Fodor's How to Pack, 1st Edition: Experts Share Tips and Techniques to Make Packing a Breeze (Special interest guides) - Softcover

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

How to PackINTRODUCTION

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step," said Lao-tzu, the 6th-century BC philosopher.  It's a lovely sentiment.  But for most travelers, the first step is packing.  And packing is more like a giant leap across a yawning chasm.  An hour before leaving for the airport, they pull out a suitcase bought 10 years ago, blow into it, turn it over, shake it, and pronounce it garment ready.  Then they pull out a bureau drawer and upend the contents into the suitcase.  On top goes an iron, to eliminate wrinkles upon arrival.  Sitting on the suitcase to force it shut, wrestling with the fasteners, many of these same people swear there's got to be a better way, and there is.

This book will help you start a luggage wardrobe if you haven't already.  It will help you expand your luggage wardrobe if you need to.  It will also help you with the critical planning that makes packing a breeze.

My advice takes into account the practical realities of travel and of human nature.  While some pretrip packing strategies can be downright compulsive, I'm here to tell you about a few that can be real lifesavers, even for the shortest, most last-minute journey.  Frequent travelers (and there are more and more of us these days) have plenty of tried-and-true tricks that pay off every time you travel.  Some of these techniques save time, others save money, and still others save suitcase space and weight.  Other tips pay off at your destination, when you find that you've got everything you need (and nothing more) -- your clothes look great, everything matches, and your shoes don't hurt.

As a travel journalist who's often on the road, I've honed my methods gradually.  I've learned a lot from fellow travelers, whose pearls of wisdom I'll pass on to you.  I've also learned a lot, I have to admit, from my own mistakes -- as you'll see in the chapters that follow.  Reading this book should spare you similar blunders. One rule is uppermost: to make your packing a simpler first step.  So that, bags packed, you can move on to the fun part.  Here's to a lifetime of rewarding journeys!