Experienced Travelers - I Need Some Advice

[pamperedlinda]

We are leaving for China in 2 months for our family trip. We'll be gone for 2 1/2 weeks and I have no idea how to pack for this kind of trip! We're going a few days early to San Francisco then off to China for 2 weeks.

My issue is that for our inner-China travel we are limited to a 44 pound suitcase and pretty much the same measurement standards as a US non-oversized bag. The trip is pretty fast paced and I don't think we are in any one place for more than 2 nights - I'm not sure if that's even long enough to have laundry done or if I want to take the chance of getting my clothing back in time to leave for the next destination - kwim?

Any tips for what and how to pack for that lenght of time? It's going to be in July and according to the travel info July is their wettest month and to expect it to be wet, hot, and humid ... so, I'm not keen on wearing my clothes several times over and I guess my hair will look like crap.

 

[Mel5497]

Travelsmith.com has some great travel separates. If nothing else you can get some good ideas from their site and then look elsewhere for less expensive versions. I'd give priority to packing extra of the clothing you wear closest to your body, to include tank tops. Then you can simply rotate complimenting skirts/shorts and open blouses.

I did 10 days in South America with just a carry-on bag. I went with two other gals and we all traveled light. We kept our outfits as absolutelty simple as we could and brought along those spot-wipes to get out any stains. Bringing extra undergarments was the best thing we did. It's amazing how much better you feel when those items are fresh.

Hope this helps.

 

[ChefLisa]

Linda, I just emailed you my Director's phone number. She was in China about a year ago and will have great advice for you!

 

[pamperedlinda]

Hey Lisa, thanks, I'll give Kim a call and see how she packed when she went - she was there for @ 2 weeks too - right? I guess I should be more clear on what I need - I know what kinds of clothes (shorts mostly - on the casual side) I guess what I need is advice on 'effective' packing for a trip of that length when I may or may not have laundry facilities. Rennea on CS gave me some great tips too.

btw, my mom lives just outside of China in Macau - it's an island across the bay from Hong Kong.

 

[Mel5497]

Sorry, Linda. Wish I could have helped better. The spot wipes and extra undies are all I can offer. My mind is scattered; I leave Saturday for a three week overseas trip of my own (and haven't even thought about packing yet...I do that to myself everytime! Ugh).

 

[pamperedlinda]

spot wipes and undies are good Kris - and they don't take up too much room!

 

[ChefLisa]

Kim will give you great advice on how to pack. I know one of the tips is to bring electrical tape. This is for when the luggage gets thrown around and torn. She brought it even though she thought it sounded silly. It was not so silly when she actually ended up needing it!

 

[pamperedlinda]

I would have never thought about electrical tape!

I know I need to pack crackers and a jar of peanut butter for Jacob.

I just haven't been anywhere in a while where I was restricted on luggage - and that's gonna be hard considering how long we will be gone. One thing that is good is that Jacob's clothes don't take a lot of room and I'm going to make him take a standard sized suitcase instead of his smaller one.

 

[gaddischef]

buy clothes that won't wrinkle and roll them....put small items inside shoes...as I just learned on the Paris trip, you can wear clothes for quite awhile if you if have to! LOL....