Forums > Social Chat > A Question for those who have travelled...please :)

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Rouge DragonBRONZE Member
Insert Champagne Here
13,215 posts
Location: without class distinction, Australia


Posted:
I initially thought that I could put this in my Romania thread, but I thought that it might only be read by those who are following that whole saga, and I hope to reach more people! However, if mods would like me to put it there, just yell at me biggrin

I'm trying to work out how I am transporting all my stuff over to the land of Dracula. I was initially just going to take a big suitcase, cos I'm going to be in the same place for most of my trip (6 months with a host family, and then 4 months travelling around Europe), however a friend of the family just got back from Italy and she said that a backpack is best cos it means you don't have to play games with stairs at train stations and that you have both hands free. But a backpack would mean that I'd only be able to fit half of what I would have fit in the suitcase. As you can imagine, for 10 months overseas, I want to take as much as I can, even though there will probably be some parcels of clothing going back and forth between me and my parents during the seasons!

I was just wondering what people who have been through all this before think on the matter.

thanks
hug

i would have changed ***** to phallus, and claire to petey Petey

Rougie: but that's what I'm doing here
Arnwyn: what letting me adjust myself in your room?..don't you dare quote that on HoP...


MedusaSILVER Member
veteran
1,433 posts
Location: 8 days at Cloudbreak, 6 in Perth, Australia


Posted:
hmmm when I travelled I had one of those hard cases suitcases that has a handle that pulls up and you wheel it everywhere...so you can use one hand to drag it everywhere and it doesn't really matter how heavy it is (and you can stuff a packback into one of those thing in case you end up going on short trips while there).

Make sure you take a suitcase that still has spare room after you have packed it cause trust me it will be full by the time you come back....of and half the shite you think you are going to need...you won't!

I filled my suitcase when I left to go on student exchange to Indonesia and didn't use most of the stuff I packed.

flash fireBRONZE Member
Sporadically Prodigal
2,758 posts
Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia


Posted:
I took a 65litre backpack when I went travelling, along with a ski bag which stored by skis, boots and winter wear.... Boy, did I ever get sick of wearing the same outfits, but if you ask anyone who has travelled, they all tell the same tale of threadbare tshirts and well-worn boots.

Why not take a pack and a suitcase, then ship the suitcase back to the land of Oz prior to embarking on your Europe tour. It might cost a little, but hey - if you're anything like me, you'll want options, sweetie, options! Also, this method may end up saving you money as you will be less tempted to purchase new clothes whilst your o/s. Perhaps you can research the cost of shipping via sea from Romania to Australia. When I left Canada, I shipped a large box (about 30kgs) back to Oz - it took 3 months to get there but cost me less than $100.

Hope that helps.

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vanizeSILVER Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,899 posts
Location: Austin, Texas, USA


Posted:
take the suitacse and the pack - you will want some things at your home base in Romania that you want want to lug all around europe anyway.

basically I think what flashfire said is the best thing to do. Also you can look into air-freight shipping companies to do the same thing - a bit more expensive (but only a bit if you shop around a lot), but much faster (more like 1 week) and someone will have to pick it up at the airport. but then again, you probably won't be concerned about how long it takes your suitcase to reach home while you are travelling.

get a good pack though - a crappy backpack is a horrible thing to carry around and live out of. but a good one can be your best friend.

-v-

Wiederstand ist Zwecklos!


Rouge DragonBRONZE Member
Insert Champagne Here
13,215 posts
Location: without class distinction, Australia


Posted:
I've got a travel bag (a bit bigger than an overnight bag, so lets call it a week-bag! lol) that I'm planning on taking for when I head off to the big smoke for the weekend and stuff like that. (its a very nice bag, i got it for my birthday smile)

so you rekon take a that and a suitcase?

i would have changed ***** to phallus, and claire to petey Petey

Rougie: but that's what I'm doing here
Arnwyn: what letting me adjust myself in your room?..don't you dare quote that on HoP...


TheBovrilMonkeySILVER Member
Liquid Cow
2,629 posts
Location: High Wycombe, England


Posted:
Two very valuable pieces of advice I found before I went travelling:



Put everything you think you'll need into a pile. Look at how large the pile is, realise it's nuts and get rid of half of it.



Make sure you have plenty of space left in your luggage before you even leave home. Unless you're planning never to buy anything, the space is going to get filled and when you've bought a load of stuff it'll be a pain to try to wedge it all into a bag that's too small.
EDITED_BY: TheBovrilMonkey (1101829069)

But there's no sense crying over every mistake. You just keep on trying till you run out of cake.


spritieSILVER Member
Pooh-Bah
2,014 posts
Location: Galveston, TX, USA


Posted:
Yes, that sounds good to take. You'll also want some carry on type smaller backpack (or maybe your week-bag is still that size)? Basically, I'd say take as much luggage as you are allowed on the flight. If you are going to be traveling around Europe for 4 months on your own, I would recommend something larger than your week bag though. Your suitcase will probably be a pain in the butt for that part, so like everyone else has said, you should ship it back home before you start your traveling journies.

I've traveled for 2-3 weeks at a time using one of those smallish rolling suitcases, and it wasn't a problem since I can lift the thing and it has wheels, so I can usually manage at train and bus stations. Anything bigger than it though would be a pain. So maybe you could look into one of those instead of a real travelers backpack (especially if you have back problems)

DomBRONZE Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,009 posts
Location: Bristol, UK


Posted:
ubblol @ Bovril. Yep - done that!

The suitcase and ruck sack option sounds ideal. I have a 70 litre rucksack that expands to 90 if necessary - but then I'm big and can lift that much. Size of the rucksack depends upon the season you're travelling in - and had how many toys you travel with!

EeraBRONZE Member
old hand
1,107 posts
Location: In a test pit, Mackay, Australia


Posted:
I'd take the expensive, good things like heavy coats and shoes and just buy the lightweight summer things over there, then you can give them away or sling them before you return.

If you're going to be staying in one place then forget the rucksac and just take a suitcase, you may want to get a bettered second-hand one though as new ones do get stolen from the baggage carousel suprisingly often.

There is a slight possibility that I am not actually right all of the time.


CantusSILVER Member
Tantamount to fatuity
15,966 posts
Location: Down the road, United Kingdom


Posted:
Oh i thought only old people used suitcases... my mistake.

carry on.

Meh


pkBRONZE Member
Lambretta Fanatic
4,997 posts
Location: United Kingdom


Posted:
im taking a suitcase, i figure all i need is a few sets of cloths / my unicycle and juggling stuff and thats all gonna squeze into my little suicase no sweat!.
and a small carry bag for minidisc and a book.
but then im only going for 7 days lol.

CantusSILVER Member
Tantamount to fatuity
15,966 posts
Location: Down the road, United Kingdom


Posted:
have fun with your unicycle at the airport.

Although trying to get it out of Manilla or Mumbai airports would be funnier.

Or LAX - the stupidest airport in the world....

Can anyone say "overzealous federal security agents with huge scary ass sidearms"?

Meh


micoBRONZE Member
freedom in chains
176 posts
Location: San Francisco & Oxford, United Kingdom


Posted:

If you take a back pack just keep in mind that however
big it is - you will fill it!

So ask yourself just how much you want to carry..

~peace is a fire~


MikeGinnyGOLD Member
HOP Mad Doctor
13,925 posts
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA


Posted:
I got a big suitcase (made by TravelPro) that has two wheels on it so that you can drag it behind you and it tends to want to follow you in approximately the same direction that you're moving (which is a lot more than I can say about older versions of wheeled suitcases). Yes, stairs can be an issue, but carrying half the weight of that massive thing on your back isn't going to be so hot for you, either.

And if you get a huge suitcase like that, it will be more than worth the cost of it to have it for this entire trip AND for the next 10 or so years.

-Mike

Certified Mad Doctor and HoP High Priest of Nutella



A buckuht n a hooze! -Valura


MiGGOLD Member
Self-Flagellation Expert
3,414 posts
Location: Bogged at CG, Australia


Posted:
yeah. expensive is good. i know that hurts to read, cos im as tight as a...tight thing (half scots :P ) but i did a bushwalk with schoolin year 10, and had a good pack and good boots (docs), and i was fine. got a little blister, but that was it in 45ks of walking over 3 days, so i was pretty happy, especially when the people who just got cheap stuff pulled half their foot off when they took off their shoes.

there was a moral to this story, which i am slowly but surely getting to.

yeah, that was it. get a good suitcase, and a good backpack, and you'll be right. a decent suitcase will have all sorts of useful pockets, be easy to carry, unlikely to fall apart, will have a certain amount of stretch, and all the other cool things, whereas a cheap one prolly won't.

"beg beg grovel beg grovel"
"master"
--FSA

"There was an arse there, i couldn't help myself"
--Rougie


caz86Twister Fire Starter ridin on a tratter
156 posts
Location: Bristol/Exeter UK


Posted:
The less you take, the better time you'll have. Promise! Remember a pair of Jeans can be worn for a month before being washed. And I'm sure there are lots of shops to buy stuff when ur there. Just save room for poi and stuff tongue

Caz


MrConfusedBRONZE Member
addict
529 posts
Location: I wish I knew, United Kingdom


Posted:
Take as little as possible. I waaay overpacked to start with and ended up throwing away / sending home half the stuff I started with. I'm guessing eastern europe will be quite cheap (just a guess, I haven't been there yet), so if you desperately need anything, you can pick it up as and when.

Might be an idea to find one of the backpacks that has a zip around the back, so it opens like a suitcase instead of having to stuff everything into the top. Everyone I met with one loved it.

Don't take too big a bag, you'll just fill it with excess junk that you'll have to carry around. I took a 100 litre bag and regretted it every time I had to walk any distance.

Don't take anything white when you start living out of your bag. It won't stay white for very long. wink

J

If you're not confused, you're not thinking about things hard enough.


NantheosSILVER Member
Member
82 posts
Location: Netherlands - Hengelo


Posted:
Written by: MrConfused



Take as little as possible. I waaay overpacked to start with and ended up throwing away / sending home half the stuff I started with. I'm guessing eastern europe will be quite cheap (just a guess, I haven't been there yet), so if you desperately need anything, you can pick it up as and when.








Eastern Europe is quite cheap, and they have surprisingly modern shops. Stuff that's to trendy to find over here (holland) like the crazy british disco outfits, are pretty easy found over there.... weird but true.



Written by:



Don't take anything white when you start living out of your bag. It won't stay white for very long.






Black gets dirty real fast to...


EDITED_BY: Nantheos (1101921146)

Hij die zijn kind benzine voert moet niet roken als het boert.

Love you MyIng ubblove


-=Sidhe=-member
22 posts
Location: Glasgow, Scotland


Posted:
Written by: caz86


Remember a pair of Jeans can be worn for a month before being washed.




This is not true.

Beware this advice. ubblol

NYCNYC
9,232 posts
Location: NYC, NY, USA


Posted:
You should get an idea of how much stuff costs in Romania.

Sometimes I'm surprised that it's just cheaper to buy new stuff when you're there then to ship stuff long distances.

I find that I take just as much whether I'm travelling for a weekend or two months. And there's always half of my luggage filled with toys (firetoys, plates, etc...)

Well, shall we go?
Yes, let's go.
[They do not move.]


ben-ja-menGOLD Member
just lost .... evil init
2,474 posts
Location: Adelaide, Australia


Posted:
if u go the backpack option make sure its really well padded dont go for one that looks cool just cos it looks cool cos that would be silly redface if i was to go traveling again id go the suitcase unless ur going someone more remote where dragging a suitcase would be inconvienent. if ur posting stuff back research it good i did the whole last minute thing and it cost me 80 pounds to send 6 and a half kg back to oz from england (20 quid was insurance though) but still research it good. if your going somewhere that rains alot make sure u take 2 pairs of shoes cos wet feet are bad

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourself, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous and talented? Who are you NOT to be?


TheBovrilMonkeySILVER Member
Liquid Cow
2,629 posts
Location: High Wycombe, England


Posted:
Written by: ben-ja-men



if u go the backpack option make sure its really well padded dont go for one that looks cool just cos it looks cool cos that would be silly






Yeah, I second that advice.

If you're going to use a rucksack then find yourself a shop with nice friendly staff and pick their brains. Try as as many bags on as you can and see if you can get a whole load of stuff to put in them while you're doing that. Some of them aren't anywhere near as comfortable when full as when empty and you don't want to get your new purchase home only to find it's no good when it's been packed.



Oh, and get one with a decent waist strap. That'll sit the weight on your hips rather than your shoulders, making it easier to breath (since the weight isn't squashing your torso, and therefore lungs, down) and it'll also make it easier to move around (since your centre of balance will be much lower).
EDITED_BY: TheBovrilMonkey (1102002296)

But there's no sense crying over every mistake. You just keep on trying till you run out of cake.


Rouge DragonBRONZE Member
Insert Champagne Here
13,215 posts
Location: without class distinction, Australia


Posted:
Well, I just thought I'd say that I opted for a 65 litre travel pack.

I went around melboure picking the brains of all the people there, and while some were useless, most were very, very helpful and I found a pack that I'm comfortable wtih! After spending an entire day having backpacks described and explained to me - I rekon I could sell on to someone else! ubblol

It's really good cos at the shops they have weights designed especially to put in the packs for trying on. So I was trying on backpacks with up to 15kg in them to see how the felt!

i would have changed ***** to phallus, and claire to petey Petey

Rougie: but that's what I'm doing here
Arnwyn: what letting me adjust myself in your room?..don't you dare quote that on HoP...


pkBRONZE Member
Lambretta Fanatic
4,997 posts
Location: United Kingdom


Posted:
Written by: Cantus


have fun with your unicycle at the airport.





Have a huge thread about traveling on the unicyclist forums.

Not sure if i can be bothered taking it right now, plans keep changing....... deffinatly not going with out mutliple sets of poi and much juggling stuff.

Nothing much happening on the italian juggling forums either for my time.... looks like its play time on my own when im away.


*small note* Any one else plan silly things like that before they travel?.. whos gonna be out playing and where etc...

Kinudin (Soul Fyre)veteran
1,325 posts
Location: San Diego, California, USA


Posted:
Written by: Cantus


Or LAX - the stupidest airport in the world....

Can anyone say "overzealous federal security agents with huge scary ass sidearms"?




So true but that is true about all the airports I've been to in America. I was never frisked in England, France, or Germany. But when I got into America, man. Right when I got off the plane, and before i got onto the plane (like I could buy explosives between an hour difference connection) wink

Good job Rouge! I love traveling with backpacks. Can't stand anything in my hands while traveling. Feels so restricting. bounce2 bounce

stickmanWorld Champ Procrastinator
580 posts
Location: ||...lost...||


Posted:
hey i only just caught on to this thread...

i spent five months travelling through oz with only a backpack to start with.. in the end we bought a car so i didnt have to lug everything around.. but i would have to say that a backpack is sooo much easier, less heavy, more convenient than a suitcase.. sure, you can only fit a certain amount of stuff in it and it always turns out that what youre looking for is at the bottom of the bag wink but at the end of the day it is the way to go.. it really isnt very heavy either if you get one that fits you personally: your height and size, cuz the bag rests mostly on your hips, a bit on your back, and hardlly at all on your shoulders.. and additionally, you have two hands free for (for example) you wanna take an extra bag or a didge or whatever with you

Good luck Rouge and take lots of pics... id love to see Eastern Europe.. never been farther than Bratislava and Prague.. ENJOY!! biggrin biggrin biggrin

vanizeSILVER Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,899 posts
Location: Austin, Texas, USA


Posted:
Written by: Kinudin (Soul Fyre)


Written by: Cantus


Or LAX - the stupidest airport in the world....

Can anyone say "overzealous federal security agents with huge scary ass sidearms"?




So true but that is true about all the airports I've been to in America. I was never frisked in England, France, or Germany. But when I got into America, man. Right when I got off the plane, and before i got onto the plane (like I could buy explosives between an hour difference connection) wink

Good job Rouge! I love traveling with backpacks. Can't stand anything in my hands while traveling. Feels so restricting. bounce2 bounce




er... everyone gets frisked in every german airport I have ever been in.

and as far as people with big ass guns walking around the airport, that was true in europe decades before it was in the USA, at least in my experience...

maybe I just live in a completely different world or something??? confused

-v-

Wiederstand ist Zwecklos!



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