The Schlep-It-Yourself Vacation

This is the kind of trip where you use trains and buses, carry your own bags across cobblestones or gravel, and pack as lightly as possible because nobody is going to help you. Ever. And you may need to run to catch the train.

The Aeronaut 30 by Tom Bihn  is a great bag because you can carry it by the handles, as a backpack, or by the shoulder strap (sold separately). Tom Bihn has a very engaging website which makes me want to buy way too much stuff, so be careful.  They have a variety of packing cubes and organizers.  I use one small and two large packing cubes. The Aironaut 30 holds all my clothes for one week, two pairs of shoes, a purse for use at my destination (use it as a packing cube), and toiletries.

My husband prefers the Aeronaut 45 because his clothes are bulkier than mine, and he doesn’t mind the extra weight. He doesn’t like packing cubes because he can get a pile of stuff bigger than the bag into the bag.  Same with cars.  I don’t know how he does it. Both the 30 and the 45 are allowed as carry ons.

Here’s a picture of my husband with the Aeronaut 45.  It looks big because he’s only got one strap on. The roller bag is the old model of this one.  He’s a very light packer, but he had to carry two bags this trip because when you have elderly relatives in foreign countries you often haul goods for them. I think the roller bag is full of Metamucil and vitamins.

For toiletries, I use the this Mary Kay makeup bag because the small clear zipper bags are detachable so you can stuff them in your suitcase and fold the black outer layer flat for easy packing.  I sometimes just take a couple of the small zipper pockets if space is limited, not the whole bag. Also, my liquids go in one zipper bag which I keep close for easy access while going through security. The hanging feature of this bag is terrific. Most hotels and hostels are short on bathroom counter space, especially if you have a roommate, and it’s so nice to hang up your toiletry kit. Before I discovered this bag, I used Ziplock quart-sized freezer bags.  You can see all your stuff, it’s easy to get through security with them, and they’re strong enough to last one trip. Cheap, too.

For my second carryon bag, if I’m taking my laptop I use the Tom Bihn Pilot. It fits my laptop, iPad mini, phone, cords, and all that stuff I usually carry in my purse. This organizer is also handy.

If I’m not taking my laptop, I use the Ameribag Healthy Back Bag.  It is very easy on the shoulders, has pockets for everything, can hold a ridiculous amount of stuff, and is so gender-neutral that my husband will carry it for me in a pinch. I carry it over my shoulder or cross body on my back.  In crowds, I swing it around to the front to avoid pickpockets.

If I fly on an airline that lets me have only one carry on bag, I check the Aeronaut, and carry on the Pilot or Ameribag with a 24-hour supply of clothes and toiletries. This has been my travel rule for years, and sure enough, the only time I violated my rule was when my daughter and I got stuck in London overnight without luggage. To be fair, British Airways did put us up in a hotel and give us little goody bags with a t-shirt, granny panties, toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, and slippers, but it wasn’t the same.

If you don’t think you can function with only one week’s worth of clothes, and you’re reluctant to do laundry on vacation, remember--there’s fun to be had, you just have to find it, so make laundry fun!  Find a laundromat and settle in for a couple of hours of relaxation.  Bring reading material or correspondence, buy a local newspaper or magazine (if it’s in a language you don’t speak the pictures are still interesting), get a snack, and if you’re with buddies take turns walking the neighborhood. You’re on vacation, and you’re allowed to enjoy it all--even the laundry.