Jordan & Egypt Info #2

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  • Debi Horan British, Can you really pack for a 2 week trip in the 22 inch Lipault? If so, I would love some advice on packing less stuff.

    Debi I don't have a 22 inch Lipault but I have packed for a 3 week Grand Australia and New Zealand and Portrait of India tours using a 21inch Briggs and Riley Baseline Expandable International Carry On.

  • I, too, have Briggs & Riley...25"H, 18"W 11"D. With the expansion feature, you supposedly get 25% more space. We have never needed to expand, except for our waistlines! Like PureLuxury we have used our bags on three week trips. There is a garment bag that zips out which is really nice for some dressier outfits. I don't think it matters what kind of luggage you have. The key is mix and matching and using packing envelopes/cubes. Hope this helps.

  • Debi, as the other two mention, it’s no problem. In fact our last trip was supposed to be a three week trip before Covid curtailed it and that was their first outings. We have had four shorter vacations this year and they even had another plane trip recently and we like them.
    We’ve been using cubes for a few years. We have learned to pare down and chose lightweight clothing over the years, Any clothing I buy for potentially travel, must be lightweight and must not crease. I even have linen pieces that don’t crease. We roll everything, which also takes less space and we don’t take tons of shoes…even though we always take what I call an emergency outfit including shoes in case of bad wet weather or a food accident…Mr B has been known to spill coffee over himself more than once!
    People always say TMI on this one, but we don’t have sleep ware and Mr. B is a tightly whitey, guy….you may laugh, but it certainly cuts down on bulk in the suitcase. We tend to wear daytime clothing that can transition to evening if necessary. I’ve done the scarf thing, though not recently. Mr B doesn’t take a jacket but takes nice dress shirts. Sometimes, I take no jewelery at all depending on where we are going, not even a wedding ring. We keep our travel toiletry bags stocked with small sizes so as soon as we get home from a trip, we get them ready for another potential trip…..if you asked me to go on vacation with you today, I could get up now and be ready to leave with you in half an hour….where are we going? 😀
    For our carry on, we take a small rucksack each, Mr B takes a Costco special high school book bag and I take one of my Vera Bradley bags of a similar size. In those, we can put two complete outfits plus a pair of shoes. If we are going somewhere with a pool, we always pack a swimsuit in it too. We put our paperwork, cameras, binoculars, iPads, a book, adapters, meds, I think that’s all in those….you only have to have your bags delayed once to know this is a good idea. We like backpacks so we are free to run at airports if we are late for a flight and to have free hands. I sometimes take a small handbag, cross body, but sometimes one that will fit inside the backpack.
    I take enough outfits for every day, I don’t like to get laundry done. Mr B is happier to get laundry done for the past couple of years but it’s difficult anyway when you only stay in a place for two nights, it takes some pre planning.
    By the way, we see people on Tauck tours with smaller bags than us.
    For us, the easiest trips to pack for are the adventure ones, Africa, Patagonia, Costa Rica, Borneo etc

  • Great post British. Agree with a lot. A few years ago we bought sets of cubes. The cubes are great in that they keep things separate and make packing easier as you can fill them up long before you do leave. We also have become a true believer in rolling clothes too.
    Another trick we have learned to keep nice clothes from wrinkling is to hang them on hangers and cover them with the plastic wrap you get from the cleaners with your clothes. During final packing remove the hangers and put them in the suitcase. Your clothes will be wrinkle free when you need them.

    We always now take a Tauck African duffel bag with us all rolled up empty and in a checked bag. At the end of a trip we fill the duffel with all our dirty clothes (we don't do laundry on a trip either except when we were in Africa) and other clothes etc. That frees up a lot of space on our checked or carry on bags for purchases. Since we fly business we can take the extra one or two duffels. A side benefit is that once we get home the duffel goes right into the laundry room.

    We just bought MONOS luggage. One carry on and one checked bag for each of us. The reviews are fantastic. They have the 360 degree wheels, are very lightweight, outside pocket on the carry on etc. Folks might want to check out their luggage.

  • I just looked them up and a lovely pink one came up. We tried the rigid luggage prior to the soft sided when we had to transport an oil painting of my hubby as a teenager that his mother had painted when we cleared her home. It got here in one piece, but when we tried it for regular travel we found it took up too much room when the suitcase was opened up for us….still, if we ever get painted in oils, it will be great.

  • Thank you. A lot of great tips! I usually bring older sneakers to donate and underwear to trash daily. Getting excited. Seems like a 2 year travel gap isn't helping with this. I will look up the MONOs.

  • Hi Deb, we're on the Dec 5 tour but we leave home on the 3rd. Is that your trip?

  • Need help locating a test site for Covid RT-PCR test with QR Code or lab stamp in Eastern NC. Trip booked for 11-19-2021

  • edited November 2021

    Shelby79797
    4:22PM
    Need help locating a test site for Covid RT-PCR test with QR Code or lab stamp in Eastern NC. Trip booked for 11-19-2021

    If you haven't done so, I would check at the link below, first. If you call one of the Vidant sites (in Beaufort, Lenoir, Chowan, Hertford, Pitt, Duplin, Wilson, Edgecomb, Halifax, Bertie, etc. counties). If they can't provide a rapid results test site, they may be able tell where to find one.

    https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/about-covid-19/testing/find-my-testing-place?gclid=CjwKCAjwoP6LBhBlEiwAvCcthPxMTw4odXolqA83cx1VGeSq8c5a1WXXw-tuhALlZrMfG4oqPniiWxoC_TsQAvD_BwE

  • I'm not sure what's available in NC but we're getting ours in the md/dc area at sameday health. They have locations all over the country and provide a qr code with the pcr results. I was told insurance would cover all but $75 and results in 16 hours. I've been concerned about the return time and the code. Apparently in Europe you get a code automatically with your results but not so in the US. I've also read that it's required in Jordan but Tauck said it wasn't necessary. I'm crossing all the ts and dotting all is right now just to be sure.

  • Shelby, you need to find lab close to the airport that will give you rapid results and print the QR code on the test results. Anyplace that caters to international travelers will be able to help. You don’t want to wait 16 hours to get test results. I’m leaving the day after Thanksgiving, which meant I will have to get tested on my way to the airport. Results in 30 minutes- QR code and proper signatures. Cost near DFW is $ 225.00. I doubt insurance will pay for any part of the test. That’s for those who are symptomatic. I spoke to Tauck a couple of times about timing of the test. They are very helpful. Good luck and have a fabulous time! I’ll be right behind you on the Jewels trip.

  • Franlovestravel - we are just back from Jewels of the Nile. Great trip and I will post a report. But I wanted to let you know that we did not visit the Synagogue, as it is undergoing major renovations.

  • Lotusgirl...looking forward to hearing all about your tour. 40 days to go for me B)

  • Any solo travelers on the December 19 departure of Petra and the Pyramids?

  • **delphinium54*Any solo travelers on the December 19 departure of Petra and the Pyramids?

    Missed you by one week. I was scheduled for those dates in 2020. When I re-booked for 2021 those tour dates were sold out and I was wait-listed. I never bothered to change back.

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