Packing Light for Vacation

By Sally Franz

If you have to take an airplane to where you are going, I have a travel tip for you. Empty your suitcase and start thinking like a frequent flier, not like your maiden Great Aunt going on the QE2 for a month. You should be able to fit all the clothes you need in a small roller bag or even a wheeled and strapped bag that converts into a backpack in case the hotel “next to the train station” is really eight blocks away.

No matter what the season you will need layers. Even if you are going to the Sahara, you have to cover up and do it in layers. Pack a lightweight rain/sun poncho, a folding hat, and a windbreaker as well as a carring satchel for bathing suits to the pool and souvenirs. All of those things now zip up into teeny tiny carry cases. This makes packing a breeze. If you will be hiking, consider pants with zippers that turn into shorts. There are amazing skirts that can be turned into dresses. Learn to tie giant scarves into different clothing items. For men and women, there are lightweight shirts and slacks that show zero wrinkles even after red-eye flights. No matter where you are going, socks with flat walking shoes are a must.

Neutral colors like black, grey, khaki, and dark blue make sense because they can be mixed with light weight tops, scarves, and belts. Here is a rule of thumb: If you sit on gum, spill an ice cream cone in your lap or get caught in a dust and rainstorm, what will show? The goal is nothing.

If buying all new expensive travel clothes is the same price as the trip, boy do I have a hot tip for you. Take $20 and hit your local thrift store. I buy two or three $1 oversized men’s shirts and wear them as beach covers, tops over leggings, and as lightweight jackets. Buy cheapo slacks and if you need shorts just ask your hotel desk for scissors. You can hem them with tape or use the sewing kit and stitch them. Long skirts with elastic waistbands can double as dresses if you hoist them up under your armpits. No strapless bra? Just wear a tank top under or over the “dress” or wear a shawl. Or safety pin a scarf to the dress in the center of your chest, tie a knot and tie the ends up to make a halter top.

If you will be traveling through several climates, say from snow to hot, then just buy clothes when you get there at a local thrift store and leave them there as you move along. (Google locations ahead of time.) Literally you could board a plane to Europe with a toothbrush and comfy dark travel outfit and one warm hooded, waterproof car coat and be fine. I did this once in Bergen, Norway which had a random hot summer. I donated all my winter clothes and bought shorts and summer dresses. Then I left those in the hotel with a note to donate them and went home with a suitcase full of gifts. Likewise most countries have pharmacies to buy deodorant, shampoo, cream rinse and eye drops. The only thing I bring is chewable Pepto-Bismol tablets. I chew three a day every morning while I am on a trip. Seems to keep away stomach issues.

I once went to an Irish Inn for two weeks where you had to dress for dinner and wore the same sleeveless black shift dress with different light tops or colorful scarves over the skirt. I wore the long skirt over the short shift too. Fourteen outfits fit into three-gallon baggies. Oh, that is the other thing. Just roll up clothes and stuff them into baggies and suck the air out (with a straw at one end). Then stack the baggies in your suitcase or backpack.  Practice lugging your suitcase around the block. Bring what you can comfortably carry. You may not be as posh as you’d like but you will thank me.

Sally Franz and her third husband live on the Olympic Peninsula. She has two daughters, a stepson, and three grandchildren. Sally is the author of several humor books including Scrambled Leggs: A Snarky Tale of Hospital Hooey and The Baby Boomer’s Guide to Menopause. She hosts a local radio humor segment, “Baby Boomer Humor with Sassy Sally”.