Life never seems to get simpler, does it?
Take packing for a trip. Now that a single carry-on bag has become de rigueur for flights, what you bring becomes even more precious.
I’ve been fortunate in my long-legged life to have been able to travel a bit (55 countries or so, but who’s counting?).
That means lots of questions at dinner parties — from “What’s your favorite place in the world?” to “Isn’t it dangerous in Mexico?” (Nias, off the island of Sumatra, and no, but thank you for asking.)
But the most common one is “What do you take with you?”
I assume that presupposes the obvious: clothes, toothbrush and Imodium. Also, depending on where I’m headed, I usually tote a small jar of peanut butter because it’s either the only thing I want to eat or it just makes me feel at home, as well as a tiny bottle of Tabasco sauce just to spike up any bland local food.
But what about the rest? What makes a trip more enjoyable rather than drudgery? What helps out in a pinch and is something that few people might think of, let alone seriously consider?
Fifth-generation Coloradan Petie Horton, who until recently ran the Traveler Assistance desk at Denver International Airport, has traveled to 80-plus countries. She’s a good place to start.
Without blinking: “Epsom salt.”
It turns out that good ol’ magnesium sulfate helps with just about anything that ails you.
“It’s good for soaking out the aches and pains,” Horton says. “And after you’ve been in the Peruvian Amazon without electricity or running water, having a little Epsom salt with me is a lifesaver. I always pack it in a quart-size Ziploc. Oh, and it’s good for anything that bites, like chiggers and those danged sand fleas!”
Turns out that others travel with things even more obtuse, perhaps best described as “ice breakers.” For instance, David Prebble, owner of Victoriana Antiques in Larimer Square, has carried a nose flute with him for at least 15 years. Yes, a nose flute.
“I bought it in Park Meadows when they had the Discovery Store out there,” he says. “It’s a little plastic thing that you blow through your nose and use your mouth to modulate it. I bring it out at least once whenever I travel, usually ‘Oh, Susanna, ‘ but don’t ask me why.
“It’s been to Hawaii, Germany, France and the Czech Republic, and it’s going to China and Tibet next month. They’ll love it.”
Epsom salt and nose flutes aside, it seems that what travelers usually pack can be divided into several categories: technology, creature comforts, hygiene and practical considerations.
On the other hand, some things still defy classification.
Ronnie Larsen, playwright and Internet businessman with long Denver roots, doesn’t hesitate when asked what he never forgets.
“A wig and stilettos,” he says.
Let’s just say not every bag needs to be opened.
Denver Post travel editor Kyle Wagner contributed to this story.
Don’t leave home without it
Creature comforts
Many travelers like to have something along that reminds them of home — such as photos of family — makes them feel more relaxed or increases their comfort level.
KYGO morning show personality Kelly Ford goes for all three.
“I am always freezing on the plane, so I bring a cheetah Snuggie whenever I fly,” she relates via e-mail. “I used to mock Snuggies, until a friend let me borrow hers on a trip to NYC. Now I can’t get on a plane without my blankie. It’s so much better than the little paper towel-sized ones wrapped in plastic that the airlines give you. Ick.”
United Airlines flight attendant Ykoung Walker never leaves home without her own French coffee press, “but just a little one, for that in-room coffee fix.”
Frank Bonanno, owner of Mizuna, Luca d’Italia, Osteria Marco and Bones restaurants in Denver, says, “Corny as it is, I bring my black work clogs with me wherever I travel. It makes a carry-on especially heavy, but I would feel naked not having chef clogs with me.”
Shoes also get a nod from longtime broadcast journalist Carol McKinley, who confesses, “I always travel with a pair of fancy shoes for dancin’ and a pair of Adidas for walkin’.”
John Grant once reigned over the public arts program in Denver and now facilitates public art installations throughout the country. With all those air miles and potential for artful accessories, one would think Grant wouldn’t leave home without a sculpture or two. Not quite.
Grant says, “My father died about 10 years ago and was buried under the beautiful oak trees on the Iowa State University campus that he loved so much. My son Caspar was born a few months after his death and, on a return trip to visit, Caspar picked up some acorns for us to take home from the grave. That was eight years ago, and I have traveled with one of those acorns in my briefcase to remind me of those two special guys ever since.”
Hygiene helpers
In this time of fluctuating flu concerns, bedbugs and disease outbreaks, the cottage industries for antibacterial wipes, bug sprays and other germ and pest killers proliferate.
Several travelers mentioned that they pack some kind of antibacterial agent, preferably individual-size wipes to avoid liquids issues, often to clean the airplane seats and trays. “You know with the quick turnarounds, those things never get cleaned right,” says Dana Jefferson, a computer software technician who splits her time between Denver and Los Angeles. “I always felt like anytime I got sick on a trip, it was from the airplane. So I started cleaning them.”
Tracey Walters, a United Airlines flight attendant based in Denver, says she never forgets to bring a Ziploc bag to cover up the remote control in the hotel room. “Voila! Germ-free remotes,” she says.
A few folks consider the bedbug issue, packing their clothes in individual sealed bags to keep items from becoming infested, and some still pack things such as bandannas or even masks to have on hand, particularly in foreign countries, just in case they need a barrier. “I still have an old mask squished up in my bag,” says Jonie Stephanos, a musician who grew up in Denver and now lives in Boulder. “I was in Thailand and Vietnam during the height of the bird flu scare, and it was kind of dicey. I thought I had it at one point. No, thanks.”
Others are more concerned about their personal hygiene. Jason Hussong, a Denver-based travel blogger () who recently published the “The Drive North: A Swing Down Memory Lane,” says he always has a ChapStick and nail clippers with him.
“I take them everywhere,” he says. “Right after Sept. 11, when they confiscated them, I went into the concourse and bought a new one right away.” He says that whether he’s on a trip to Asia or just hiking around Denver, he has to have them. “I get more hangnails than anyone I know. Between those two things and my camera, that’s it. I’m taking photos, and my lips aren’t chapped, and no hangnails. Those are the three things I have to have with me.”
Dean Prina, Denver pediatrician and nonprofit guru, also admits to the hygienic when he packs: a nose hair trimmer. Hey, as he points out, those hairs don’t stop growing just because you’re traveling, and a guy’s got to look his best.
Practical considerations
For some travelers, sleep masks and earplugs are necessities, crucial items for blocking out the noises and lights of strange cities on the road. Others mention an umbrella, a fold- up mirror and a flashlight as must-haves.
Matt Buckstein, leader of the popular country band Buckstein, always traverses the country on gigs with his trusty multitool, a mini-Leatherman, often dubbed the “American Swiss Army knife.” While he packs it into his checked baggage the majority of the time, Buckstein admits forgetting some of the time.
“I’ve had to mail it back to myself at the airport. I’ve probably spent more money on that than the damn thing is actually worth,” he says. “One time, airline security didn’t catch me with it after I forgot I had it on me, so I just stuffed it into my carry-on and it got through. I thought that was kinda crazy.”
Debra Pollock, development and communications director for the GLBT Community Center of Colorado, never leaves home without her garden bag, “because (with it) you can keep all your stuff organized while traveling,” she says. She describes it as having an open center, with pockets around the outside.
Local artist Lonnie Hanzon has been described as the “wizard in residence” at the Museum of Outdoor Art in Englewood, and he mentions a travel accessory that few would think of, but would we expect anything less from a wizard? He carries a set of miniature fortune-telling cards, wrapped in a piece of silk with a little brass dancer sewn into the top, because, he says, “You never know when you are going to need to sit down on a hotel bed and decide your future!”
Technology
Chargers seem to be the bane of travelers’ existences. Can’t love ’em, can’t leave home without ’em. Several road warriors talked about the different strategies they’ve adopted to manage the morass of cords that comes with hauling around a cellphone, laptop, e-reader, MP3 player, etc.
Some of the standards: a dedicated bag of some sort to hold them all, or a universal charger.
Computer software technician Dana Jefferson says she did finally break down and buy a special case to store all of her cords. “I carry a lot of stuff. And this thing is cool, it holds your devices like a toiletries bag, and it hangs. You put the power cord in there too, so it’s all in there. And then I don’t have to go looking. The only thing it can’t hold is my iPad.”
Like Jefferson, Dave Avrin is addicted to his iPad; a local speaker on marketing and strategic planning, Avrin travels incessantly, and he says he keeps the computer at the ready, which has allowed him to eliminate the stacks of photos, movies and books he used to have to cram into his carry-on.
On the other hand, Ben Gelt, scion of the well-known Denver family but rapidly developing into his own force via his work in business development and project management at CivicsLab and LogoCo Media, could surely pack away any piece of technology that the world puts forth. But what does the entrepreneur travel with? Good ol’ pen and paper.
“In spite of being firmly committed to my 21st-century tools — I run my businesses largely over the Internet and do media consulting — I have found more than once that pen and paper can help you communicate, remember and create information and ideas in case of technology failure,” Gelt says.
His preferred paper: a Moleskine pocket-size notebook. And preferred pen: “anything with lots of ink that doesn’t run or explode.”
Five more ideas:
• A travel alarm, preferably a wind-up so that you don’t have to worry about batteries running out or the front desk forgetting to wake you for that 6 a.m. flight
• A whistle, effective in an emergency
• Moleskin patches, the “second skin” adhesive that comes in handy for an all-day hike
• A deck of cards, the perfect boredom reliever and a real lifesaver on a long train ride
• A world band radio can keep you connected, especially if you like to keep up on local news. But buy a good one, because the cheap ones aren’t worth the money
Thom Wise
