Smart Packing for Today's Traveler
by Susan Foster
List Price:
Our Price: $9.99
You Save: $9.96 (50%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $7.25 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Susan FosterEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-03-01
ISBN: 0970219679
Number of pages: 248
Publisher: Smart Travel Press
Book Reviews of Smart Packing for Today's Traveler
Book Review: Great book with tons of useful idea and advice
Summary: 5 Stars
I discovered Rick Steves back in the late 80's and he was already espousing the concept of taking only one bag while traveling, and doing some laundry in hotel rooms (or visiting a local laundromat) during one's trip. That was a little harder then, when there weren't anywhere near as many options when it came to quick drying fabrics. Also, most luggage made then was meant to be checked - think bags that had only one handle, basically only good for lifting the case from trunk to sidewalk...off the retrieval carousel....and back into a car trunk. If you wanted a different option, you were limited to either a duffel or a backpack, which made you almost scream "student tourist". So while the basic idea of just one bag has been around for a while, when it started, it wasn't actually very easy to put into practice if you didn't want to look like a tourist and didn't want to lug around bags, dangling painfully from the end of your arm. Or if you wanted a more feasible style of luggage, it was usually insanely expensive.
Then wheeled luggage came out, and that made things easier for sure, but still made you stand out as a traveler. This is not particularly useful if you want to try to pass a a local in most places. Then divided duffels - that weren't made for outback-style travel and had some modicum of urban style - showed up. In short, luggage just kept getting better and better....and so the concept of just one bag has become truly practicable at last.
Problem was, too many people were still PACKING these bags in the old way: big bulky clothes and appliances, etc. I know because my dear husband is one of them. When we would travel, I'd be using just one bag...he'd be lugging around two or three (granted, one of those was a slightly smaller version, what could today be called a daypack or man's bag, but he still wasn't using it properly, IMO - he still carried his change and wallet and other misc. items in his pant pockets).
So in a desperate attempt to show him that just one bag CAN be done, I showed him the website of same name (justonebag.com), but he still wasn't sold. That website lists several books, including this one, so I ordered it from Amazon, and now...I have finally convinced him!!!
Thanks to this book (and one other one with similar tips and advice), I just bought us each a new bag: a Tumi for me with three compartments and shoulder strap...and a Victorinox with three compartments, shoulder strap, and hidden backpack straps for him. Both have a garment sleeve for one or two hanging garments, and both are 45 linear inches or less.
This book is what made that possible. I've now gotten him to agree to all kinds of wonderful things:
- sharing our clothes between bags if necessary (why not put his suit jacket in the garment sleeve of my bag if that's where it will best fit?)
- packing cubes
- mini versions of appliances (with dual voltage built in)
- small packets of toiletries instead of bottles or factory packaging
- doing laundry here and there
- new travel clothes made to dry quickly
- and many, many other ideas
This book is what made that possible! First you have to convert 'em, after all!
I'm still working on getting him to agree to a daypack or man's bag concept....I've at least gotten him to agree to use such a thing for going through security lines, so I don't have to stand there while he empties his pockets every time and then collects all his stuff at the other side of the screening point, while other people squeeze around him grabbing their bags.
Again, this book is what made that small victory possible!
While I knew most of the concepts and tips in this book already, a lot of them were eye-openers for my beloved, and yes, I got some new ideas from this, too...and also learned ways to finesse things I'd already been doing.
So if you're trying to get someone to believe that this just one bag thing really CAN be done....and/or if you're looking for ways to hone your own packing skills....GET THIS BOOK. It really is almost worth it's weight (which is minimal, btw) in gold.
Now I get to sell or donate our old luggage at long last!:
- the set of four matching bags my parents gave me years ago (small tote and three wheeled rollies in sizes of Huge for entire four person family for two weeks...Giant for three people for two weeks...and SANE size...the only legit carryon size in the bunch, but only good for one person)
- his wheeled garment bag (in Giant size)
- his duffel (in a size I always considered good for two people for two weeks, but that he would completely fill for just one week)
- his other various bags that he's kept around even though he doesn't use them
We've already gained storage space back due to putting all these other bags in my mother-in-law's basement until I either sell or donate them (we live in a 725 sq ft one bedroom condo, and have only one small storage locker for overflow...this was another victory for me the whole getting-him-to-downsize thing - but that's another story).
Now our two new bags both fit, stacked, on the top shelf of our (only) walk-in closet, and once we build the new bed platform, with storage in the platform base and move the bags to there, we'll gain back even MORE useful storage space (after all, isn't the bedroom where you WANT the luggage for easy retrieval, right where you're gonna pack the things?)
The "just one bag" concept not only makes traveling easier - easier to keep track of your things while on the go, easier to manage in crowded areas, helps you look more like you're just a local on a short weekend trip instead of a typical American - it also makes storing the luggage a lot easier too.
If you are also hesitant at traveling with just one bag, or if you (like me) have a hard-core on your hands that you have to almost OVER prove things to just to get them to be willing to just give something a try...GET THIS BOOK. It will make your job of convincing them SO much easier!
And you'll almost certainly benefit from some new tips yourself :-)
Summary of Smart Packing for Today's Traveler
Imagine traveling with all the right things without carrying five suitcases! Sound impossible? In Smart Packing for Today's Traveler, packing expert Susan Foster shares how-to secrets discovered during hundreds of business and pleasure trips:. Learn to pack for every trip - for business or vacation, for men, women and children, for any place in the world. . Discover how to dress for all seasons at any destination. Know which fabrics and styles are comfortable and packable. . Find out which type of luggage works for each trip, and the best packing methods for any bag.The Third Edition of Smart Packing for Today's Traveler answers all your planning and packing questions:. How to travel light. Airport security tips. When to check your bag and when to carry on. How to pack less to meet airline bag weight and size rules. Which clothing is best for a cruise. What to pack for adventure trips or sports vacatons. Information on packing toiletries, cosmetics, electrical appliances, the best in travel gadgets. Plus critical information on health and safety.Reference Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Reference Books
Baedeker Map of Italy (Baedeker's Maps)by Jarrold Baedeker
Baedekers Guides; Published: 1989-10; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops:
Tourism Marketing and Management Handbookby Stephen F. Witt, Luiz Moutinho
Prentice Hall; Published: 1995-09; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops:
Cruises: Selecting, Selling And Booking (2nd Edition)by Juls Zvoncheck
Prentice Hall; Published: 1993-08-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $56.75
Price in other shops:
Outside Magazine's Guide to Family Vacations (Outside Magazine's Adventure Guides)by Frommer's, Macmillan Publishing
Macmillan General Reference; Published: 1997-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.95
Price in other shops:
The Unofficial Guide to Cruises (Unofficial Guides)by Kay Showker, Bob Sehlinger
Macmillan General Reference; Published: 1995-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.59
Price in other shops:
Collins Mandarin Phrasebook: The Right Word in Your Pocket (Collins Gem)by Collins UK
HarperCollins UK; Published: 2008-05-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.41
Price in other shops:
Collins Turkish Phrasebook: The Right Word in Your Pocket (Collins Gem)by Collins UK
HarperCollins UK; Published: 2008-05-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.84
Price in other shops:
Edinburgh Streetfinder Colour Atlas (Streetfinder)by Collins UK
Collins; HarperCollins UK; Published: 2006-03-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.95
Misguided Ibizaby Ministry of Sound
HarperCollins UK; Published: 2001-07-01; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops:
Scotland: Scotland of Old Clan Names (Collins British Isles and Ireland Maps)by Collins
Collins Publishers; Published: 1999-01; Map; Book
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
The Wall Street Journal Guide to Power Travel: How to Arrive with Your Dignity, Sanity, and Wallet Intactby Scott McCartney
HarperBusiness; Published: 2009-04-21; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.78
Price in other shops:
eBags Small Packing Cubes - 3pc SeteBags; Apparel
eBags Packing Cubes - 3pc SeteBags; Apparel
The Pocket Doctor: A Passport to Healthy Travelby Stephen Bezruchka
Bezruchka; Mountaineers Books; Published: 1999-03-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.54
Price in other shops:
Fodor's How to Pack, 2nd Edition (Travel Guide)by Fodor's, Laurel Cardone
Fodor's; Published: 2003-01-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.48
Price in other shops:
How to Travel Practically Anywhereby Susan Stellin
Mariner Books; Published: 2006-04-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.90
Price in other shops:
Pack It Up: The Essential Guide to Organized Travel Book & DVD Setby Anne McAlpin
Flying Cloud Publishing; Published: 2009-01-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $18.95
Price in other shops:
Simple Packing - A Travel Planning Kit So You Don't Pack Your Entire Closetby Karen Montgomery
Chic Valise; Published: 2009-03-02; Ring-bound; Book
Best price: $25.00
The Smart Traveler's Passportby Erik Torkells, The Readers Of Budget Travel
Quirk Books; Published: 2007-02-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.93
Price in other shops:
The Packing Book: Secrets of the Carry-on Travelerby Judith Gilford
Random; Ten Speed Press; Published: 2006-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.19
Price in other shops: