So it got me thinking about my itch to pack a bag and jump on a plane to Europe. I mean he has a point in a way. Why not just relax and stay where things are easier? You speak the language (heck you even know how to be charming in English), you know the score, you can have Mexican food every day, and you have your friends and family around you.

We certainly travel to the extreme, taking half of every year to satisfy our wanderlust (and manage to do some work) then we enjoy the other six months seeing our family and doing the groundwork for our business here in the states.

So here’s what I’ve come up with. When I travel … I pay attention. I don’t run on autopilot. I don’t whiz by a sunset without even noticing it. I mean if you’re someplace new and you don’t stay in the moment and really take it in you may not get another chance to have that experience.

It’s something I find harder to do in my hometown. I’ve seen those same places so many times. I shop for the same food. I never look at the waitress’ face.  I understand what the political climate is. I even know what and where everything is in my local grocery store.

But when I travel just going to the local grocery or food market is an adventure. I can’t always read the labels. I have to ask questions in another language. I don’t always know exactly where I am or what weather to expect. I look at people’s faces more. I notice their body language and what they are wearing. I wonder about their lives. I want to know what they cook in their kitchens.  I wonder where they fit in society and if they’re happy.

That of course leads to looking at myself.  How do I look and sound to them? When we were in Barcelona last summer made a couple of friends and they introduced us to their friends. At every social event we went to they wanted to know who we were, why were we in Barcelona, what we ate, what we thought about politics, what we thought about their corner of the world. The other thing is that you don’t feel so identified with the labels in your life. I’m not just a mother, entrepreneur, college dropout, or wife of twenty six years. I am just me … whoever I am in that moment.

Travel challenges me. It makes me more alert. It makes me more introspective. It changes the way I see the world. It makes me more tolerant, more curious and makes me more of the person I want to be. And finally travel makes me appreciate home. When I get home after so many months I look at people’s faces more. I marvel at the abundance of choices we have. I feel more grateful for my family and friends. I feel more alive. I even occasionally notice a sunset.

This is the time of year we start to think about what we’ll put into our suitcases when we travel this year. When we pack we know we won’t be home again for 6 or 7 months. This makes for difficult choices. When you go clothes shopping the main question becomes “Am I willing to carry this around in my suitcase for months?”
We both want to look good … no sweats, torn up jeans or sneakers so it can be a challenge. We also have to span a few seasons and prepare for times we are on tour, hiking, traveling, going to nicer restaurants, meeting with business contacts, and going to the beach. And to top it all off we take only a backpack suitcase each for clothes. Besides that Bob takes a small backpack for the laptop, camera, and electronics, and I have another small backpack for the other business stuff. Bob is lucky that he fits into Italian men’s clothes easily. I am a plus size, really difficult to find in southern Europe or Asia so I need to take most of what I will wear for the whole trip. Although I know a few stores in each city where I can find the basics if I need them.

Because of our restrictions we have some guidelines that we’ve developed to help get the most out of the clothes that we take. First we’ll talk about the women’s packing and then the guys.

These guidelines are especially for women:

• The first rule is that things have to go together. If you have to have a particular pair of shoes or undergarment or accessories for a an outfit it stays at home. Separates for women are key. Most of your tops and bottoms should go with each other. For me that means lots of neutrals. When I am in Italy I supplement the neutrals with a couple of scarves I buy on each trip. A big scarf doubles as a wrap at night, a beach coverup.
• Other considerations are that clothes should try quickly since they usually are line dried, and shouldn’t require ironing. I like skirts that you can just twist up and are meant to look wrinkled. They dry easily, are cool on a hot day, are easy to stuff into a bag, and look great. I take one black dressy skirt that doesn’t wrinkle for a night out. I don’t take shorts since I don’t usually feel comfortable in them in Europe but if you are going hiking or to the beach just take one pair you can wash out and let dry overnight.
• Another rule is to take half of what you think you need. Remember that if you are traveling you are not usually seeing the same people every day. We usually don’t have more than a week’s work of clothes in our bags. Try 5 bottoms, 5 tops, 2 t-shirts or tank tops as the base.
• This rule is only 2 or 3 pairs of shoes. I usually have a pair of shoes on my feet, one in my bag, and if I have a third pair it is a pair of sandals or something that takes up almost no room. You must have shoes you can really walk in. If you mess up your feet on a trip you will be miserable. It is one of the most important things you take with you. Don’t take new shoes on a trip.
• Regarding underwear, taking just a few pair of panties and a 2 or 3 bras, you can easily wash them out and have them dry by the next morning if you bring the right kind. Test line drying them in your bathroom before leaving home to see how quickly they dry. Bring a sock made from a blend that dry quickly as well. Remember happy feet are important.

Here are some guidelines for guys:

• This first rule is the same as for women, things should go together. Make sure that all the things you bring go together interchangeably. Neutral pants such as khaki are Bob’s favorite.
• The second rule is that things should dry quickly since you usually have to line dry things in Europe and it gives you the option to dry things overnight and carry less clothes. Bob likes the cargo pants made of lightweight material. Columbia is a good brand. Bob takes a couple of pairs of cargo shorts for hiking or the beach but make sure the fabric is not too heavy.
• Bring the basics in neutral colors. You need enough clothes for about a week no matter how long you are traveling. So bring about 4 pairs of pants, 5 shirts, a couple of T shirts,

a pair of shorts as the basics.  Be sure to bring good walking shoes. Remember that you probably don’t need very dressy clothes or real dress shoes unless you have specific plans such as attending the opera or a very formal event.

• Be sure to bring underwear and socks that wick moisture away from your body as you wear them and dry quickly overnight when you wash them. Underarmor is a good brand for underwear that dries quickly and is not hot to wear. Buy good socks in a blend to keep your feet comfortable.

Remember when it comes to toiletries the main things to bring are your contacts, glasses, and the prescriptions for them and your prescription medications. Things like shampoos and toothpaste you can buy almost anywhere so don’t worry about running out. It can be fun to go to the store and see what locals use.

We are lucky to have a friend in Italy who stores some business stuff for us and a we have one box of clothes where we keep swimsuits, sunhats, hiking shoes, etc. so we get to cheat a little. We aim to be presentable, comfortable, and most of all have the lightest bags possible. Here’s to lookin’ good with less.

Happy Travels!

Lori

We are lucky to have our friend Kate, from the Cinque Terre in Italy. She’s been a great friend to us when we are in Italy, letting us stay in the apartment on the ground floor of her house and making sure we meet all the right people. This year she’s finishing her sommelier courses and so she’s going to do some wine and food pairings for us at the party. She’s just come back from Tuscany where she visited some more vineyards and bed and breakfasts for our new Tuscany wine tour. 

 Teresa from Sicily is coming for a couple of weeks and she’ll be there as well. She’s petite and charming. She speaks English with a British accent since some of her Sicilian family lives in the UK. She’ll be there with a Sicilian friend.

We’ll have a blast making our favorite Italian dishes and visiting with our alumni. Many of these people live in area but it seems everyone is so busy we haven’t seen each other since we traveled together. We always say that the people are our favorite part of traveling. But it isn’t just the people we meet in faraway places it’s also truly the guests who travel with us. Most of them are well traveled and have great stories.

One big advantage we have in being a small travel company is that we get to connect with all of our customers and we’re lucky to have made some great friendships over the years.

So if you’ll be in the Dallas area the weekend after New Year’s let us know so we can send you a proper invitation. We’d love to meet you.

This is the first installment of our blog. We are a couple , Bob and Lori, who travel six months every year, mostly in Europe. We have a small company organizing trips for people. So in response to the question we get every few days of “Where in the world are you?’ we decided to put it out there and let our friends and alumni see what we’re up to. If you’d like to see our bio go here.

On this blog you are likely to hear about our travels. Bob is an avid photographer so you’re sure to see some great photos and Lori loves to write about whatever is on her mind. We also will probably rant and rave about the mainstream “travel and tourism business”. We don’t really consider ourselves tour people and we don’t come from that background … a big advantage in our view.

We also will talk about travel in general, the places we visit, especially the people we meet, the friends we make, and our favorite foodie experiences. Lori is a real foodie, having gone to culinary school and Bob loves wine. Although Bob loves to cook he really considers himself more of a consumer instead of a cook.

Some of the places we’ve been this year are Tuscany, Cinque Terre on the Italian Riviera, Amsterdam,  Provence, China, Frankfurt, and Prague, Sicily and Barcelona. We’ll tell you about some of the places we’ve been and what we thought. You can check back for the next update to find out where we are now.

Ciao,

Bob and Lori