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Travelite Packing Tips

October 2000:

Yoo hoo!!

Well, the fall season has truly come upon the San Francisco Bay Area. Both Bay Area Major League Baseball teams (the SF Giants and the Oakland Athletics) lost their bid for the World Series when they lost crucial season-ending games yesterday (you New Yorkers please don't gloat; you haven't won yet!)... and the bright afternoon sun that blinded A's outfielder Terrence Long and kept him from catching a ball (and thus giving up two-of-six, critical, first-inning runs) all but waved good-bye when it failed to make much of a presence today. The sky has turned overcast gray and I had to use my windshield wipers to actually wipe raindrops (instead of window cleaner) when I went to work this morning.

...as much as I miss Hawaii, it's kind of nice to have clearcut signs of seasonal change.

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Magellan's, the wonderful travel-products store, is offering a special deal through today (October 10)!! If you make ANY purchase from them, you will receive a print version of their new 16-page booklet called "Passport to Business Travel." You don't have to be a business traveler to enjoy the tips in this booklet. Tips include topics like "Getting your email on the road," "Staying in touch with home" as well as lots of safety tips. You can view the online version of the passport by visiting their Web site. You can take advantage of this offer if you order by phone as well. Call them at 1-800-962-4943 to order anything from their catalog, and make sure to mention order code E51.

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Yearning to relive your Paris holiday? The upcoming L.L.Bean Traveler catalog takes France by storm; their entire Traveler catalog has a Parisian theme. Their outdoor shots were taken in Paris this past May, with such familiar sites as the Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Jardin des Tuileries, Montmartre, Sacre Coeur. As you can imagine, it is full of new items you can purchase for the coming holiday season.

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A lot of email "newsletters" you sign up for are thinly disguised sales flyers. That's okay if you like purchasing from the company. But how often do you sign up for a truly informative, hefty email newsletter where there's no hard sell (if any)? Lonely Planet guides publish "Comet," an irregularly dispatched email newsletter that I always love to read from byte to byte. If you have never heard of the Lonely Planet guides to travel, you are missing out on a truly unique and wonderful set of books. Unlike the glossy, glitzy travel books that satisfy an armchair traveler's yen for lots of pictures, the Lonely Planet guides are mostly small-print text... hundreds of pages worth of really handy and good information for those far-flung places you want to travel to.

To subscribe to Comet, go to their Web site.

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This month's Travelite tip is: Photographer's vests.

I knew for a long time that many folks used vests as an integral part of their travel wardrobe, but it wasn't until my trip to Burning Man last month that I found out how truly useful these were.

The kind of vest I'm talking about is usually marketed as a photographer's, fisherman's, or traveler's vest. They differ from regular vests by their inordinate number of pockets, pouches, zippers, buttons, loops, D-rings, and Velcro closures. Because these are designed to be worn in place of your day pack, it is not uncommon to find six or more pockets on these vests.

These vests can be found in outdoor and travelwear stores and catalogs. How much you pay depends greatly on the brand. Except for a few models that have zip-off sleeves, most of these are cut like an ordinary vest. Make sure they fit nice and loosely, since you will be wearing these over your shirts (or even a thicker sweater in colder weather). If you get a chance, make sure to try these on before you buy them.

Fisherman's vests tend to be cut very high at the waist, probably to prevent the bottom from getting wet. Photographer's vests tend to have lots of gusseted pockets that easily fit lenses and various bulky objects. Traveler's vests often have a number of concealed pockets on the inside.

On a recent trip, I was able to take the following things out of my day pack and stuff them in my travel vest:
- my Handspring Visor
- my digital camera
- a spare set of batteries
- a bandana
- lip balm
- comb
- small notebook and pen
- small paperback
- map
- coin purse

The vest I bought was the "Women's Cotton Multipocket Travel Vest" from Travelsmith (product #5107, $59.50), although I wish I'd gotten in early enough to order the same model they used to make in a lighter Supplex fabric. Men have far more choices at Travelsmith... not only do you get a Supplex version (Men's Supplex Travel Vest #8723 $129.00), you also get a a reversible version (Men's Reversible Vest #8725 $119.00), but they even have a LINED version for cooler weather (Men's Fleece-Lined Multipocketed Vest #8733 $109.00)! Some of you ladies may be able to wear the men's styles, but they aren't cut right for me and I end up looking like a shoulder-padded football player.

If you want to carry a daypack anyway, you can get one that folds into its own pouch... and tuck it in one of your vest pockets! That way you can just unbundle it and fill it with souvenirs, fresh-baked bread from the local bakery, and other goodies.

Be warned: The ONLY fashion statement you make wearing these vests, is that you're a practical person, AND that you are a traveler (I think most "tourists" don't prepare as much). To prevent you from clashing with your wardrobe entirely, most vests use very neutral colors, such as khaki.

Finally, even with these concealed pockets, don't forget to keep your valuables in a security wallet under your clothes.

Have a wonderful October, full of Oktoberfest celebration and Halloween shivers!!

Happy travels,

-- Lani

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