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Packing Your Case Pack Light Pack Tight Pack Carefully
ere are three areas of brush before you pack them.
expertise when it comes to
packing to travel: frequent • Shirts that have been to the
travelers, airline cabin staff, laundry should not be unpacked
butlers and valets. Strangely, from their laundry wrappings.
all seem to come up with the same
advice: fold it carefully, pad it • Fold clothes on a bed or on a
well, pack it tight. flat table.
The definitive authority on • Have a pile of tissue paper
packing is Stanley Ager, who was for padding. It is agreed
butler to the second and third generally by the experts that you
Lords St Levan. He would pack a simply cannot do a half-way
suitcase for their lordships for decent job without using tissue
a sea voyage to East Africa. If, paper. Use tissue paper to line
on arrival, the clothes were not any folds that you make and to
instantly ready to wear, he felt separate garments.
he had failed. These are heights
to which few of us can aspire, • Load a suitcase in the
but it is something to aim for. following order: Heavy dresses
should be laid towards the bottom
Rules for packing a suitcase for of the case with the front facing
overseas travel upwards. Same with men's suits.
Trousers at the bottom, with the
• Place on a bed everything you crease towards the handle. Heavy
simply have to take, pared down or tweed skirts also go at the
to the bare essentials. Then bottom. Jackets are packed next.
deduct 50 per cent. It depends on the length of the
jacket and the size of the case.
• Brush clothes with a clothes In a very large suitcase you can
place them with the collar facing at the top when the bag is
the handle and then the jacket folded. Make sure the heels are
folded in with one centre crease. in the corners with the toes
If this is not possible, lay it pointing towards the handle. Hang
lengthwise across the case. Make the trousers with two folds so
sure the collar side faces that you do not have a single
towards the centre of the case, fold across the knee. Do not
rather than being pressed to one fasten the jacket, but close it
side. so that one side is about a third
of the way across. Fold the
Wrap socks around shoes, so that sleeves up at the elbow, then
the heels do not damage other pack other garments on top to
goods, before wrapping them in hold in place.
plastic. Fold ties into their own
folder of tissue paper. Use I carry a small traveling iron
socks, gloves, handkerchiefs to which even has a steam feature.
fill the spaces. It is light, in a neat bag and
takes little space. It is, in a
Packing hanging suit bags is sense, my one luxury.
slightly different. If you are
using a hanging bag do not When you have finished packing
believe that your clothes will, try closing the case. It should
as a result, emerge unwrinkled be as tight a fit as possible
and wearable. They will not, without needing excessive force.
unless you take special care. The If it is too loosely packed, lay
best way to load is with the bag sheets of tissue paper on top to
laid flat, not hanging up. fill the gap.
Put shoes in plastic bags, one at Many experienced travelers lay a
each corner, so that they remain collapsible carry-all on the top
for the inevitable excess of bar of soap. The little tablets
baggage on the return journey. issued in most hotels are not
suitable for the cleansing of
Unpack both suitcases and hanging grown-up bodies.
bags, completely as soon as you
arrive. If there are any Try to avoid ever having to pay
wrinkles, hang your clothes on excess baggage rates. The costs
the shower rail and run a very are crippling. Airports and
hot bath. You only need a small airlines vary in their attitudes
amount of water. Do not bother but you can work on the basis
filling the bath up. It takes that if your luggage is much over
less than an hour to steam the 10 percent of the allowed weight
wrinkles out. you are running a very large risk
of being charged at excess
Other points baggage rates.
Bottles leak, powder spreads, Excess baggage rates are worked
creams escape and make too much on the basis of 1 per cent of the
of themselves. The only way that First Class full fare (not the
you can be sure that these dread Apex rate or any reduced fare)
happenings are not among your per kilo and this can soon add up
travel memoirs is to keep all to a horrendous amount, even when
your toiletries in a zip up airline staff are trying their
plastic bag that you have tested best to be helpful and minimize
for air tightness. the cost.
Try never to carry any glass Two ways around this.
bottles. Decant into small
plastic holders wherever Send small parcels of purchases
possible. Always carry a large from each port of call. If you
don't mind waiting then you can
send them sea mail, which makes 2) Unaccompanied baggage must be
the cost comparatively sent before or on the day of
inexpensive and the risks of departure. Check when you phone
non-arrival - from our experience but you will find if you arrive
- minimal. If time is more early and check in your
critical then you can send them unaccompanied baggage first at
by air mail, although this is the unaccompanied baggage desk,
quite considerably more all will be well.
expensive.
3) Unaccompanied baggage is
Unaccompanied baggage (baggage regarded as ‘cargo' and is not
sent as cargo) which is available sent from the check-in desk but,
in most but not all airports. normally, from a special desk.
Phone first to check.
4) According to the regulations
The prices are relatively in the ‘Air Cargo Tariff' book,
reasonable. Usually, subscribed to by all major
unaccompanied baggage is sent at airlines, unaccompanied baggage
50% of the normal cargo rate with (baggage shipped as cargo) shall
a minimum charge of 10 kilos. consist of only personal clothes
and articles (including portable
There are a few simple rules. musical instruments, portable
typewriters and portable sports
1) You must have a ticket for equipment but excluding
travel which must be produced machinery, machine or spare
when you deposit your luggage. parts, money, securities,
The baggage can be sent to any jewelry, watches, plated ware,
destination listed on that furs, films, cameras, tickets,
ticket. documents, liquors, perfumes,
articles of household furnishing, make the exercise well worth
merchandise and salesman's while. Especially if you can plan
samples). in advance and have the
unaccompanied baggage accompany
The rules, as you can see, are you on the same aircraft.
not uncomplicated but the savings
About the Author:
Gareth Powell, author of several travel books, has a travel website - www.travelhopefully.com, a non-blog web site - www.bloggeroff.com and a digital image web site - www.pixelates.com. He lists free software on www.freewareaid.com. This article can be edited, cut, localized.
Source: www.isnare.com
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