Travel Clothing - What to Take and Not Take
Aazdak Alisimo
Every person should take at least one lengthy trip abroad during their life. Lengthy usually means a couple of months, which means you need a packing strategy for clothes. Less is more is the general strategy to employ.
The first step to packing is to tune into the weather at your destination. Is it cold or warm? How about humidity? Make sure to check for the duration of your trip, not just when you are planning. Seasons change quickly and dramatically in many parts of the world.
A trip is an occasion for many things. Buying a new wardrobe is not one of them. You are going to find yourself walking a lot more than usual. As such, comfort is the name of the game. Pack things that are broken in and you are used to or you will regret it.
While you are probably not going to run into friends or family abroad, you don't want to be a fashion nightmare. To avoid such problem, try to pack one color of clothing along with some neutral colors like black. It might not look great, but it won't look terrible.
Secondary to your shoes are your socks. The word we are looking for is breathing. You want socks that are going to give your feet some air. There are many types of socks out there, but I have found good old cotton socks to be the best. Pack many pairs.
To save space when packing, roll up the various things you are taking. Another approach is to use one of those bags you can suck the air out of with your vacuum. You can really pack a lot of stuff in a small space for long trips when using them.
A double climate trip can be difficult. If you are going from a cold to warm climate or the opposite, pack for both. When you make the switch, send the clothes you don't need home in the mail. It will cut down the weight you have to haul around.
You will rarely be doing your own laundry on the trip. In many parts of the world, laundry service comes with even the cheapest hotel. The quality of that service is usually good, but make sure to pack clothes that don't require specific care.
When it comes to shirts, I am a big fan of polo shirts for both men and women. Why? Well, they are as easy to wear as t-shirts, but slightly formal enough that you don't look like you are completely dirt bagging your way across whatever country you are in!
Traveling abroad is an absolute blast and I highly recommend you do it as much as possible. That being said, minimize what you pack for your trips. You can usually buy anything you forget at your destination, so don't sweat it.
Aazdak Alisimo writes about travel for NomadJournals.com - makers of rugged travel journals that make great http://www.nomadjournals.com/journals.cfm) gifts for dad as well as other writing journals for fishing, camping, hiking, bird watching and much more. You can get a http://www.uberarticles.com/?id=15672&b=79 unique content version of this article.
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