Travel pants. Not top
of everyone’s holiday packing list but if you’re going to California for a
month as we are in October then pants and how many to pack are a key
consideration. A 23 kg long haul flight
luggage allowance means space is at a premium so a more scientific approach on
what to take and how to pack it is a must for a month’s long vacation.
I’m using a creative and practical approach to maximise my
23 kilos as I begrudge forking out £55 to buy an extra suitcase. Now hear this - firstly, I’ve invested a few
quid in disposable travel pants. Of
course, if the idea of throwaway knickers seems disgusting to you, the idea of
lugging round a month’s worth of smelly kecks and socks in the back of a hire
car is even more revolting to me. Travel
pants are definitely the way forward.
I’ve managed to get proper fine cotton ones too from Ebay which look and
feel like ultra-fine undies, not crinkly hospital-type paper under-crackers and
a month’s supply has only set me back £15, an average of 50p per pant.
Socks can also be disposed of en route and I’ve already come
up with a cheap solution from the 99p shop.
Packs of fine, black cotton socks for 99p - just the job! These packs can also be supplemented with
thicker, boot socks for more rugged outdoor pursuits plus a pair of comfortable
sandals to cut down on the overall number of socks to take.
A shopping spree at Primark is also top of the ‘to do
holiday list’. For baggage constrained
travellers those ‘see-your-nipples-through-the-cotton’ T shirts will be a space
saving Godsend. I could probably buy an
entire month’s supply for under £50 quid whilst keeping the Bangladeshi garment
industry afloat at the same time. It’s a
no brainer for the budget savvy like us and these too can be left behind.
My disposable wardrobe is being smartly packed into eBags,
zip up nylon cubes designed to maximise packing volume. If you’re a bit OCD about packing like I am,
you’ll love eBags. They come in
different sizes and colours allowing you to devise your own coded system that
means you won’t need to rummage or empty the entire case at each stopover hotel
when you need clean clothes. Not cheap
to buy but a worthwhile investment I’d say for road trips or backpacking.
Our holiday will be like the Hansel and Gretel tour of the
American west coast, with a trail of soiled garments rather than breadcrumbs
tracing our route from San Francisco to San Diego and back again.
