i saw one went for £21 today on ebay!

I second (third?) the hotel laundry, can be a lot sometimes, but well worth it on long trips away!

Dean

[ChuckC]

We should consider making this advice a "sticky." A great friend who just passed away was a thoroughly seasoned world traveler and his tips echoed HighFlyer and Fozzyo. When we arrived in Italy last year, as I struggled with my heavy (stupid!) carryon and a huge checked roller bag, Jim walked off the plane with a very light, worn leather satchel and one checked bag, donned a set of black jeans and simply changed the tops and shoes depending on our itinerary. In each city as I would try to repack around all the clothes I wasn't wearing (right you are, HighFlyer and Fozzyo) to include the inevitable souvenirs he would come into my room, and with an exasperated expression, ask "aren't you ready yet?"

Have a wonderful trip, Stephen. We look forward to many fun TRs!

Chuck-

[HighFlyer]

Chuck, you are so right. You would think that with so many seasoned travellers on this board we would all have it sussed! Im terrible for it, anyone who saw me with my luggage on the social knows what I mean, i had far too much stuff for one week away and really struggled with my bags. Next trip, im determined to be a little more sensible!


Dean - You *have* to make room for 8 amenity kits do you? do you? hehehe


Stephen - another tip i forgot to add in was the one on mixing clothes up between cases, you have probably heard it before but i highly advise it, even if its just a change of clothes and undies each for you all. When you are taking so many flights in such a short space of time, the chances of a case going AWOL is high, and its better to be safe than sorry. I put some bits and bobs about luggage and my GE in this thread, which might help?

Hope it all goes well for you!!

RTW with the kids - and the inlaws?? You are either a really super family or a glutton for punishment methinks (meant in the nicest possible way)[B)]

I am in training to be a SAGA rep[:w][:w][:w]

Loads of help all, now getting very excited might pack this weekend[8D]