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Tagged With "pack less"

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Re: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (Where Gumbo was #195)

GarryRF ·
Another reminder of man's inhumanity towards man. Deeply moving moment - like a visit to the gravestones of northern France. Less we forget.
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Re: Tickets: Check before you cancel!

Paul Heymont ·
On the other hand, some airlines are offering bonuses for holding onto tickets and accepting vouchers; that would be a less objectionable practice! As for BA, I take the decision to postpone Willie Walsh's retirement as NOT a sign of smooth sailing, or flying, ahead...
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Re: Tips to help with packing no matter where you are going

Jonathan L ·
I bought in-suitcase bags from e-bags last year. I love them. And I wish I had them the one time that the airline broke my suitcase and took it from me at the airport to fix.
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Re: Tips to help with packing no matter where you are going

Paul Heymont ·
I know what Marilyn means about not overpacking...I recently found a picture of us with our luggage on a 2-person trip to France 20 years ago: a pair of 32" suitcases and a flotilla of small ones around them. Of course, now that we pack Kindle instead of books, that's one down...and overall, we're down to not much luggage. Another useful packing tool is gallon and 2-gallon ZipLoc-type bags (there are even larger sizes available!). Their big plus, aside from compression and sealing is that...
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Re: Tips to help with packing no matter where you are going

HistoryDigger ·
I have packing cubes too. Makes things so much easier to find when you are shifting from hotel to hotel or apartment to apartment. I still over pack. I just need to remember how much I love my jeans and t-shirts when I'm on the go. I never bring jewelry except cheap earrings. Simple style feels best on a trip.
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Re: Tips to help with packing no matter where you are going

Mac ·
Very useful reminders Marilyn, thanks. Absolutely agree with "don't over-pack" (I still do and get cross with myself when I have unused items at the end of the trip. And yes, Kindles, packing cubes and ZipLoc bags have made great additions to my bag in recent years. Two other thoughts occur: 1) fast drying travel clothing (wash and wear overnight) helps lighten the load 2) don't pack every last item of shampoo, tea bags, snacks etc etc in the belief that you can't possibly buy x x x-thing in...
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Re: Tips to help with packing no matter where you are going

Paul Heymont ·
Adding to Mac's point. A big turning point for us was when we started packing for 7 days, no matter how much longer the trip. Usually we have a washer in the apartments we rent, but when not, there's always a laundromat nearby, and usually one that will wash and fold while we tour. We don't often enough change locations to want to keep everything packed (and anyway, I'm a compulsive unpacker) so some of the tools are less useful to us...but I do remind everyone that shoes are actually...
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Re: Tips to help with packing no matter where you are going

Travel Rob ·
Great tips! PHeymont's suggestion of using a laundromat is really useful and the cost is usually just a little bit more than what a luggage locker would be anyway. I have noticed that carry-on bags people are taking are getting smaller and much easier to handle.
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Re: Tips to help with packing no matter where you are going

DrFumblefinger ·
An excellent and useful post, Marilyn! Part of how I pack depends on where I'm traveling. For example, if I'm on a road trip with a car that has a large trunk, I don't really need to economize with my packing. I can take everything along that I might need and not have to deal with the hassle of laundry and such while on the road. If I'm on a trip of a week or less, I never take more than a carry-on bag and my laptop bag. Longer trips get a little trickier because often I need special...
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Re: Norwegian bank is out of cash, on purpose

DrFumblefinger ·
While cashless transactions are convenient and popular, and I use them often, I am not supportive of this move. It is a little too much "Big Brother" for me. Consumers will migrate to the purchase platform of their choice. Cash, I'm sure, will become less and less popular with time. But it still has a place and I as a free individual want to make the decision on when and how I will use it. How will people make purchases if there ever is a complete shut down and hack of the bank's computers...
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Re: Limone, Lake Garda, Italy

GarryRF ·
Only to be found in the Mediterranean are the delicious Meyer Lemons. A cross with lemon and a mandarin orange. A sweet and juicy - less acidic fruit. Colour of a lemon and shape of an orange. Wish they were available when I get home to the UK . Delicious !
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Re: August 5, 2017: The Potter and his Wife

GarryRF ·
Makes me feel less guilty about living in a "Throw Away" Society.
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Re: August 5, 2017: The Potter and his Wife

DrFumblefinger ·
It may be throwaway, but it is clay and it returns to the ground to be reused again at sometime in the future.
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Re: October 5, 2018: Sweets Shop, Delhi

DrFumblefinger ·
I imagine that with all the places you've been and eaten at, you likely have the antimicrobial resistance of penicillin. But those of us who get out less often do need to be careful. Nothing can spoil a vacation quite as much as a case of vomiting or diarrhea. A few minutes of gustatory pleasure don't make up for hours or days of GI distress. I wouldn't recommend the tapeworm therapy, even if it works. Has nasty potential side effects.
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Re: October 5, 2018: Sweets Shop, Delhi

Amateuremigrant ·
Actually K, neither would I, but as the author of 'Supernature' it was kinda in his brief ! His friend advised the beef tapeworm because they're easier to evict than pork ones (!) - he had to eat ~50% extra to placate the sucker (sic) BTW resistances don't really last that long but you're right, I very rarely got, or get ill.
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Re: End of an era: U.S. airlines drop last turboprops

Professorabe ·
I can't say that I'm a great fan of turboprops, but they are used in Europe all over the place and I find myself on one quite frequently. I do not believe they are any less safe than jets.
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Re: Slim airline seats unpopular

Paul Heymont ·
That's an interesting article...especially the part about United finding that passengers like the new seats better as time goes on. I have very limited experience with this (one flight on TAP with them installed) and frankly, they didn't feel more or less cushiony than any others. I just don't think thickness has anything to do with comfort; it's the density of the material used. And frankly, two extra inches for legs...that's a win. At least until the airlines start moving the slim-line...
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Re: The Maltese Islands – Underrated gems or best kept secret ?

Former Member ·
It does not seem fair that one place should have so much going on. Worse, it is less fair that I am not there ! Thanks for the great pics and a bit of history. What are the good months to visit for water sports like paragliding ? Is it winder or the surf stronger some months than others ?
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day: Jan. 16, 2014: Liverpool Victoria Gallery

GarryRF ·
My favourite time to visit attractions is May-June-July. Before the little monsters are released on school vacation. Liverpool has hundreds of things to do - no exaggeration ! Here's 128 to go on with http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/A...seyside_England.html Liverpool makes a good hub for visiting nearby Chester with its 2,000 year old Roman Walls and Tudor Buildings. The River Dee and North Wales. All using local public transport - mostly trains. You can get a flight, Liverpool - Dublin from...
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Re: Should Wi-Fi be free in all hotels?

DrFumblefinger ·
Good discussion! WiFi has for me become an indispensable part of traveling. It allows me to stay in touch with family easily and cheaply (remember how hard it was even 25 years ago -- a phone call could run you $5 a minute? And there was no email). It lets me spend evening hours clearing out a hefty email que, and doing research on what I am going to see tomorrow and the next day. And with "Gumbo on the Go", it lets me share my travels as they happen with fellow Gumboites! I echo PHeymont's...
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Re: Classic American Cars #5

GarryRF ·
Looks like one of the many Kit Cars that were fashionable in the 60s-70s-80s . You bought a fibreglass body and a donor car. Usually an accident write off. Changed over all the body parts and engine and you had a sports car for less than a few thousand dollars !
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Re: Staying In Touch on the Road: Part 1

Former Member ·
Well, I understand the urge for simplicity and not getting tied down...but both the PowerStick and the RAVPower ar e batteries. The RAVPower isn't big; about the size of a cellphone. But it costs 30% less, and will actually put a full charge on a phone, which the other won't. In fact, it will put a full charge on about 6 phones.
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,

GarryRF ·
Starting to get things planned now Hank ! You have the choice of flying into Edinburgh in Scotland. Manchester in the North of England. Or Gatwick / Heathrow which both serve the London area in the South of England. You can get a Train to Paris to end your tour with a few days of Culture in a foreign language ! Fly back to the US from Paris will save you hundreds of Dollars because you wont pay the UK "Departure Tax" but not vital ! Liverpool is less than an hour on the Train from...
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Dec. 17, 2013: Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec

DrFumblefinger ·
Montreal is multilingual, although most natives speak French as their primary language. You can easily get by here with only English and it's a great city to visit. That's not true in the smaller villages of rural Quebec where you might find it difficult to find someone who doesn't speak French. Canadian French split off from continental French 400 years ago, and the two versions of the language have diverged somewhat over the years. I don't speak much French so I really can't give you many...
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Re: The Worst Train in the World

PortMoresby ·
Jill, one thing I didn't think to say when I wrote this report is, consider buying 2nd class seats. I could see into the next car, as it swayed in the opposite direction from ours, and it was fitted with wooden benches, presumably bolted down and consequently a less harrowing ride. It may be more crowded but also more interesting.
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Re: Share Your Budget Tablet and Laptop Picks

Hank ·
I have a high power PC for my hardcore work, but for getting around I like the Google Nexus 7. Nice tablet, slick, fast, less than $200 bucks. Great for using when you fly.
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Re: Best Discount site for Airlines

HeyJude ·
I've always had good luck with kayak.com. Their prices are consistently less than expedia or others. Good luck!
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Re: Greenland from six miles high!

Racing_snake ·
Originally Posted by DrFumblefinger: The world's climate has a history of change. Ice ages have come and gone. Who knows what tomorrow's weather will be, much less next century's? But I do know the folks in Greenland would appreciate a little warming there. As I look out at the snow in my backyard today, Canada could use a little, too. If you look at the rate of retreat of Sermeq kujalleq, 2012's big thaw and recent GRACE satellite data analysis on mass loss, I think warming is the last...
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Re: Minneapolis in the winter

Theodore Behr ·
Thanks for all the info, guys! That helps. I think if it's really cold out, I'll just go to that big mall and hang for awhile. Especially with the metro going there from near where I'm staying. I do like to see movies (hey, its my job, but I love it!) and that aquarium sounds like fun. I'm less of a museum guy, Chatterbox2, but if they have some of those blonde Scandanavian ladies working there I just might need to become one!
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Re: Visit Canada! Kiss a Canadian

DrFumblefinger ·
I think there are three main problems Canadian tourism faces. 1) The weather. Very limited season, unless you want to ski. 2) Expensive airfares. In the last 5 years, air fares went from being competitive to being very expensive -- overly taxed, I guess. And predictably, when you charge more for something you get less of that activity. 3) Heightened border security between Canadian and US border can cause long delays and has greatly reduced cross border crossings in the past 15 years. It's...
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Re: Whom did you say was flying this plane?

Former Member ·
Google made that self drive car. It seems to work fine. Getting on a self drive airplane is less trouble. there would be no crazy drivers passing on the right or tailgating.
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Re: Whom did you say was flying this plane?

DrFumblefinger ·
Originally Posted by Bling: Google made that self drive car. It seems to work fine. Getting on a self drive airplane is less trouble. there would be no crazy drivers passing on the right or tailgating. Yes, Bling, but flying is a three dimensional activity, not a two dimensional one, at at gar greater speeds! And Google is not infallible by any stretch of the imagination.
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Re: Arches National Park — One of America’s Finest

DrFumblefinger ·
There's a ton of stuff to do around Moab, Travel Luver. There's also scenic Canyonlands National Park nearby, well worth exploring. Off-road biking (bicycle, not motorcycle) is extremely popular. Hiking in the cooler seasons. Whitewater rafting is excellent in the summer. And you're less than a day's drive from your next Utah destination, such as Bryce, Zion, or Monument Valley. One of my favorite spots in the US!
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Re: Holiday Flying: How to Beat the Wrap

PortMoresby ·
Just a note of caution, if, as PHeymont suggests, the airport mall tempts you to pick up holiday cheer and other liquids, don't forget connections and possible second trips through security. Just because you bought it at the airport doesn't mean they won't snag it if you have to leave airside to get to your connection. I can imagine very well supplied TSA holiday parties courtesy of some chagrined passengers.
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Re: Holiday Flying: How to Beat the Wrap

Paul Heymont ·
PM is right, and the caution applies especially to liquids. There are some exceptions for duty-free items sealed in special bags, but not always.
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Re: Do you Like these Hotel Tipping Tips ?

Paul Heymont ·
Garry, I have to disagree with you there...having worked in situations like that. It's certainly true that there are often too many tables to serve (if the owner can get by with three waiters instead of four or five, that's money in his pocket). And it's true that too many tables means poor service, even when you want to do better: You just can't, and that often means lower tips as well. Remember: if the party coming in the door is not on your station, you're not serving them. And if they...
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Re: Holiday Flying: How to Beat the Wrap

Former Member ·
Thanks for the good information. I would not have thought about the airport mall, Amazon Locker or the big box stores. Those are terrific ideas. I have given up on gift wrapping and just toss a few colorful gift bags and some tissue paper into my luggage. Later, I put the gifts in the bags for the big "reveal" for the recipient.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Dec. 4, 2013: Patterns from the Air

DrFumblefinger ·
Hi Louie Louie, It has happened to me once, but usually it's not an issue. I have a small pocket camera I keep at hand when flying. When I see something that interests me, I pull it out and take a photo. (remember to turn the flash off, it won't help and will cause a big bright spot on the window) So long as you don't send or receive a signal, it isn't a problem. With the softening of TSA inflight electronic requirements, this should be even less of an issue in the future.
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Re: Airline Seats Shrink While Passengers Expand

Travel Luver ·
Anyone who has flown for awhile knows sitting room is getting smaller and smaller. Seats are narrower and you have less legroom.
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Re: United's Award Chart: Premium Award Cost Goes UP

DrFumblefinger ·
I've seen a lot of "award creep" in my days, and I think there's more to come. A "mile" is worth less and less all the time. It's clear that airline miles aren't worth banking for any period of time. Use them when it's logical to do so. They likely will be worth less in the near future. Thanks for the link, PHeymont.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Dec. 4, 2013: Patterns from the Air

Former Member ·
Originally Posted by DrFumblefinger: With the softening of TSA inflight electronic requirements, this should be even less of an issue in the future. Hello, good Dr. F That is a good point. Sure, the flight attendants ought to be less fussy now.
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Re: Greenland from six miles high!

DrFumblefinger ·
The world's climate has a history of change. Ice ages have come and gone. Who knows what tomorrow's weather will be, much less next century's? But I do know the folks in Greenland would appreciate a little warming there. As I look out at the snow in my backyard today, Canada could use a little, too.
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Re: The Tulou of Fujian Province

PortMoresby ·
No, Rob. Sorry, I don't remember. I read a lot of publications, online and off, and the original picture got lost in the dust of enthusiasm to research logistics. I don't think there's any lack of enthusiasm in the world but that obscure places are getting less obscure every day. What I do think is lacking is imagination. We tend to read about places people have enjoyed, as here on TravelGumbo and follow, rather than setting out for parts unknown. I believe if a place is hard to get to it...
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Mar. 30, 2014: Jean Cocteau on Wine

PortMoresby ·
Yes, I saw the Alcazar pictures and loved them. I was thinking more along the lines of a suitable place for hanging out a few days or more, my favorite activity, if you can call sitting in cafes an activity. Sounds like a candidate. I still consider it at an edge, less than 100 miles from another continent.
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Re: In Egypt: The Egyptian Museum

PortMoresby ·
An item from the UK's Guardian comments on the timelessness & "place-less-ness" of Nefertiti's image. If she'd stayed in Egypt after her discovery at Amarna, she'd likely have a place near her image above with her family, in the photo titled " Scene of worship of the Aten ..." as that's a far more interesting historical context, rather than the following reign of Tutankhamun, in which to put her. I hope the book does her real life justice.
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Re: Italian town bans barking

DrFumblefinger ·
You might be able to train dogs to bark less, but the only way you can get them not to bark is to surgically transect the nerves that go to their vocal cords, or to surgically mutilate the cords so they don't work any more. Sounds very compassionate, doesn't it?
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, September 11, 2015: The Black Death!

GarryRF ·
On a less serious note. I found this sign in Chesapeake Bay earlier this week. I was spotted laughing in the street. No one came by to ask me why.
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Re: Good news, bad news on UNESCO's world heritage

DrFumblefinger ·
I enjoy traveling to UNESCO sites because most of them are very interesting destinations. I even know of some travelers whose goal it is to see "every" UNESCO listing. Good luck to them! I really think UNESCO is doing it's job by identifying important places and encouraging their conservation. I shudder at the thought of a global UNESCO police swooping in to "defend" these sites. It's up to the countries that govern them to do so. Some do a great job; others don't. Some citizens care, others...
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Re: Airbus patents a new Monster Airplane

Paul Heymont ·
It will be interesting to see if this goes anywhere, and what airlines are telling Airbus about it! As mentioned in a post here earlier this month, Airbus has barely broken even on the A380 program, has sold less than 25% of what they thought they could, and has had no new orders for 2 years. While there's a big demand for air-freighters (it's what's keeping the 747 in production), I doubt there's a big market for a freighter that also carries 6-800 passengers, since there are few routes...
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Re: How to not miss a connecting flight

DrFumblefinger ·
There are a lot of good tips in the article about streamlining your connections. While I mostly enjoy flying, travel days are busy and tiring enough that I hate to be rushed. I try to get to the airport early (often I've been grateful that I gave myself that extra time), and I don't take flights that have connections I consider too tight. I like at least 1.5-2 hours between my connections. I've been delayed on arrival often enough that having less time than that is no fun. As planes travel...
 
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