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Packing tip & flight question
Hello:
Wanted to share a what I hope is possibly a helpful packing tip for anyone taking America's Canyonland trip like us in the coming months & ask a question regarding the 2 flights. We have found in our 2 previous Tauck land tours focused on the National parks that we over packed on some clothing items that were never worn & did not take enough of others. Plus, we both exercise regularly so we need athletic clothes as well. We found our luggage to be cumbersome/heavy & difficult to re-pack as we left for the next venue & as we got closer to the end.
Dry cleaning prices per the piece can certainly add up. We are going to extend our stay in Vegas so we will be gone for 11 days. We figure once we get to Vegas, if we need to avail ourselves of Laundry services for a few items, we can have the Four Seasons do it. So, that said, wanting to pack light this time around, reached out to the park hotels. The lake Powell Resort offered what I thought was a very good mid vacation option. The Operations Mgr. wrote me back and stated:
We have Laundry Service available for the guest hours between 7:00am to 4:00pm. Since you are the hotel guest, please fill the Laundry slip in your room and return it to the Front Desk with the Laundry bag, we will wash-dry and pack it for you in the same day”
As for my question regarding the 2 flights – the early morning, 45-minute flight (included) touring the Lake Powel area & the Monument Valley Option with a longer flyover (optional w/ fee) Everyone who has taken the optional Monument Valley option flight says it’s a DO NOT MISS on this board. Well worth it.
I’m prone to motion sickness on certain amusement rides & a bumpy air flight. In the only 2 Helicopter rides taken in my life in Alaska, I got sick on one of them (it was bumpy) & the other one I was fine. I have taken a small seaplane touring flight in Alaska and was fine as well. I’m good on large planes if I take my Bonine.
I’m concerned even if I take Bonine, I will get sick and "kill" the day. For those reading this who have taken the flights or those that share my concern and have talked to others who did this excursion, any thoughts/feedback?
Thanks
Rob.
Wanted to share a what I hope is possibly a helpful packing tip for anyone taking America's Canyonland trip like us in the coming months & ask a question regarding the 2 flights. We have found in our 2 previous Tauck land tours focused on the National parks that we over packed on some clothing items that were never worn & did not take enough of others. Plus, we both exercise regularly so we need athletic clothes as well. We found our luggage to be cumbersome/heavy & difficult to re-pack as we left for the next venue & as we got closer to the end.
Dry cleaning prices per the piece can certainly add up. We are going to extend our stay in Vegas so we will be gone for 11 days. We figure once we get to Vegas, if we need to avail ourselves of Laundry services for a few items, we can have the Four Seasons do it. So, that said, wanting to pack light this time around, reached out to the park hotels. The lake Powell Resort offered what I thought was a very good mid vacation option. The Operations Mgr. wrote me back and stated:
We have Laundry Service available for the guest hours between 7:00am to 4:00pm. Since you are the hotel guest, please fill the Laundry slip in your room and return it to the Front Desk with the Laundry bag, we will wash-dry and pack it for you in the same day”
As for my question regarding the 2 flights – the early morning, 45-minute flight (included) touring the Lake Powel area & the Monument Valley Option with a longer flyover (optional w/ fee) Everyone who has taken the optional Monument Valley option flight says it’s a DO NOT MISS on this board. Well worth it.
I’m prone to motion sickness on certain amusement rides & a bumpy air flight. In the only 2 Helicopter rides taken in my life in Alaska, I got sick on one of them (it was bumpy) & the other one I was fine. I have taken a small seaplane touring flight in Alaska and was fine as well. I’m good on large planes if I take my Bonine.
I’m concerned even if I take Bonine, I will get sick and "kill" the day. For those reading this who have taken the flights or those that share my concern and have talked to others who did this excursion, any thoughts/feedback?
Thanks
Rob.
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Comments
Laundry..... most people object to the price of laundry especially at Four seasons hotels. That in fact appears to be the main issue.
We never exercise on Tauck tours, we take a vacation from that too, in fact, there is barely time to do any. We swim if we can, that’s all. Having to get up as early as 5-30 and adjusting to jet lag just makes exercising too tough and many of the gyms are not open that early. We go to bed much earlier on the tours too.
Some people use the packing cubes method of packing, we have tried that recently in modified form and it helps some use the vacuum packing method. Some take old underwear and throw it out as they go along. Suggestions are endless.
The flight to Monument Valley is worth it. The plane on the shorter included flight held about twenty to twenty-five people. We took the Monument Valley flight and that plane had a capacity of ten to twelve people and was smaller. The flight over was OK and not too bumpy. The return flight was a little worse because of a change in the winds. The pilot said that the winds are variable at the lower altitudes where they fly and vary from flight to flight. I am accustomed to smaller planes and I was OK. My wife does not do well in smaller planes but she was only slightly airsick. I believe had she taken motion sickness medication that morning she would have been OK.
I've said this on other posts but will repeat here. Tauck's advice to wear cotton clothing is a poor choice given the many other options. Clothing made from newer fabric blends - modal, rayons, microfiber, fleece, etc - are available and have several advantages. They are lighter than cotton, many are cooler/more breathable than cotton, and they dry much faster so they are easy to wash in a hotel sink and dry overnight (especially in our arid southwest climate). My husband lives in his 32 Degrees Tshirts and collared golf shirts. He also has travel pants made from blends which have the advantage of zippered security pockets. We just returned from a land tour to Ireland and I didn't take a single piece of cotton clothing other than a cardigan.
Lots of places to find other travel options - Costco, Amazon, Travel Smith, your local sporting goods retailer etc.
For a Canyonlands trip, I'd pack all casual items for day wear that could be sink washed if absolutely needed and 1-2 nice outfits for evening wear that likely won't need to be laundered.
Just my 2 cents worth.
In retrospect, I should of waited before posting to make sure I knew the exact pricing for the laundry service at the Lake Powell Resort. Don't want to give out misinformation if I can help it. I did ask, but did not receive a pricing response and should of waited from the resort. Claudia. you are right & I agree. Typically very pricey to have the hotel/resort do one's laundry. As you will see below, pricing here I thought, was far more reasonable.
I asked 2x again & did get a response with a a Laundry pricing sheet. (I did not attach) Some of the prices for the Men are, shirts 2.00, undershorts .50, trousers 3.00, shorts,1.50, t shirts 1.00. Women have same pricing format.The resort has washers/dryers w/ a self serve option about a mile way and the resort will transport you there/back if that's an option someone may want?
Thanks
Rob
I am impressed that you find time to exercise and do self service laundry on a tour, our days are too full, any free time we spend exploring or OK, the odd massage, which before retirement was hard to find time to do. Enjoy the tour, what a wonderful scenic country this is.
We did not want to spend one minute of our vacation doing laundry. That's why I was seeking out an alternative where we could pay for the service. the next 2 hotels on the in trip only have a "do it yourself" option as far as I know. Once we get to Vegas, if we need to avail ourselves to laundry a few items, we can. Total of 11 days away.
In our 2 previous 8-9 Tauck land trips, we found very little room in our luggage halfway thru the trip. As much as we prepare & research to bring the right amount of clothing for the weather, we seem to miss. We did the San Fran/Yosemite trip last Sept, it was around 100 degrees in San Fran. Who could of predicted that?
Makes it difficult to pack also when you really can't go by previous years weather.
Anyway, enough about packing & laundry. Should be the least of our problems.
We are all very fortunate to go on great trips w/Tauck!!!
Rob.
That's actually fairly reasonably priced for laundry service. I'd use it for things like slacks that just don't dry well. The washers/dryers are probably down by the RV camp ground that's part of the complex.
Nobody wants to spend a vacation doing laundry, but it can get hard to avoid on longer trips or if the temps are such that you only get 1 day's wear out of a shirt.
Hope you have a nice trip Bob. We've done most of it in our RV and there's some beautiful country to see.