Travel Tips - Preparing for a long trip

I'm preparing for an extended European trip. A couple of keys to my planning is that I am a carry only traveler. That means that I will have an international carry on travel bag and a personal item. After spending MANY hours going down YouTube Travel Tips and Hacks videos, here are some of the ones I plan to give a try on my upcoming trip.

Luggage

I've had Tumi bags for partically as long as I can remember and it continues to be my favorite luggage. Yes, these bags are expensive but I have found worth it. IF there is a problem with the bag, Tumi service is exceptional.  I am also a fan of soft-sided luggage which I will discuss below.

International Carry On Roller Bag

My absolutely favorite bag Tumi Leger International Travel bag. NOTE: My bag is no longer available but there is a newer version). 

PROS: I can stuff a lot of stuff into this bag. Very lightweight.
CONS: The newer version has a better handle - this one doesn't feel as sturdy as the newer one. I have gate checked this bag but I'm not sure I would generally check it.

Personal Item

I have the Tumi Voyageur Durban Expandable Duffel and the Cortine Weekender (which has a laptop section) that I have traveled with for several years. But I'm not a big fan of lugging a bag over my shoulder for long periods of time. Yes, these bags have over handle strap but I still find myself lugging it when I have to gate check my roller bag. For this trip, I decided I needed a new personal bag. I went with the TUMI Voyageur Oxford Compact Carry On. It has the Add A Bag Sleeve allowing me to slip it over the handle of my roller bag...AND it has WHEELS. While I successfully test packed this bag, this will be my first trip with it.

Packing

I am a HUGE fan of packing cubes.The advantage of these ebags packing cubes was never clearer to me than when I was in an earthquake in Italy. I left the hotel room with very few items. I had unpacked my suitcase but left the items in the packing cubes. This was adventageous when someone else had to go back in the hotel and try to retrieve items. Fortunately, they were able to zip up the cubes then they through them into a bag with belongings from multiple rooms. I was able to quickly identify my items because of the cubes.

Fast forward many years and someone came up with the idea of Compression Packing Cubes. When looking for compression packing cubes I wanted clamshell cubes as they open up completely making them easier to access the items. I selected the Eagle Creek Pack-It Compression Cubes. There are a lot of great reviews of the Tripped Packing Cubes (available on Amazon) but they don't fully open. I originally ordered the LeanTravel compression cubes but thought the material added weight and it had a rigid frame.

More Luggage Tips

One tip I found relates to identifying your luggage. You'll notice that I have a luggage wrap tag on my suitcase. You can probably tell that I have had it for years. And yes I have a business card in there that has my phone number and email address (no physical address). 

One tip to identify your luggage is to put a colored carabiner on it. You can see the color and you never know when you may need a carabiner to attach something else.

Because I don't check my luggage, I typically don't use TSA approved locks. First, I never remember the combination or I can never find the key. These zipper clip theft deterents are a great alternative. No it doesn't prevent someone from opening your luggage but it does slow them down.

Other Convenient Items

I was looking for some smaller, compact items that I sometimes want but don't always want the hassle of taking.

One of those things ia a water bottle. Yes, many can be attached to your bag but they are still generally bulky and heavier. It always feels like it is more trouble than it is worth. Imagine my excitement when I found this Collapsible Water Bottle. 

Another item that I never think to take is a fan. These inexpensive compact foldable fans seem like a good solution to give a try.

Check back again to see how I manage to pack this all up!!! Don't forget to follow me here for updates from my trip!

Retired! A NEW Chapter

 It has been MANY years since I have posted. And so many changes have happened in my life. The one change that has me back to blogging (we'll see if I can stick to it) is that I retired 1 March 2024. First let me say that I can't believe that almost 2 months have passed. I definitely haven't experienced a lack of things to do. 

So this blog will now highlight all the fun things that I'm doing during my retirement...come and join me on my retirement adventures!! 

What am I doing with my time these days? 

Reading! I've always had a goal to read 365 books in a year and I believe I will reach that goal this year. You can follow my status at my Noumena12 Books Blog which I expect to also start updating. 

Learning! I've complete 2 seminars at the University of Dayton Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (UDOLLI) including Architecture in Dayton and Fun with Grapes - North American editiion. 

Volunteering! I've always loved food and wine. I've taken many classes at the Dorothy Lane Market Culinary Center.  Now I have also been volunteering. I will also look for other volunteer opportunities.

My experience with Cancer

About a year before I retired, I was diagnosed with Endometrial Cancer. Why would I share my health information? Since I've talked about it, 3 other women have come to me about my symptoms and sought their own diagnosis. As I was finishing up my OB/GYN appointment in Spring 2023, my doctor informed me that she didn't need to see me for 5 years because of my age UNLESS I experienced any changes. I was surprised by the 5 year timeline but didn't think too much about it. Until a few months later when I had some very light bleeding...I'm talking VERY LIGHT that I only noticed when I wiped. It lasted a couple of days then stopped so I noted it but didn't think too much about it. Until it happened again the next month. So off to the doctor I went...scheduled a biopsy...and got my cancer diagnosis. my hysterectomy, my Oncological Gynecologist found the cancer was more involved than originally anticipated so they recommended 3 radiation treatments. IF you notice any differences in your body regardless of how minor or insignificant you think they are, have a conversation with your doctor. EARLY DETECTION is the key.