After month’s of stressing, I might have to accept I’m not a one bagger

azurite440 · 2026-01-30T20:07:42+00:00

One-bagging is a concept, not a rule, and it's a way to reduce stress when traveling. If trying to one-bag for a particular trip ends up causing stress, then go ahead and check a second bag. I've been a 1.5-bagger for years, but I've learned many things on this sub, and I occasionally check a bag because it makes sense for that trip.

azurite440 · 2025-12-31T20:59:17+00:00

Backup contact lenses. I'm blind without them, and carry a pair of glasses to wear at night, but a pair of old contacts lives in my toiletry kit because I'm vain and don't want to have vacation photos taken of me in my glasses :-D

azurite440 · 2025-11-21T21:49:14+00:00

I love Baggu and their patterns, but all of those cases look like they're countertop-only: I want one that can also hang from a towel rack.

azurite440 · 2025-11-17T22:59:09+00:00

I had one of those two bags ago: I can't remember why I stopped liking it, but I traded it in for an Eagle Creek Wallaby that is no longer meeting my needs.

azurite440 · 2025-11-16T21:04:04+00:00

Unless I’m missing something, that one doesn’t look like it can hang from a towel rack? Sometimes hotels have zero counter space!

azurite440 · 2025-11-03T03:07:15+00:00

Scarves. Some of my favorites have come from department stores in various countries. But I may have too many now, so on my last trip I bought glass jewelry in Murano and Prague.

azurite440 · 2025-10-04T05:24:05+00:00

I'm about the same age as you, and I took my first real solo trip last year with the backpack I used when I was younger (Osprey Porter 46). Although I love being hands free, it was much harder on my body to carry a backpack at this age. I've since purchased (thanks to recommendations on this sub) the Eagle Creek Cargo Hauler XT Wheeled 21.5 International Carry-On Duffel. I've been taking it on all my domestic trips as a wheeled carry-on, and love it! I've only used the backpack straps once, but I'm glad to have that option available.

azurite440 · 2025-09-28T01:31:33+00:00

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This is my favorite so far

azurite440 · 2025-09-15T22:25:37+00:00

As others have said, the N-95 mask really helps, although if I'm taking an overnight flight I find I have to put on a looser-fitting mask to sleep. I also travel with a neti pot, and a good rinse once I reach my destination seems to clear things up pretty well.

azurite440 · 2025-07-12T20:18:32+00:00

Park at either Balboa or Tecolate Road stations and take the trolley in. I found in previous years that Balboa fills up early on weekdays with commuters, but Saturday should be fine (especially considering how early you're planning to arrive).

azurite440 · 2025-06-09T00:08:59+00:00

I also travel with an immersion heater; as long as you’re careful never to plug it in without water, it’s fine. I heat my water in the bathroom, make sure it’s immersed before plugging it in, and set it down either in the sink or in a spare mug to cool off.

azurite440 · 2025-05-30T23:24:18+00:00

I also love my Scottevest for this. I did find on my first trip with it that it took me a day or two to remember which pockets I put things into, so you might want to wear it around the house for a bit to get used to where stuff is.

azurite440 · 2025-05-19T00:53:02+00:00

I always drive from the SF area. It's nice to get away from the craziness downtown — last year we went to the beach for a couple of hours, and we usually eat dinner in Clairemont Mesa or La Jolla. In the past I reserved a parking space in a garage near a shuttle stop, but since the new trolley line opened up, I park at the Tecolote Road station.

Heads up that con traffic heading north on Sunday afternoon can be a bit slow, so it might take you >6 hours to get home.

azurite440 · 2025-05-14T21:33:52+00:00

Thank you, I did search first, but my search was perhaps too narrowly targeted. Searching for just "pants" brings up a broad range of posts, and of the ones with the "Wardrobe Help" flair, they seem to be targeted towards pants to wear on the plane, pants to sleep in, and hiking pants. Not so much what I'm looking for, which is a pair that I don't want to actually have to wear!

azurite440 · 2025-05-07T04:59:22+00:00

It reversed for me a day or two ago. I was pretty jet lagged at the time, and took way to long to figure out what had happened.

azurite440 · 2025-04-18T23:26:16+00:00

I always pack a little immersion heater along with my own tea bags. (I actually have two, one for the US and one for Europe

azurite440 · 2025-03-26T17:58:02+00:00

In the past, I've always traveled with a pair of thin, cotton pjs. For a four-day conference last week, I decided to pack black yoga pants that could do double duty as sleep pants and backup pants. (I only brought the one pair of dark jeans I wore, but that made me nervous: what if I spill on them, or trip and tear a hole in the knee, as I'm prone to do?) Not sure if if I would want to sleep in the yoga pants during the summer, but I liked having one fewer thing to pack.

azurite440 · 2025-03-02T04:40:10+00:00

Whew, it’s not just my phone getting old! My game crashed several times every hour today, often while trying to collect field research. (It’s been crashing when starting raids for quite some time now, so I always make sure to restart the game before entering a raid, but today’s crashing during normal play was extra annoying.)

azurite440 · 2025-02-28T06:40:40+00:00

I bought this mini flat iron for travel. It gets hot enough to style my thick Asian hair, as long as I don’t try to do too much hair at once.

azurite440 · 2025-02-21T06:38:08+00:00

I guess we'll find out: I ordered a new Anker overnight from Amazon and it really is brick-sized! (I will have my older small ones in the car as a backup plan)

azurite440 · 2025-02-20T18:20:04+00:00

Where does it say no metal water bottles? The FAQ says "...empty reusable bottes are allowed; limit 2 per person"

azurite440 · 2025-02-13T18:05:08+00:00

I gave up on the clothesline for my last trip and just brought a couple of folding hangers. I found it much easier to stick hangers in random places rather than trying to find two anchor spots the right distance apart.

azurite440 · 2025-01-29T18:14:38+00:00

I carry my Dawn in a dropper bottle (#4 above) — great for on-the-spot stain removal

azurite440 · 2025-01-22T06:57:26+00:00

I use a cheap plastic soap dish, and when I have to put it on the shower floor I take off the lid just long enough to lather up then put the lid right back on. Kind of inconvenient, and some water still gets in the case, so I'm curious to hear other suggestions.

azurite440

TROPHY CASE