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General Travel Tips and Advice Have you traveled before?- Please share your tips and advice with fellow Tpunks!

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Old 04-12-2006, 04:29 PM   #1
~transgirl~
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Hmm, I just lugged a 55 pound pack a couple blocks in NYC, and have learned a very valuable lesson: If the pack is almost too heavy for you to even lift from the ground, take some stuff out!!!

Now I've got a good 15 pounds set aside to mail back....

But this girl's learned great lessons:

1.choose between the hairdryer OR the flat iron.
2. You don't need 3 long black skirts
3. You don't need 4 pairs of jeans
4. you don't need products like full size body wash or airbrush leg makeup
5. "the straw that broke the camel's back" is actually a plausible idea.

That's all I've for now. Thought I'd share my first day's lessons for other girls set on carrying a 55 pound backpack.
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Old 04-12-2006, 04:42 PM   #2
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Quote:
4. you don't need products like full size body wash or airbrush leg makeup
I just have to ask - what were you thinking?
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Old 04-12-2006, 05:30 PM   #3
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I went home at lunch today and unpacked my 20-pound, carry on sized backpack and realized I had 2 shirts in there I didn't wear at all, as well as several others that I really didn't need. Laundry is available everywhere, after all!

Plus, you can buy stuff wherever you are. Except on Sundays in Europe. d'OH!
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Old 04-12-2006, 05:41 PM   #4
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Hmmm....I seem to recall a very bright girl named jamiepeaski and another girl (though not so bright!) named benna2 warning you against carrying the hair appliances!!

So I guess you are going to live with the curly hair huh??

Hope you are having a kick ass journey and it will be even better once you lighten your load!!

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Old 04-18-2006, 03:57 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally posted by jamiepeaski@Apr 13 2006, 10:42 AM
* I just have to ask - what were you thinking?* *
[snapback]112034[/snapback]

hahahahah i laughed out loud at that tooo hilariouse
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Old 04-18-2006, 04:29 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally posted by ~transgirl~@Apr 12 2006, 09:29 PM
1.choose between the hairdryer OR the flat iron.
[snapback]112032[/snapback]
Wow!!! hehehe... that back pack must have been cRaZy!!!!

Oh well, nothing best than one's own experience I guess....


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Old 04-24-2006, 10:12 PM   #7
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Hi ya'll. well I tried to live without my flatiron for a couple days and it was hell. Absolute hell. So now I'm debating buying a little carry-on size roller suitcase to lug around my heavy stuff. I found one for 15 bucks. at least it would take the weight off me. Sure it's a little more to tote, but I'm just traveling hostle to hostle on the subways so it shouldn't be too bad. but yeah, never again will I attempt 55 pounds of anything on these shoulders. I haven't even used most of my clothes in there, and surprise surprise I've been shopping like a mad woman!! Who knew they'd have such great shopping in NEW YORK afterall. (thats some sarcasm folks). I've bought so many new clothes....it'd be more expensive to mail the old stuff home than just buy the cheap 15 dollar carry-on and tote it.

But yeah I need my flat-iron. we're together forever, through good times and bad, broken shoulders or not, well yadda yadda.

But lugging this stuff just isn't going to work... when it's all on my back anyway.

Next time I wont bring hardly any old clothes considering my shopaholicism.
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Old 04-24-2006, 10:20 PM   #8
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Rolly bags still have to be lugged around and you will feel your arm starting to detach from the rest of your body. Also, even with a convertor be REEEEEALLLY careful with the flatiron. I was on a study abroad and this girl got up super early to flatten her hair and ended up burning off the bottom five inches or so on one side. Hehehe. She was a bitch though and got what she deserved. I giggled so much when we had to cut her hair. Yeah Im evil. Anyway the point is, you seem nice so really watch the temp.
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Old 04-25-2006, 08:58 AM   #9
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Quote:
Who knew they'd have such great shopping in NEW YORK afterall.
Bastards! They should tell you these things ahead of time!!!
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Old 05-13-2006, 09:03 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally posted by bellelass@Apr 24 2006, 07:20 PM
Rolly bags still have to be lugged around and you will feel your arm starting to detach from the rest of your body.* Also, even with a convertor be REEEEEALLLY careful with the flatiron.* I was on a study abroad and this girl got up super early to flatten her hair and ended up burning off the bottom five inches or so on one side. Hehehe.* She was a bitch though and got what she deserved.* I giggled so much when we had to cut her hair.* Yeah Im evil.* Anyway the point is, you seem nice so really watch the temp.
[snapback]114771[/snapback]
Um...yeah...the rolly bag actually wasn't that bad...my arm was fine. I was in New York City, and the farthest I had to lug it was from the train/plane, to the subway, to the hostel (right near the subway). It was hardly any walking at all. If I was backpacking across europe or something, yeah I could see it being less bearable. Actually, I think the backpack thing was kinda lame. I noticed most people in the hostels in NYC had suitcases, I was among the VERY few hauling a big ole internal frame pack. Most places I stayed had elevators too, although one place didn't and it was a little annoying to carry up the little suitcase but they also had a guy who would carry your bags up the stairs for you so I gave him a couple bucks 'cause I was lazy anyway.

Um, the hair thing. Yeah. I'm from the US and was traveling in the US. No problem with the sockets. My flat iron was awesome. I used it all the time, and there was always plenty of places to plug it in. I find that most women (usually white) who don't have ethnic hair don't "understand" the whole flat iron thing, but some of us gals need them, period. That's all I'll say on that topic from her on, other than to mention that if I did happen to burn my hair, (ps I'm not that f-in stupid), I wouldn't mind. It would give me an excuse to finally chop it off again.

All in all, I'll probably never carry just a backpack again. It was lame. If I take it again, I'll use it only for clothes and bring a little carry-on size suitase to hold heavy products. Unless I'm in some damn jungle somewhere, then I'll just put a rag on my head, and leave the skin toner/acne products/makeup/hair products/ at home. Otherwise, they are coming with me in a little suitcase, and I'll stay my cute ass, picture-ready-self everywhere I go.
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Old 05-13-2006, 09:35 PM   #11
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That's awesome, the airbrush leg makeup made my night. :D

I did about 55 pounds once, and it sucked hardcore because my backpack didn't have good support.

Rolly suitcases make my hand go numb. Oh, another word of advice - don't travel through the NY subway with two 29" 50-pound suitcases, a small backpack and a violin. I came to the States with those for college, but they just don't fit through the revolving metal gates very easily...at all. And the subway staircases are a MAJOR bitch, plus the handle on one suitcase and the wheels on the other broke on me. Sweet eh.

Of course I really should've landed in Boston instead of trying to get to Maine from NY.

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Old 05-14-2006, 04:16 PM   #12
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freespiritz: Got any tips on Maine?? I'm heading back up the east coast in 2 weeks for a 14 day trip, this time instead of going it alone I'm traveling with my folks. We're taking trains to NYC, then to Boston, then Rhode Island, and finally to Maine where we plan on renting a car. We'd really like to see cute little towns and beautiful drives along the coast, and we're thinking Bar Harbor/Acadia National Forest. But we could use some suggestions on the New England and/or Maine area.
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Old 05-14-2006, 04:46 PM   #13
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Rhode Island rocks! Check out the Battery Arsenal and Fort Adams. They should still be free tours, but offer a good idea about the military history of the island.
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Old 05-14-2006, 04:49 PM   #14
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Hum hum hum, sadly, studying in Maine hasn't made me an expert on it yet. I'd second a trip to Bar Harbour and Acadia though. Lovely place. Try the lobster ice cream in Bar Harbour if you're feeling adventurous.

I think it'd be fun to just do a coastal drive...I *think* Camden is the quaint touristy place that people go to. Bath is a shipbuilding town...I think it's the only military shipbuilder in the country now? You can check out Portland/Oldport for a little more uh, culture and nice restaurants I guess. If you're into outlet stores and shopping, those are in Freeport (LL Bean, the North Face, etc). I've also been to Damariscotta which seemed like a nice little town too.

And then there's always Lewiston-Auburn where there's nothing much to do but you could visit me and the little college I go to. Hehe. We do have the 2nd largest (?) Wal-Mart in the US...if that appeals... *rolls eyes*

Really, Maine is good for outdoorsy stuff so go camping, climb some mountains or something. Last weekend some friends and I did a bike ride to Range Pond and that was a lot of fun (about 10 miles each way). You could hike part of the Appalacian Trail too.

Well, sorry that I don't have too much to say about stuff in Maine, but if I think up anything I'll let you know.
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