Summer Travel Tips: Packing for Your Covid Era Road Trip

Hope you caught my appearance on The Jam on May 27. If you missed it, click here or read on for more information.

Packing for a road trip, especially with kids in tow, is always an annual summer ordeal. But this year, things are made more complicated by the need to bring along extra cleaning supplies. 

For many of us, you can never be too germ-phobic these days. Especially on a road trip, during which you may need to stop at places that may not have extensive cleaning protocols (like gas stations and roadside cafes), you need to take the burden of cleaning on yourself.

  

So, develop a special packing list this summer, designed especially to the COVID-19 situation. Of course, bring along the usual suspects, including hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes. For pumping gas, pack plastic gloves, cover your hand with a plastic bag, or use your winter mittens!

Remember to bring along an ample supply of face masks, as you need to wash them after a single use. 

Don't forget the microbes that are accumulating on your phone. Clean your phone regularly, and swap out screen protectors frequently.

A couple of other items that might not seem so obvious are a thermometer and a battery-operated UV light sanitizing wand. The science is still out on how well these work on viruses, but a light swipe as an add-on to other cleaning protocols likely can’t hurt. 

The jury is still out on sterilizing with
UV light, but it can't hurt as an extra precaution.

Pack a small cleaning kit for everyone in the car. Try to store kits away from the sun, in part to avoid extra-runny hand sanitizer. To dispense with the need for multiple stops, bring along your own food and beverage. Not only will you not have to stop for nibbles, but you won’t have to worry about germ-laden packaging. Additionally, you can also select food items that, even if dropped, won’t create a mess in the car (carrot sticks, pretzels versus sticky stuff).

9 Tips for Packing Light

It's the bane of every traveler's existence in these days of airline pay-for-packing schemes. How does one confine oneself, if at all possible, to a carry-on bag?  Here are some ideas. 

Prime Packing Tips

1. Pick a color scheme and stick to it. Many people choose black and white. I find that quite blah. Not to mention that once you spill something on those white pants, they are down for the count. Opt for basics in blue, chocolate brown, or green to stand out from the crowd. Having a color plan allows you to limit purses and shoes (see below).

2. Do the mix and match thing. If your skirts and pants sport patterns, bring solid tops. Make sure you can wear different tops with different bottoms to give the illusion of tripling the size of your wardrobe.

3. Thank goodness for accessories.  They can truly change the look of an outfit. Pop a belt over that flowing dress and you have a whole new silhouette. Those who are handy with scarves can find a million ways to change things up with one small piece of fabric.

4.  Jackets and sweaters can also alter a look. Just add a top layer to an outfit you have been wearing all day and voila, you have a new outfit. Plus, the new layer will serve to cover any stains, man-made or natural, that you may have acquired on your blouse during the day.

5. Ladies, since all of your clothing now mixes and matches, you only need one purse.

I do not recommend choosing
clogs as one of your
three pairs of shoes.

6.  Likewise, you will be able to stick to my famous Three Shoe Rule. Now, I am not saying you can only bring three shoes. But I am limiting you to three pairs of shoes--one for dress (heels); one for fashionable walking (comfy loafers or sandals or flat boots, depending on the season); and one (sneakers) for those workouts I know you do on the road..

7.  Pack lightweight, wrinkle-proof, hand-washable clothing.

8.  Use compression bags. Packing carry-on doesn't have to suck when you use these, because by sucking the air from the bag with a mini-vac, you can basically shrink-wrap your clothing--reducing bulk by half. Travelon Space Mates are also airtight, leak-proof, and cheap (2 for $15).

9. Wear your heaviest clothing (parkas, boots) on board. If you resemble the Michelin Man, so be it.

More Tips for Packing Light

Curious how the woman behind Daily Suitcase packs? Check out this segment from Let's Talk Live in Washington, DC. 

http://www.wjla.com/blogs/lets-talk-live/2014/05/packing-light-for-your-next-trip-21762.html

If you don't feel like watching the whole thing (tsk, tsk), here's a pithy recap.

1. Pick a color scheme and stick to it. Many people choose black and white. I find that quite blah. Not to mention that once you spill something on those white pants, they are down for the count. Opt for basics in blue, chocolate brown, or green to stand out from the crowd. Having a color plan allows you to limit purses and shoes (see below).

2. Do the mix and match thing. If your skirts and pants sport patterns, bring solid tops. Make sure you can wear different tops with different bottoms to give the illusion of tripling the size of your wardrobe.

3. Thank goodness for accessories.  They can truly change the look of an outfit. Pop a belt over that flowing dress and you have a whole new silhouette. Those who are handy with scarves can find a million ways to change things up with one small piece of fabric.

4.  Jackets and sweaters can also alter a look. Just add a top layer to an outfit you have been wearing all day and voila, you have a new outfit.

5. Since all of your clothing mixes and matches, you only need one purse.

I do not recommend choosing

clogs as one of your

three pairs of shoes.

6.  Likewise, you will be able to stick to my famous Three Shoe Rule. Now, I am not saying you can only bring three shoes. But I am limiting you to three pairs of shoes--one for dress (heels); one for fashionable walking (comfy loafers or sandals or flat boots, depending on the season); and one (sneakers) for workouts and walks on the road.. 

7.  Pack lightweight, low-wrinkle, hand-washable clothing.

8.  Use compression bags. Packing carry-on doesn't have to suck when you use these, because by sucking air from the bag with a mini-vac, you can shrink-wrap your clothing--reducing bulk by half. Travelon Space Mates are airtight, leak-proof, and cheap (2/$15).

9. Wear your heaviest clothing (parkas, boots) on board.

Tips for Packing Light

Today I appeared on NewsChannel 8's Let's Talk Live to provide the skinny of putting your suitcase on a diet. The clip will soon be posted.  

In the meantime, people often wonder how I can pack so light. True, I was unable to fit my gear into a carry-on for the 25-day trek from Beijing to Moscow. But I still had less baggage than my fellow passengers. And I  headed back to the USA lighter than I started (suitcase--3 pounds lighter; body-10 pounds lighter) largely because 1/4 of my suitcase was reserved outbound for gluten-free snacks.

Here's the pre-trip packing list:

3 pairs of pants

2 pairs of shorts

3 casual dresses

What do you wear to meet a bear?
 

1 pair of sandals

2 pairs of loafers

1 pair of heels

6 T-shirts

2 long-sleeve tops

2 sweaters

1 windbreaker

1 leather jacket

1 silk robe (not worn during trip--robes supplied on train and at hotels)

1 bathing suit (not worn)

Socks, underwear

2 pairs of comfy yoga pants

I also brought a shoebox full of hotel-sized amenities like shampoo, body wash and conditioner, most of which I didn't need. I also packed reading material, an umbrella, sunglasses, glasses, drugs and potions, a neck pillow, a butt supporter, mini-headphones, and a few notebooks....plus iPad,cameras, batteries, chargers, adaptors, credit cards, an ATM card, and my passport. All were packed in a 26" Biaggi foldable suitcase, a small backpack, and a purse.

Yes, I did break my three-pairs-of-shoes rule, largely due to a two-hour meeting in Moscow which required heels. That bothered me. But the fact that I wore through everything else, and arrived back home with a big sack of dirty clothing, proved another packing job well done.














http://dailysuitcase.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-packing-list.html

The Packing List

People often wonder how I can pack so light. True, I was unable to fit my gear into a carry-on for the three-week trek from Beijing to Moscow, but I still had less baggage than my fellow passengers. And I am heading back to the USA lighter than I started (suitcase--3 pounds lighter; body-10 pounds lighter) largely because 1/4 of my suitcase was reserved outbound for gluten-free snacks. All needed to be consumed for sustenance. And because I purchased no Monopoly games on this jaunt (more on that disappointing development in another post), I am heading back with space to spare.

Here's the packing list:

3 pairs of pants
2 pairs of shorts
3 dresses
2 pairs of sandals
2 pairs of loafers
1 pair of heels (necessary for one 2-hour business meeting-ouch)
6 T-shirts
2 long-sleeve tops
2 sweaters
1 windbraker
1 leather jacket
1 silk robe (not worn during trip--robes supplied on train and at hotels)
1 bathing suit (not worn)
Socks, underwear
2 pairs of comfy yoga pants

I also brought a shoebox full of hotel-sized amenities like shampoo, body wash and conditioner, most of which I didn't need to use.

I had 5 books with me--a Russian language book, which I studied diligently for an hour a day; Lonely Planet Moscow (albeit circa 1993); Lonely Planet Trans-Siberian (a new edition--not LP's greatest work); Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (my plane read on the way to Beijing); and Travels to Siberia by Ian Frazier. The latter was my train read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Other than that, I had an umbrella, sunglasses, glasses, drugs and potions, a neck pillow, a butt supporter, mini-headphones, and a few notebooks....plus iPad,cameras, batteries, chargers, adaptors, credit cards, an ATM card, and my passport.

All were packed in a 26" Biaggi foldable suitcase, a small rucksack, and a purse.

Yes, I did break my three-pairs-of-shoes rule, largely due to my two-hour need for heels (I actually could have done without one pair of sandals--but they don't take much room, anyway). But other than that, I have to pat myself on the back for another packing job well-done.

6 Days. 32 Degrees. 1 Carry-On.

Biaggi Foldable

As a travel expert, one of the questions I get asked most frequently is "how do I pack?"  And now that airlines are charging for checked bags, the follow-up is "how do I stuff everything into a carry-on?" Now, if you are a woman with a shoe fetish traveling to the Great White North in December for 6 days, you likely believe the latter feat is impossible. But, if you read my answer to the first question posed, you will learn that you can travel to Canada for 6 days in the winter solely with a carry-on bag (plus a purse/tote).


To show that I walk the walk, let me detail what I am taking this week to the freezing cold (literally) city of Toronto. Above is my 22" Biaggi Foldable Carry-On ($229). Let's see what's inside.

It starts with my three pairs of shoes rule. You rarely need to have more than three pairs of shoes for any trip, and if you are a guy, you can probably get away with two. For women, my rule of toe is one pair of heels, one pair of comfortable flats (for walking) and one pair of sneakers (for working out). However, on this trip, I am flip-flopping from the norm. I am bringing a pair of Cole-Haan loafers, one pair of knee-high  flat boots, high-heeled ankle booties, and one extra item to boot (details in paragraph below). Normally, I would wear the bulkiest footwear on the plane, but in this case, I am packing both pairs of boots, and wearing the loafers on board.

In case I want to work out, I am bringing yoga pants and a built-in-bra athletic top. If I opt to go to the gym instead of using my iPad yoga app, I figure I can just do it in socks...or thongs (as in flip-flops, friends--yes, I know--breaking the three-shoe rule, but they are oh-so-tiny). Speaking of socks and lingerie--here's an accounting of what's packed in the suitcase. One bra, five pairs of socks, two pairs of tights, and six pairs of underwear. For sleeping, a pair of flannel pajama pants and a t-shirt.

During the day and into the night, my outerwear wardrobe, which is highly mix-and-matchable, will consist of the following:

1 dress
1 wool skirt
4 sweaters 
2 pairs of pants
One short-sleeve shirt
One tiny purse
One pair of wool mittens and a hat
As aforementioned, two pairs of boots....

and a partridge in a pear tree.

Actually, no partridge, but other little odds and ends that every woman needs (sunglasses, vitamins, energy bars, etc.)  And that's the Biaggi bag.

Instead of a purse, I am carrying on a nylon expandable tote. The reason for the tote--I will need the extra room to stow the Canadian version of Monopoly I plan to purchase (thus adding to my 30-plus game international collection). Plus, I may purchase a few other odds and ends. For the outbound trip, though, the bag will be nearly empty. It will contain items that need to be whipped out at security, along with valuables (camera, iPad, phone) I don't want to stow in the overhead compartment. I will also toss in seeds and reads.

Rodechi Hazelton
Hybrid Scarf ($185)

Because I will need a winter coat, I will wear that on board to save massive space (even though it is currently 70 degrees in Washington, DC). I will don my loafers (with socks so that I don't pick up yucky germs when I go all Shoeless Joe through security); a pair of jeans (with which I have to wear a normally-not-recommended belt, as these are low riders and ride low they will without some form of suspension); a lightweight shirt; and a fashionable Ralph Lauren sweater hoodie. I am also testing out the Robdechi hybrid scarf, which does septuple duty as a hat, a money belt, a passport holder, an eye mask, a neck pillow and a micro-fiber cloth to clean your iPad and iPhone (the latter of which you can conveniently store in one of the scarf's many hidden compartments).

Voila, my six-day Canadian wardrobe. Canuck believe it?