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| Barcelona Skyline |
It’s been about 24 hours since we have returned home from our Boston, London, Spain trip. What an unforgettable experience! Feeling drained, jet lagged and depressed is a typical and familiar feeling after accomplishing such an incredible adventure. However, since I have it fresh in my memory, I wanted to take a moment to list a few notes and tips about some of the things that we failed to do or take on this trip that would have otherwise made our trip run a little smoother. These packing notes and tips will surely be used when preparing for our next trip!
1)
I
already previously ranted about how incredibly convenient it is to only bring a
carry on with you on your trip. As I
told you before, we will do this on every future trip we take (and we have on
our last three trips as well). It is such a great feeling knowing that you
don’t have to handle and deal with as much as those who check in a bag. Anyway,
let’s move on.
This
next trip, I plan on buying each Daren and myself a carry-on bag that includes
handles to carry by hand AND a handle that is used to wheel the whole bag. Trust
me, this thought has crossed our minds before, and we have debated back and
forth on buying this type of bag. Before this trip, the main reasons why we
haven’t purchased a bag with handles and wheels is for the simple fact that
they are heavier and the whole handle unit and wheels take up space that could
otherwise be used to pack more. However, after this trip (it was actually in the
midst of our trip), I realized how much walking Daren and I had to do: inside
the airports (we had a total of 5 layovers for this trip), to and from the B&Bs
and anywhere else where we had to hold on to our bags before having access to
our B&B room. Both Daren and I ended up getting a little annoyed and sore
(and even sweaty at times) from holding on to our bags so much. I can’t
remember how many times Daren ended up carrying my bag for me this trip because
I was too slow walking and running with it when we needed to hurry to get to
our next transportation or to our next destination. I’m sure having to carry my
bag along with his own made Daren even more annoyed, sore and sweaty! I found
that it is completely necessary to have more than just handles as a way to
bring my bag along.
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| Daren carrying both of our bags Jewish Quarter, Girona, Spain |
I
knew there were more options other than a carry on with only handles to carry
by hand. In fact, I realized that we could have the best of three worlds (is
this a thing?): Of course, still only bring a carry on. However, bring a carry
on that has handles to carry with your hands, a handle to move the bag on
wheels and (drum roll please…) handles that are also backpack straps! By having
these three options, you will have a variety of ways to carry your carry on. Believe
me; you will get sick of carrying your bag the one way. With the three alternative
ways to carry your bag, you will also be able to carry it yourself (by hand or
back) when necessary and/or wheel it around when convenient.
Long Story Long: It is your preference of what type of carry on works best for you.
If you are doing a short trip that doesn’t require a lot of layovers and stops
or walking with your bag, maybe only the main handles are necessary and not the
wheels. You will be able to pack more and have less weight with this option. If
you are doing a little bit of walking and some layovers, maybe the main handles
and backpack straps will suffice. You will still be able to pack more and not
deal with less space and the weight of wheels. If you are doing a lot of
walking and layovers such as Daren and I did this last trip, main handles,
backpack straps and wheels may be your best bet for smoother travel. Though we
would have to pack a bit smarter using the bag with wheels, I will take this
deal over using a bag with only handles and being slower everywhere I go
(including to a shuttle or train I need to catch), getting sweaty and being as
sore as a prostitute the next day as a result of holding and carrying my bag
everywhere. Inappropriate, I know, but I wanted to see if you were still paying
attention. ;)
2)
I
also stated before that you should not bring a lot of shoes on your trip. It is
very unnecessary to bring a pair of shoes for every occasion. I brought three
pairs of shoes (I wore my tennis shoes to the airport, and packed the other two
pairs in my bag). Since we were going to Spain, I knew I wanted to dress up a
couple of the nights for dinner and for the Flamenco show we planned, so I
packed a nice pair of short-heeled, open-toe dress shoes. Bad idea! I wore these
shoes one night, and my feet the following day ended up looking like the casing
of the chorizo sausage sticks we ate the previous day for lunch. My feet were swollen, blistered, and cut up from all the walking we
did that night. Don’t let dress shoes trick you. They look great, and may feel
comfortable when you first put them on, but listen to the back of your mind and
don’t wear them! You think to yourself, “Oh! I’ll be fine with these shoes for a
few of hours.” You won’t. Believe me! (Wow, I really did regret that decision.)
When you’re traveling, you will do a lot more walking than you plan and expect.
The walk from our B&B to dinner and the Flamenco show continued right after
with more walking around the Gothic Quarter and La Rambla (both long walking
paths), and around the area to get more tapas and drinks. I didn’t feel the
pain when I got back to our room, but I surely felt it the next day! Remember if you are planning a trip to Europe
there will be a ton and I mean I TON of cobblestone streets. Not a good mix for some types of shoes.
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| Cobblestone Streets of Gothic Quarter, Barcelona |
Note: Keep
in mind that it is possible to look nice and be comfortable at the same time. I
learned that no type of heel on the shoe is safe when meandering. Instead, wear
a nice pair of flats, heel-less boots, or even comfortable Gladiator/Roman
sandals when dressing up. Otherwise, stick with tennis shoes, Vans, or comfy
boots when wearing casual wear (I wore the exact same boots almost every single
day on our Ireland/Scotland trip in June AND again everyday on our Denmark trip
in December). The key is to being comfortable. If you are like us, you will
want to see everything. And everything is not in one spot. In turn, you will do
a lot of walking. Therefore, take care of your feet and wear what’s going to
save them from bothering you on the rest of your trip. If that means tennis
shoes the whole time, so be it! You have too much to see and do!
Double Note:
Make sure to break in those flats, heels, boots, tennis shoes, and Vans before
your trip. We all know that most brand new shoes aren’t the most comfortable
and fitted the first few times you wear them.
3)
Smaller Items:
a)
Bring
a drawstring backpack. They are very lightweight and can be easily packed in
your carry on or purse when not being used, taking hardly any space. When
needed, use it to carry jackets, souvenirs, snacks, bottled water, and possibly
even your purse (when it’s starting to bug your shoulder). Make sure the
drawstring is a somewhat quality one, for you don’t want it to easily break or
tear when using it. Also, make sure you will be able to take it in with you to
any places that could possibly be strict on certain items that you can/cannot
bring inside.
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| Example of our draw-string bag we brought |
Note: Only use the
main area of the drawstring backpack. Since you will not have your eyes on it,
you don’t want to risk any pick-pocketers from stealing out of any pockets with
zippers and such on the front side.
b)
Always
bring a jacket, plastic poncho, and/or an umbrella. Though the weather may say
sunny and 60 degrees, with a zero percent chance of rain, we all know that the
forecast is not always accurate…anywhere. Be prepared. Pack a small umbrella
and/or plastic, lightweight poncho for that unexpected rain, and a warm,
lightweight jacket for those breezy days and cool nights. Throw your jacket,
umbrella and/or poncho in your drawstring bag when walking around so you don’t
have to carry them in your hand when you don’t need them, but still have access
to pull them out when you do.
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| Hat I shouldn't have brought Girona Cathedral steps, Spain |
c)
Don’t
bring hats that you can’t pack in your bags. This trip I really wanted to take
a hat that I could wear with a few different outfits. Not only was it too
breezy to wear most days outside, I had to take it off anyway to go inside
certain places and sites. It was also such a hassle to carry it separate from
my carry on and purse. It was another item I had to carry and worry about. Since
I couldn’t roll it up, I had to be careful with it, not to ruin the shape. Yet,
another thing to worry about. Of course with all the airplanes and walking
around with it in my hand, I ended up smashing it anyway…ugh! I highly regret
taking that stupid hat. It’s similar to what I stated in number two about
shoes: don’t worry about looking fancy and dressing up too much. Bring and wear
things that won’t be inconvenient and a hassle.
d)
Leggings
are great! They are light, easy to pack, take very little space, comfortable,
warm, and go with everything you wear! I wore leggings almost every day in
Spain. I used them to dress up, dress casual, and even to go on runs. I just
wish I brought more on this last trip. Next time, I will bring more leggings,
and one less pair of jeans.
