Seasoned Tauck Travelers: Any packing tips for the frequent moves?

KL in Hudson

Although we have traveled a lot, Tauck's Classic Italy will be our first guided tour with frequent location changes. I already know to pack light, use packing cubes, etc., but I was wondering if any of you have come up with clever tactics specifically for the repeated unpacking/repacking. Thanks!

Crackeroo

Hi KL,
We have taken several Tauck tours. You are usually never in the same hotel more than two nights. We pack light and use folders and cubes. We don't unpack. I'm probably a bit over the top, but I make a list of what is in each folder and cube. And we put the items back as they were originally packed. That way, it's easy to find when you are looking for it. And everything fits on our return. Hope this helps.

SHG

Don't unpack. Take clothes that you will discard along the way. Everything should be functional. Pack light! That's the key.

Dixie Chick

All of our 6 Tauck trips have involved a lot of moving around. We never unpack. I roll our clothes instead of laying them flat. That way, I can pretty much see everything and get what I want without disrupting the rest of the stuff. Sort of like rearranging hot dogs in a package. I take from the top layer and replace on the bottom. Then recycle. Whenever I try to do much unpacking, I forget something. There are some really nice black pants somewhere in France and some cute jeans in Alaska. What are cubes?

judith_salb

We pack in large zip lock bags. We can toss them into a dresser in a hotel but we do not remove the clothes. Dirty clothes end up on the bottom of the luggage and zip locks get lighter and finally empty

British

Have tried all sorts of strategies but the most common for us is also don't unpack. We definitely completely unpack sometime and re-organize or put all the clothes we will definitely will not be wearing again into one suitcase and just use the other. All the moving is why we really think it is silly to have to think about packing a jacket for a man because however careful you are, that is still likely to get creased and crumpled and I think that looks worse on a man than no jacket at all. I also roll up my clothes like Dixie chick but my husband does not, he is one of those rare men who packs his own suitcase. I know to be safe you should put clothes for both of you in each suitcase in case one is lost, but we often do not do that. We do carry at least one full change of clothing in our initial carry on and extra underwear on top of that, and depending on if it is a beach vacation, a swimsuit too. Have tried keeping outfits together, but as I often take a limited range of colors, most of my outfits are inter-changeable so it always happens I will wear tops and bottoms differently than I had actually intended to wear together when I packed, maybe I can get an extra day out of one piece of clothing but not the other. Our aim is not to have to waste any vacation time doing any laundry or pay expensive laundry prices---yes I know it is a very small amount of money compared to the price of the vacation but I am fussy about how my precious travel clothing is laundered, my husband had a drip dry travel shirt ruined because it was ironed when we sent it to the laundry on one of our very first trips. And it is prudent to save money sometimes so you can afford the next Tauck trip. Some women just have all their clothes black in color but I hate to wear black, it does not suit me and I have a British heritage and like the queen I try to avoid black unless it is a funeral.
If you hate packing and unpacking, chose a Tauck river cruise, we will do that when we get too old to have the energy to do all of the above, meanwhile, to see the best of a country, you have to keep moving every couple of days. It's worth the inconvenience even to someone who is meticulous about how her clothing is normally stored at home.

Wayside

[quote=What are cubes?[/quote]
Zippered containers with mesh on one side so you can see what is in them. We use Eagle Creek Pack-It cubes but there may be other brands as well.

judy05

We have used Eagle Creek packing folders and packing cubes for the past ten years. I remember when our TD on our Classic Italy trip came into our room one night -- saw them -- said "IS THAT YOUR STUFF?????" -- and said she was going to get some as soon as she got home. We have never had to wash anything on any trip -- nor have we ever had to wear a shirt twice -- our clothing is not wrinkled -- and our luggage has always been underweight. Many of our friends now use them as well. Best invention ever for packing. What a pleasure to open a suitcase without one item not neatly put away in a folder or cube. It makes constantly changing hotels a breeze. I bring empty ones for dirty clothes and at the end of the trip everything is already packed and ready to go. Check out the reviews on Amazon.

British

I just looked at the packing cubes, I do keep my smaller items together in a variety of 'containers' because they are easier to locate, my husband does not, I hate that he packs his socks in his shoes, filling every conceivable space with something unexpected, that's probably why I let him do his own thing. He travels a lot and it works for him. Once, coming home from a vacation, we got our bags opened and the customs inspector said my husband's bag was the neatest he had ever seen, and that was at the end of a vacation! Funny thing is, we have always found that the tightest security at airports has been coming back from various Caribbean locations, they have removed things like travel wine bottle openers we have taken in hand luggage all over the world, nail clippers and the like.

judy05

British -- Check out the packing folders. The cubes are great (underwear -- socks -- etc.) -- but the folders are what really changed our lives in terms of packing. The funniest is when I hear my husband telling people how great they are -- after looking at me like I had two heads when I first got them!

joycesw

I am pretty OCD when it comes to packing for a trip, especially a tour type trip as I can be an "emotional packer" throwing in all of my favorites with little regard to matching or practicality! Furthermore, I don't want to waste any time making decisions while traveling or pawing through my suitcase and repacking each night. And, like British, my husband is on his own in this department!
The first thing I do is to create a table/chart of each day's and night's activities (we like to change for dinner, especially if we are dining at one of the nicer hotels). I then start filling in the boxes with outfits...pants, top, shoes (the most important)...I then track how many times I wear a specific item if it doesn't meet the "at least twice" criteria, it doesn't go! I change up tops, pants, etc to create different outfits. This a about a 3-week procedure. When it comes to packing, I, too, am a HUGE fan of the Eagle Creek folders and cubes! I use one folder for pants and one for tops. When I pack the folders, I use my chart to pack in the order the items will be worn. That way, if I hold to my chart, the next day's outfit is right on top, so there's no rifling through the suitcase each night. Once worn, I carefully repack the item in the correct order to be worn the next time. please understand that my chart is a guide...I do deviate from it if weather or activities change or I just feel like wearing something different. I use a double-sided cube for underwear and smaller items. It is partly mesh as is easy to see what it holds. For me, it is all about organization! About my aforementioned husband?? He also uses cubes and folders (actually has more than I do) and that is all I will say about his method of packing!
Probably the most difficult trips to pack for are those with a number of one nighters (think Grand A/NZ) and those with extreme temperature variations (Southeast Asia, Peru/Galapagos and the one I am packing for as I write, Portrait of India). Some trips are extremely casual (Classic Safari) or dressier than others (riverboat).
Joyce

KL in Hudson

Thanks so much to everyone for the prompt and detailed responses! They were just what I was hoping for.

We discovered this laundry tip in France last summer: Our steamer -- coupled with a travel bottle of Febreze -- kept our clothes clean and fresh in addition to handling the wrinkles. It had never really occurred to me, but since steam is a sanitizer it does make some sense. Armed with this knowledge for our next trip, we will pack much less (but maybe throw in a backup steamer!)

Thanks again -- can't wait for our first Tauck adventure in April.

British

This is such a fun item for discussion. Joyce, I admire you for your discipline. My problem is I tend to act like a squirrel when I am on vacation and save up outfits for a rainy day, like when I spill food on my clothing that I have just put on, so if I can wear an item that I have managed to not spoil on the next day, I will. So that's why my original plan of outfits just never work out in reality and I end up still having several clean outfits when I return home. I am fortunate that I do not suffer from 'fragrant' clothing, just the odd stain. KL, have a great tour with Tauck, I guarantee it will not be your last.

HuskerBob

Very helpful discussion here on packing. We will take back-to-back Tauck tours of Spain & Portugal in September. I am a folder of clothes, but, my wife does her own thing. I am interested in a packing system for the clothes on this long land tour. Have been looking at the Eagle Creek videos. I probably will purchase a 28" expandable Eagle Creek piece of luggage and try to follow their system. Will have to watch the 50 lb limit for sure. Not sure what my wife will do. She also tends to buy "extra" things to bring back home. Has there been any other discussion on luggage on Tauck? 4 wheels? Poly carbonate? Brands w/good zippers?, etc. Thanks. Bob

AlanS

After reading this thread I have decided to work on my "new invention", a special suitcase for business and Tauck type travelers.

I'm retired (Navy & Fed. Gov't), but I tinker in my workshop and am an inventor of sorts- I designed and have licensed two woodworking accessories to two woodworking tool and accessories manufacturers (Google "INCRA I-BOX," and Infinity "Lock Miter Master") who are successfully marketing them. I have given this packing issue some real thought over the last couple of years of trips (Tauck, etc.) and think I have come up with a novel approach. Once I have built and successfully tested a prototype, I'll attempt to market it. Hopefully some enlightened luggage manufacturer will see its benefit and license my design. Until then, folders and cubes will have to do! :~)