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Sorry, a bit off topic. I travel a fair amount and some years ago I came to the conclusion that I needed to put together a “kit” of adapters, chargers, a porta

Sorry, a bit off topic. I travel a fair amount and some years ago I came to the conclusion that I needed to put together a “kit” of adapters, chargers, a portable battery, etc. that never leaves my travel backpack. While it seems a bit wasteful to have these things in duplicate, it made the night before travel so much more peaceful. I took this concept a bit further and packed up common things like a belt, workout clothes, underwear, etc. that when not being worn or washed always stay in my luggage. Again, made the night before a trip much better. Now it’s only a matter of finding and packing my shirts and pants. My most recent experiment is a bit more extreme. I visit an office in China every other month and I packed up an entire bag with everything I need for a week stay - everything. I’ve made arrangements with the hotel I stay at to do my laundry when I leave and it’s ready for me to grab when I return the next time. There is nothing more convenient than getting ready for a long international trip when realizing that all you need to do is grab your laptop and go.

epicide 9y ago
This is pretty similar to what I've been doing for work travel. I have a single medium sized backpack that fits a few days worth of clothes as well as things like laptop, Switch, etc. The biggest space saver is bringing some travel detergent and washing clothes in the sink/bath if needed. I also use my after work t-shirts as undershirts during the day. I generally only carry one or two pair of pants as they are the largest single item. For work specifically, having wrinkle-free clothing goes a long way. I've also done the same thing as you for cables and a few other things by just always leaving them in the bag. Cables are cheap enough to have dedicated ones (especially if you consider the cost of buying extra ones anyway when you forget one). Not only does packing take me less than 10 minutes, I generally don't feel like I've forgotten anything. On top of all that, actually traveling is way less stressful. It's easier moving around the airport (even just going to the bathroom is annoying when you're dragging around even the smallest of suitcases). I can also generally disregard when I board since I do not care about overhead space (my bag fits under the seat in front of me).
philipodonnell 9y ago
I agree, but the challenge is that eventually, always, if I know that thing is in there and for some reason I need one, I will absolutely raid it instead of going without (rationally I think). Once you allow for that eventuality, you either have to remember to recharge it and put it back every time or buy so many its unlikely you will ever run low enough to need to raid it. I would rather just buy something that couldn't be raided without ruining it or is otherwise unfeasible to use as a replacement for other things, like a large permanently installed battery in a suitcase.
1_2__4 9y ago
Now I wonder if there’s a business opportunity here with how insanely stupid laundry prices are at hotels, a laundry service specifically for travelers. Pickup and drop off of the items at a hotel, price by weight rather than per item, and offer services like you describe (call it launder-and-hold). Sign up local laundromats to participate and all you need are drivers to pick up and drop off the clothes.

epicide 9y ago

This is pretty similar to what I've been doing for work travel. I have a single medium sized backpack that fits a few days worth of clothes as well as things like laptop, Switch, etc. The biggest space saver is bringing some travel detergent and washing clothes in the sink/bath if needed. I also use my after work t-shirts as undershirts during the day. I generally only carry one or two pair of pants as they are the largest single item. For work specifically, having wrinkle-free clothing goes a long way. I've also done the same thing as you for cables and a few other things by just always leaving them in the bag. Cables are cheap enough to have dedicated ones (especially if you consider the cost of buying extra ones anyway when you forget one). Not only does packing take me less than 10 minutes, I generally don't feel like I've forgotten anything. On top of all that, actually traveling is way less stressful. It's easier moving around the airport (even just going to the bathroom is annoying when you're dragging around even the smallest of suitcases). I can also generally disregard when I board since I do not care about overhead space (my bag fits under the seat in front of me).

philipodonnell 9y ago

I agree, but the challenge is that eventually, always, if I know that thing is in there and for some reason I need one, I will absolutely raid it instead of going without (rationally I think). Once you allow for that eventuality, you either have to remember to recharge it and put it back every time or buy so many its unlikely you will ever run low enough to need to raid it. I would rather just buy something that couldn't be raided without ruining it or is otherwise unfeasible to use as a replacement for other things, like a large permanently installed battery in a suitcase.

1_2__4 9y ago

Now I wonder if there’s a business opportunity here with how insanely stupid laundry prices are at hotels, a laundry service specifically for travelers. Pickup and drop off of the items at a hotel, price by weight rather than per item, and offer services like you describe (call it launder-and-hold). Sign up local laundromats to participate and all you need are drivers to pick up and drop off the clothes.