I Just Want To Live While I’m Alive

[happy2bretired]

I think that clothes have changed a lot over the last few years as well as shifts in thinking of the various generations. When my husband and I first went to Europe, we overpacked. The second time we also probably overpacked but did wash clothes while there. I remember when traveling was more of a dressy adventure and now it’s more casual wear. There are also more clothes that are being sold now that are very packable if you are willing to wear very casual clothes. If I was traveling, I would really like to wear the new casual adventure clothing that is being sold now. That’s pretty much what I wear now at home and love those clothes. Just what you get used to.

 

[brett]

My spouse spent 2 months nursing her terminally ill sister in another city accross the country. She came home at the end of Feb.

Among her first comments....

-it is so good to be home. I agreed, it is good to have you home.

-did you not wash the floor, clean the bathroom or change the bed while I was away? No comment-danger Will Rogers.

-we need to go grocery shopping...did you not eat anything? I nodded in agreement.

- lets book something ASAP. I want to get away and relax to somewhere warm. Already done when I knew the date you were coming home. Zihautanejo for several weeks leaving next Tuesday, Morocco for a month in April/May

Everything was hunky dorry after my last reply. Major brownie points. No longer on thin ice as it were. Married life can be bliss.

Next day it was back to normal.....do you have room in your carry on for an extra pair of my shoes? YES.... don't I always. Anything else?

 

[Chuckanut]

We Large guys have packing issues. Our clothing, shoes, everything are bigger. This is something the pack small and light crowd often do not understand. I manage it with one array on suitcase and a bag. I will check the bag if necessary. I know that not checking bags is a holy grail for many. But, I’ve never had a serous bag problem other than a long wait from time to time.

It’s toting them around from hotel to hotel that is my issue. That’s why I try to avoid one and two night stays if possible.

 

[brett]

We do not like checking our bags but that is not our main issue.

We are independent travelers. Often we find ourselves having to walk up one or two flights of stairs in a B&B, etc, dragging a roller along a few hundred metres of cobblestone streets, broken sidewalks or no sidewalks, humping them in and out of longtail boats, water taxis, trains, on to a ferry or into the back of a van or a rental.

By ourselves.

So now in our 70's we only travel with what we can each physically handle. Having one bag is not the only issue. Bag weight is an concern.. Our comfort zone is in the same area as many regional flight carry on restrictions in Europe and Asia. 7-8KG.

At retirement we were not ready for only the cruise, cruise transfer, 4-5 star hotel experience. We had experienced lots of that service level in our pre retirement life. We still do combine this type of travel in our plans.

We tried everything to reduce our bags. The most effective for us was simply to buy a carry on roller each and limit ourselves to that. Challenging for the first year, now it is the only way we would go....help or no help.

It is not something that I would recommend to everyone but it works for us. In our travels we see more and more retirees doing the same thing for the exact same reason. Physical limitations and/or independence. We did not have a choice. It was either reduce travel and/ or change where we wanted to travel and how we wanted to travel.

 

[anothercog]

Yes, that’s where I want to get to. Carry on and a back pack make the logistics of traveling much simpler. The most stressful part of traveling around Japan with my family was figuring out how to get our large bags around.

 

[brett]

My spouse cracked three vertabrae mid trip in Kuala Lumpur a few years ago. She wanted to continue on to Australia as planned and meet up with some friends. She could not handle a bag so this fell to me.

Had we been travelling with scads of heavy bags I would not have been able to handle them, let alone had the choice of deciding whether to carry on or end our trip and return home.

We had a fabulous month in Australia. We subsequently canceled a two week car rental in New Zealand (she could not handle that much time in a car) and replaced it with a very last minute 21 day cruise. A benefit of our spontaneous travel regime. It was all good.

 

[anothercog]

This thread is great. I’ve been crunching numbers and doing some research and I’m pretty sure I can travel the world on a reasonable budget and it will cost me less than sitting still in California.

I just circled my retirement date at March 31, 2028. Just before I turn 58. This will my youngest kids’ freshman year of college. I’ll go earlier if my work gives me a package.

Our first trip will be a couple months in Japan but back home for summer.

 

[skyking1]

We do not like checking our bags but that is not our main issue.

We are independent travelers. Often we find ourselves having to walk up one or two flights of stairs in a B&B, etc, dragging a roller along a few hundred metres of cobblestone streets, broken sidewalks or no sidewalks, humping them in and out of longtail boats, water taxis, trains, on to a ferry or into the back of a van or a rental.

By ourselves.

So now in our 70's we only travel with what we can each physically handle. Having one bag is not the only issue. Bag weight is an concern.. Our comfort zone is in the same area as many regional flight carry on restrictions in Europe and Asia. 7-8KG.

At retirement we were not ready for only the cruise, cruise transfer, 4-5 star hotel experience. We had experienced lots of that service level in our pre retirement life. We still do combine this type of travel in our plans.

We tried everything to reduce our bags. The most effective for us was simply to buy a carry on roller each and limit ourselves to that. Challenging for the first year, now it is the only way we would go....help or no help.

It is not something that I would recommend to everyone but it works for us. In our travels we see more and more retirees doing the same thing for the exact same reason. Physical limitations and/or independence. We did not have a choice. It was either reduce travel and/ or change where we wanted to travel and how we wanted to travel.

In our younger days we did a lot of travel to Mexico, and we have this soft suitcase with backpack straps. It does not have a frame, it is just a big softie with typical tie down straps inside and pockets for organizing.
It is getting a little long in the tooth, but I think I will get it back out and use it again. I can carry that on my back indefinitely, compared to any hard side large piece.
My wife is not ready for no-check travel, I will try to use this as a stepping stone to that. I remember how handy it was on some of the big brick paved streets and tall curbs in Mexico. I would see folks struggling with the big rollers.

 

[athena53]

We are independent travelers. Often we find ourselves having to walk up one or two flights of stairs in a B&B, etc, dragging a roller along a few hundred metres of cobblestone streets, broken sidewalks or no sidewalks, humping them in and out of longtail boats, water taxis, trains, on to a ferry or into the back of a van or a rental.

<snip>

We tried everything to reduce our bags. The most effective for us was simply to buy a carry on roller each and limit ourselves to that. Challenging for the first year, now it is the only way we would go....help or no help.

I agree. I learned on my first major trip (London and Paris in 1977) that you had better assume there will be some occasion when you have to drag all your stuff up steps unassisted. Even with tour groups I do that; my upcoming trip, for example, I'm overnighting in London both ways and will have no assistance available. I use the Hilton Garden Inn near Heathrow and the mega-bags of my fellow occupants (likely cruise passengers) are mind-blowing.