I like to travel like Mary Poppins, with a bottomless bag producing anything I might need in an emergency or to make traveling more comfortable. If I have to, I can travel lightly — I can go away for a weekend with just a carry-on bag and a purse. But for longer trips, such as when I’m filming my syndicated show, Laura McKenzie’s Traveler, I choose not to. My second suitcase opens to a wondrous amount of comfort. Here’s what I include:
Eats. I bring a pot to heat water, coffee, hot chocolate and sweetener, snacks, salad dressing and protein bars.
Comforts. A down travel pillow is a must, along with an alarm clock that can generate white noise.
Extras. I pack a pharmacy of “just in case” over-the-counter and prescription medicines, and extra toiletries I call “The Store,” double-bagged in plastic. And don’t forget the extra belts, shoes and bags, plus wire hangers (because there are never enough).
Electronics. In this group, I include chargers for cameras, phone and laptop.
Wow, taking your own coffee-maker is packing LIGHT?? Here’s what I do when I want to pack light, which these days is becoming more important, as airlines charge for every ounce of luggage: First of all, I almost never pack anything I don’t absolutely need. Anything that I “might” need (like OTC medications, more toothpaste, a replacement pair of pantyhose), I will buy when I get there IF I actually need it. Second of all, if I know I will be able to do MY OWN laundry at my destination (hotel/motel, relative’s house), I pack for HALF a trip, wash the clothes at the mid-point of the trip, and wear the same clothes the second half. For each trip I pick a color theme, so if the theme is “blue,” all clothes will be things that can mix-and-match with blue. For a week’s vacation, I pack for about 3 days: I take one or two pair of jeans and maybe a pair of blue or khaki twill pants, a few shirts that will go with either pair, a pair of shoes and a pair of sneakers that will go with either pair, blue sox and khaki sox. In the middle of the vacation I wash everything, then wear them again, this time pairing the pants with different shirts, but everything still matches. There are some fabrics that travel better than others, so I never take anything that will require ironing, and in fact I try not to take anything that has to be hung up on a hanger. If ironing is really necessary, most hotels (and relatives) have an iron you can borrow and have extra hangers. I never take my own pillow (unless maybe I’m driving to my destination); all hotels/motels and most relatives have extra pillows for the asking. In addition, most places you go have complimentary bottles of shampoo, conditioner, lotion, mouthwash, etc, and in a pinch you can get them at the hotel sundries shop (yes, a bit more expensive, but might be cheaper than checking an extra bag on the plane), or at a local store nearby, so a lot of these things you can leave home. If you have several people staying in the same hotel room and you run out of something, most places will give you more for free (if your request is reasonable) or for a small charge. Third, I use those “space bags” that suck the air ouf of clothing. Clothes take up A LOT less space that way. You do have to know where you’re going, though. For example, on a cruise a couple of years ago, I went on a water excursion and got bitten multiple times by something in the water. When I went to the ship’s infirmary, the most they could offer me was some hydrocortisone cream, and then they wanted $10 for the little tube. Luckily, my traveling companion had some with him. But there would have been no way to predict what medications I “might” have needed, so traveling with a “just-in-case” pharmacy is not practical.
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