What's your golden travel rule?

[mandolino]

A warm welcome to AFF @Travellin Wilbury . I do agree with the packing cubes. amazing what you can fit in a carry on with the help of the cubes.
and the travelling Willburys are one of my favourite groups and perform my personal motivational piece - I Won't Back down.

As to HCO we are late converts. We have had a few instances of our checked luggage travelling via connections when we travelled direct. Has been over a week on a couple of occasions which caused problems. yes we would travel with a change of clothes in our carry on but no fun having 2 outfits for 10 days. No such worries with carry on only.

I am 78 with mobility problems. Dragging a 20KG bag around plus a carry on is a real pain in the back. We went 6 weeks in Bangkok over Christmas and in May 4 weeks in Singapore, Batam and Bangkok. Both times HCO. And we did have lunch in a Michelin starred restaurant in Singapore In 2 weeks time we are off on a 3 week trip Sydney, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Darwin again HLO.

We enjoy being able to check in on line, skip the check in queues and at the other end stop at Immigration then straight out of the airport.

Now in the next 18 months we have 4 cruises booked and for those we will take a 20KG checked bag.

Tom Petty was indeed a TW but I don't think they recorded I Won't Back Down, that was only on TP's records.

 

[Flyfrequently]

Compression packing cubes. Game changers!! Used them for first time recently (May-June) for our extended Italian holiday; can’t begin to say what a difference they made to packing as well as ‘find-ability’ of clothing

Welcome to AFF @Travellin Wilbury
I use them also

 

[VPS]

I always pack a spare pair of shoe laces. Knowing my luck, if one was to break it'd be at the most inconvenient time and finding replacements is always an issue at short notice!

I never did find out what the Hungarian word for shoelaces was and I also never found any shoelaces there. A piece of string did the job for a while

 

[serfty]

???? HLO. Pleeeease explain

Thread 'The great hand luggage only challenge!!!'

Sep 2, 2007

OK
So reports of some opportunities for enhancement of my checked luggage experiences have circulated here (as a recap - bags delayed twice on a three and a half week trip - only had luggage for 3 days on entire trip).
So on the upcoming SOB (Son of BEHEMOTH) I am considering trying to travel with checked luggage only.
I am currently postulating whether it is practical on this trip to travel only with hand luggage . The routing is:

syd-nrt-hkg - suit required
hkg-pvg - suit again
pvg-hkg - suit again
hkg-nrt- travel with overnight
nrt-dfw-jfk - business casual
jfk-lhr-lca -...

• simongr

 

[drron]

Tom Petty was indeed a TW but I don't think they recorded I Won't Back Down, that was only on TP's records.

Yes my Bad. though I also liked George Harrison. He and Jeff Lynne were part of the Heartbreakers as well as TW and George did sing on that song. Bob Dylan also used the Heartreakers on at least 1 of his world tours.

 

[RooFlyer]

Would appreciate any tips- put it all into some sort of special wallet that you keep in a nook by your seat during the flight (I never fly in Eco for long haul so that helps)? Any other hot tips?

I always travel with a Bellroy Travel Wallet

Travel Wallet: Leather RFID Passport Holder, Cover & Sleeve | Bellroy

The Travel Wallet enables you to keep all of your important documents in one place with two note sections, a tailored passport pouch, card slots and even a pen.

bellroy.com

It holds an Aussie (and I imaging, others) passport snugly and if in your front pocket, you can sit down without bending the passport. Holds cards of course and 2 sections in the notes art so you can separate currencies.

Depending on the airline and in J I usually stuff the wallet at the bottom of my carry-on, after security. If anyone can steal it from there, they deserve to have it!

Turkish have a lockable cubby at your seat in their A350s and Qatar will also have this in their next-gen QSuite, scheduled later this year.

 

[DejaBrew]

I always travel with a Bellroy Travel Wallet

I have the Bellroy x Qantas version in navy and tan and have been quite happy with it too.

Buy Qantas x Bellroy Travel Wallet | Qantas Marketplace

Use Qantas Points or points plus pay to shop for Qantas x Bellroy Travel Wallet online on the Qantas Marketplace. Shop here.

marketplace.qantas.com

 

[andye]

I always travel with a Bellroy Travel Wallet

Travel Wallet: Leather RFID Passport Holder, Cover & Sleeve | Bellroy

The Travel Wallet enables you to keep all of your important documents in one place with two note sections, a tailored passport pouch, card slots and even a pen.

bellroy.com

It holds an Aussie (and I imaging, others) passport snugly and if in your front pocket, you can sit down without bending the passport. Holds cards of course and 2 sections in the notes art so you can separate currencies.

Depending on the airline and in J I usually stuff the wallet at the bottom of my carry-on, after security. If anyone can steal it from there, they deserve to have it!

Turkish have a lockable cubby at your seat in their A350s and Qatar will also have this in their next-gen QSuite, scheduled later this year.

I love my Bellroy

 

[kevrosmith]

I can agree with almost all of those and have learnt many of these lessons myself over the years, sometimes the hard way…

But a genuine question re 40 as it puzzles me: How does one manage to keep the passport (and ideally wallet too) on oneself when traveling on a long haul flight? I understand that this would be ideal, especially in the case of an emergency evacuation, but how can it be done feasibly? Especially the Aussie passport is extremely flimsy, having that on you while seating inevitably will make it crease and bent and, worst case, not readable in the automated machines. The European ones are much sturdy but would also be more uncomfortable on a long flight. And I got BOTH so I’d ideally carry them both on me, depending where I go. Would appreciate any tips- put it all into some sort of special wallet that you keep in a nook by your seat during the flight (I never fly in Eco for long haul so that helps)? Any other hot tips?

I’ve used one of these money belts to store my passport when getting around overseas.

Korjo - Money Belt

Korjo - Money Belt

www.petersofkensington.com.au

I put the passport in a zip lock bag for protection against moisture/sweat and wear the belt just above my belt/waist area with the pouch in the small of my back. Hardly notice it is there.

Obviously, it’s a little inconvenient to have to get it out, but still possible.

 

[kevrosmith]

My golden rule? Always pack your own pillow. Hotel pillows are usually cough, and on some quick trips to Asia, I would be away for 3 nights, and would only get 1 night in a bed, so good sleep was crucial.

A latex pillow can rolled into a small log and tied with a belt, and can even fit in carry-on luggage to use on a flight. Over 17 years of international travel, it’s been a lifesaver.

I use a contour memory foam pillow at home and have had a travel size one for many years now.

Sleep Away Travel Pillow | Best Travel Pillow

Travel in comfort with the Sleep Away Travel Pillow, offering superior support and sleep posture. Choose between traditional foam for familiar comfort or memory foam for a personalised experience. Lightweight, compact, and available in multiple colours, it’s perfect for planes, hotels, camping...

pillows.com.au

It easily fits into a domestic size carry-on bag and squashes down easily when necessary.

Unfortunately, I can’t deal with firm mattresses anymore - get extreme pain in shoulders and across top of my back - so I refuse to travel without a foam mattress topper. Even vacuum sealed, it does occupy a bit of space, but is worth my sleep to have to fit it in! (Needless to say, I can’t manage HLO anymore…)