Dishin’ with the Diva

Quick Tip: Plugging In

I have a lot of electronic gadgets that I like to travel with. While I have left my laptop at home on some trips, I’ve probably brought it with me far more often. Since I like to think I’m at least a little eco-aware, I use rechargeable batteries in my camera except when woefully unprepared. However, I don’t mess with my hair much even when I’m home, so no toting along portable hairdryers or straighteners for me.

In case you aren’t aware, different countries use different electrical plugs – and even different electrical voltages. Don’t just assume you can pop a plug adapter onto your gizmo of choice and plug it into the wall… well, not and keep said gizmo from shorting out, burning up or otherwise creating a fire hazard. Many travel appliances are designed to be dual voltage, meaning they can handle either the (American) 110 or (European, Kiwi, Australian, and other) 220 volts, but chances are your everyday curling iron in your bathroom isn’t. If you don’t want bother getting travel-specific appliances, you can pick up something like this Samsonite Converter/Adaptor Plug Kit with Pouch to use on your trip.

As far as your electronics, check your charger to see what voltages it can handle. While packing for my New Zealand trip, I had my travel power converter in the “to pack” pile for my cell phone charger. Then I actually looked at the charger; lo and behold, it’s rated for 110-220V. The transformer came out of the pile, and I saved myself about three pounds in my backpack. (Turned out my phone wouldn’t work in New Zealand anyway, but that’s a topic for another day.) You may or may not want to plug in an electronic device into one of the travel converters; there are reports that these devices aren’t really safe for DVD players, computers and other similar items. Personally, I’ve not had a problem, but my laptop’s power adapter is already rated to 220V, so it just needs a plug converter. Some hotels will have more a robust power converter available for guests to borrow, but it’s not something you should count on unless you check with your lodging beforehand. (These “real” converters weigh about 20 pounds and are a bit on the large side, so it’s not something that’s terribly practical for you to bring along yourself.)

It’s worth spending a bit of time checking your electrical situation before you leave. The last thing you want to do is fry your computer during your vacation – or worse, start a fire in your hotel room!

Adventures in Packing – Ex Officio Convertible Pants

So, not to brag or anything, but one of the happy side effects of travel for me tends to be weight loss. When traveling, I do a whole lot more walking than I do at home, plus I’m much more active and tend not to spend much time bored, so I don’t snack as much as I usually do.

Now, I own a couple of pairs of convertible pants (which have the zippers on the legs so you can make them into shorts), but I only brought one pair with me. They’re by Ex Officio, and I bought them a couple of years ago when I was a couple of clothing sizes larger than I am now. Thing is, the waist on them still fits about right, even though the cut of the rest of the pant is baggy enough that they have a certain resemblance to clown attire.

Yes, there is elastic in the waist, which I must have been stretching to get them to fit before. But to me, if they’re going to fit right in the first place, the elastic shouldn’t have to stretch. That’s more for mobility or those days when you have a little more of the local cuisine than maybe you should have. Shouldn’t be a day-to-day necessity.

That’s not to say such pants are a bad buy. They weigh next to nothing and can roll into a surprisingly small bundle, so they take up very little precious luggage space. But if you’re in the market for a pair for yourself, know that the Ex Officio brand may be a bit smaller in the waist than your average pair of khakis.

Adventures in Packing – Hefty Travel Bags

The trial-size toiletry aisle is a dangerous place for me to be.

Generally, I keep a toiletry bag packed at all times; it’s just easier for me, since I don’t have to worry about grabbing my toothbrush, contact lens solution, or shampoo before walking out the door. It’s all in my bag. With the new TSA guidelines, I’ve grudgingly just gone ahead and checked my bag, since I’d rather not bust up the items in my toiletry bag.

But I leave for New Zealand in less than a week. And after my last trip to New Zealand – when I got to Auckland but my bag kept going to Melbourne – I’m not risking three days without contact lens solution again. So while shopping for assorted other necessities, I added quart-sized freezer bags to my list.

I almost never use freezer bags at home. I usually try to keep some on hand just in case, but I ran out a while back and hadn’t need them since. I hated the idea of buying a whole box before leaving, since it’ll be a while before I’m home again to use them. But I decided what the heck, I need what I need.

While browsing through the trial-sized toiletries, I ran across a bin with packs of Hefty One-Zip Travel Bags. Yes, it’s a gimmick, and I could have just as easily bought a box of plain-old quart-sized freezer bags for a more cost-effective price. But this is a nice, simple pack of 7 bags for about a buck. So into my cart they went, along with a few other items to stash in my carry-on – just in case my bag and I end up on different itineraries again. And I didn’t end up with a stack of plastic bags that will take ages for me to use.

(BTW, it took five days for my bag to get to me; I just gave in after three days and bought more contact solution and another contact lens case. Which bugged me to no end, since I had at least four more at home and would have been much happier spending that money on almost anything else.)

Adventures in Packing – Avoiding Overpacking

No matter how hard I try not to, I usually end up overpacking. Short trips, long trips, doesn’t matter – I always end up with something in my suitcase that doesn’t leave the suitcase until I get home.

Since I’m about to be living out of a backpack for the next several months as I make my way around New Zealand, I have more incentive than ever to pack as lightly as possible. But I also know I’m going there as they are moving from autumn into winter, and New Zealand gets a lot colder than Houston does. So I’ll need to pack a couple of heavy sweaters – ones that come out of the dresser maybe once a year under usual circumstances.

I’m also trying to balance between things to wear for outdoor labor, since I would like to spend some time WWOOF-ing, and things I could wear if I get office temp jobs. Plus I may need suitable clothes for hiking… 

Luckily, my backpack is pretty big, but I don’t want to badly weigh myself down. So right now I’ve got my clothes spread out in the living room, deciding what stays in the lineup and what goes back in the closet. I’m trying to plan layers, and what can go with what else, so that even if I do end up wearing the same 6 or 7 basic pieces for the next few months, the outfits don’t always have to look exactly the same.

It also helps to know what is and isn’t good value where you’re going, so if you need to skip bringing something because of packing space, you know what you’d be likely to want to buy in your destination anyway. For example, between past visits and recent research, I know New Zealand doesn’t have the best values on career-type clothes, but they have some great stores with good prices on outdoor wear. So though I’m taking some hiking-type clothes, I’m not packing a lot. However, I’ll probably take an extra pair of slacks, since I’d rather pay U.S. prices for that.

So, my plan of attack goes something like this: plan, pair up, eliminate whatever I can, and pack it all up in the smallest space possible.