Two Carry-On's.

This trip back east--to Philadelphia, New York City, Boston and New Hampshire, I was determined I would be traveling light.

Two carry-on's for a weeklong trip.

It's more than some people claim to manage.

Initially it was one carry-on, plus my lunch in a paper bag.  

But there was no room for my clothes--of all things!  So they fit in a lunch-sized bag.  

On arrival, I bought a canvas tote, and transferred the clothes and miscellaneous items to the tote.

How?

Big concept:  a weelong stay is an overnight stay with extra underwear.

Also:  everything has to match.  No navy and brown, e.g.  Or pink and orange, if you're a girl.

(Actually, I brought jeans and a brown sweater, but indigo jeans go with everything.)

Important documents.

Itineraries, boarding passes, reservation numbers.

Put these in a transparent waterproof envelope.  Keep them in the outermost layer of one carry-on.  Always put them in the same place.  Do this first, before any other packing.

Clothes worn.

Brown cotton pullover, tan corduroy jeans, brown socks, brown shoes, undies.  

A blazer.

Since I was traveling to a much colder climate:  the blazer was wool. 

And I also wore my heaviest overcoat.  Gloves and hat in overcoat pockets.

Scarf.

Clothes taken along.

Brown sweater, blue jeans, two spare pair socks and undies.  

For cold climate:  long johns.

Plastic bag to accumulate 'laundry.'

Notes about clothes.

Socks, undies and even shirts/sweaters can be washed in a sink with shampoo.

My mom actually buys lightweight clothes made of things like viscose.  She rinses them and hangs them to dry overnight.  If they don't dry overnight, she returns them.  Clothes that dry overnight become her travel clothes.

Dressier options would be:  black jeans, gray trousers.  Or khaki trousers, plus another pair.

This trip was casual, but on other trips I have carried along a suit and worn a black pullover both with khaki trousers and with the suit pants.

I had a whole alternative wardrobe ready:  blue jeans, gray jeans, blue cotton pullover, black sweater, three pairs black socks.  

I nixed this option when I realized:  my only warm jacket was brown, not blue, black or gray.  Something to shop for:  a heavy blazer in black or gray.

I did not exercise this trip.  I knew it would be too cold and/or wet.  I walked, but I brought no running shoes or specialized clothes.  

Indeed, I had no second pair of shoes.  The shoes I wore were so comfortable, I knew I would not need to alternate with another pair.

Technology.

Netbook computer and charger.  Also travel sleeve. My new one weighs under 3 pounds, all told.

Iphone.  Charger.   (This is a phone, PDA and web device, all in one.)

Bluetooth earpiece and charger.  I never used this.  Don't bother next time.

Earbuds and earphones.

USB flash memory drive.  Priceless.  Always keep it backed up.

Toiletries.

Toothbrush in carry case.

Tiny toothpaste tube.

Slivers of bar soap and bar shampoo--wrapped in foil.

Skin products and hair products in travel sizes.

Lip balm when traveling to a cold climate--or cream for chapped hands that does double duty.

Photographic.

Film.  I brought six roles and bought several more.  If you shoot ditigal, you can skip this.  But I wanted enduring, higher-quality images.  Digital is seldom as studied for me, nor as rich in information.

Could I really travel with only a single camera?   I sometimes travel with three cameras.  Choosing just one was difficult.

I had three options laid out.

Lightest choice.  Rollei 35S in case with wriststrap.  A wide-ish angle lens.  No flexibility, but tiny and good quality.  An Olympus RC would be a good alternative.  (Some of the best photos I took traveling in Paris I took with this camera.)

Lightweight.  Rangefinder with two lenses:  Canon 50/1.8 and Canon 28/3.5.

Heaviest (which I actually took):  

Contax G1 rangefinder and three lenses (45/2 Planar, 35/2 Planar, 28/2.8 Biogon).

Also a flash (small Chinon auto/manual).

(As it turned out, I bought the later model G2, plus a Contax flash, online and had them shipped where I was going--so I came back with more camera than I went with.)

Food for the plane.  

Fruit.

Dark chocolate.

Some nuts.

Buy water at the airport after going through security.

Miscellaneous.

Kleenex in the jacket pocket.

Pens and a pad of paper.  

Travel umbrella.  

Spare shopping bag--one reuseable, one paper.  

--E. R. O'Neill