Review on 🧳 The Ultimate Travel Companion: Smart Packing with Todays Traveler Foster by Elizabeth Morrison

I met Rick Steves in the late 80's and he was already enthusiastic about the concept of just taking a bag on a trip and in hotel rooms (or at a party) . local laundry) during the trip. It was a bit more difficult back then when there weren't so many options for quick-drying fabrics. Additionally, much of the luggage made at the time was for inspection purposes—for example, bags with a handle, which mostly could only be used to lift a suitcase from the trunk to the sidewalk, off the carousel, and back into the trunk of a car. If you wanted another option, you were limited to either a duffel bag or a backpack, almost making you yell "Student Backpacker". So while the basic idea of just a bag had been around for a while when it first started, it wasn't really easy to pull off unless you wanted to look like a tourist and not lug them around. Bags under your eyes painfully dangling at the end of your arm. Or if you wanted a more comfortable luggage, it was usually insanely expensive. Then came luggage on wheels, and that certainly made things easier, but you still excelled as a traveler. It's not particularly useful if you're trying to pass locally in most places. Then came the split duffel bags, which weren't made for outback travel and had some urban flair. In short, luggage just kept getting better, and so the concept of just one bag was finally really feasible. The problem was that too many people still packed those bags the old way: big bulky clothes, tech etc. I know because my dear husband is one of them. When we travelled, I only used one bag. He carried around two or three (of course, one of these was a slightly smaller version of what you'd call a daypack or men's bag today, but he still wasn't using it properly, IMO - he was still carrying loose change, a wallet, and other items in his pants pockets ). In a desperate attempt to show him that you can only make one bag, I showed him the website of the same name. (justonebag.com) but it was never sold. There are several books listed on this site including this one which is why I have now ordered it from Revain. I finally convinced him! Thanks to this book (and another one with similar tips and tricks) I just got ourselves a new bag. : Tumi for me with three compartments and a shoulder strap and Victorinox with three compartments, a shoulder strap and hidden backpack straps for him. Both have a garment sleeve for one or two garments, and both are 45 linear inches or less. This book made it possible. Now I've got him agreeing to all sorts of awesome things: - dividing our clothes into bags if need be (why not tuck his jacket into the sleeve of my bag clothes if that's where it fits best?) - packing cubes - mini versions of household appliances (with dual voltage built in ) - small bags of toiletries instead of bottles or factory wrappers - washing here and there - new travel clothes that dry quickly - and many, many other ideas This book made it possible! After all, you need to re-equip them first! I'm still working on getting him to agree to the concept of a backpack or men's bag. I don't have to stand around while he empties his pockets and then gathers all his things on the other side of the checkpoint while other people crowd around him and pack their bags. This book also made that small win possible! While I already knew most of the concepts and tips in this book, many of them were eye-opening for my loved ones, and yes, I got some new ideas from her as well. d already done. So if you're trying to make someone believe it's just a bag, it really CAN be done. and/or if you are looking for ways to improve your own packaging skills, GET THIS BOOK. It really is almost worth its weight in gold (at least by the way). Now I can finally sell or donate our old luggage! Rolls on Wheels Huge size for the whole family of four for two weeks. Giant for three people for two weeks. And REASONABLE size. The only carry-on size allowed in the group, but which only fits one person (huge size) - his duffel bag (a size I always thought would fit two people for two weeks, but he only fills 100% for a week ) - he keeps his other miscellaneous bags with him, although he doesn't use them. I already have storage because I put all of these other bags in my mother-in-law's basement until I sell them or donate them (we live in a 725 square foot one bedroom apartment and we only have a small locker to store it in. Overflow case was one for me further gain, the whole thing with its reduction - but that's another story). Our two new bags now fit stacked on top of each other on the top shelf of our (only) dressing room, and once we've built a new bed platform with storage at the base of the platform and moved the bags there, we'll come back with MORE useful storage (Is that (Bedroom not the place you want to just pick up your luggage, or where you're going to pack?) The "one bag" concept not only makes traveling easier - it's easier to store and track your stuff on the go, easier in Managing crowded places helps you look more like a local than a typical American on a short weekend getaway - it also makes luggage storage a lot easier. They're also reluctant to travel with just one bag, or if you've got hardcore on your hands (like me) you almost have to OVERLOAD the evidence to get them just trying something. GET THIS BOOK. This will make your task of convincing them MUCH easier! And you'll almost certainly benefit from some of the new tips yourself :-) UPDATE 05/13/11 At the end of March my husband was on a four day business trip to Miami. He took Toumi (only with shoulder straps, no backpack straps). I will admit that for him I mainly packed to fold his jacket etc properly, reduce wrinkles and ensure all liquid carry-on bags were in the required ziploc bag. He HAD to have a suitcase PLUS his briefcase PLUS his normal everyday items in his pockets, but once I packed everything (using the tips and guides in this book of course!) I was able to show him that he had outside pockets for all his files and Papers as well as things he wanted to put in his pockets (did I mention he's a stubborn stubborn when it comes to breaking new ground, right?) It took a little persuading, but I got it to agree with him, this ONE bag ( literally!) To use for *everything*. He drove the El to O'Hare, took the bag on the plane, took the airport bus from Miami to his hotel, and just flipped it all over when he got home. Here's a VICTORY FOR ME: Coming home, he admitted his entire trip (travel portion) was the smoothest, easiest, and most fluid ride he's ever had. He never ceased to amaze at how easy it was to get on the E and bus to walk around the airport and how FAST he got through the security lines :-) He told me he's now completely addicted to this way of travelling! don't expect it to REALLY solve the problem; I expect to need to pack something on my next trip and there will be more debate about the fact that he *needs* no more than one bag. I have to remind him of that trip and how happy he was. But hey, that last journey was the first step, so the next step will be easier and the third step will be even easier, and in the end I REALLY expect that this won't be a problem at all. Teach him to pack his bag while I pack mine. but that's another story (and battle ;-) So: PROOF. Trust me, if I can win over MY stubborn husband, you can win an argument with your spouse (or any other family member). Just take books, read them in full, give some tips and read them out loud, show some diagrams. Then take what you read and put it into action on your next trip. The proof is in the pudding, as the saying goes, but once you prove it with action and experience, you're well on your way to reducing your hardcore to a bag! :-)