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when it comes to packing for travel the
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travel gear you bring with you can
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really enhance your journey but there
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are also plenty of travel items you're
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packing that you might not actually need
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in fact there are several things several
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great travel items that experience
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Travelers just don't travel with in this
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video I'm going to break down 12 things
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I don't pack as an experienced traveler
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and my thoughts on
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why hey guys Nick here from away Way
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together after years of domestic and
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international travel my wife Ally and I
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really have whittel down our packing
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lists and there's a bunch of things 12
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specifically that we don't travel with
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now I'm not saying that these are
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mistakes to travel with 100% all the
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time do what works for you okay but
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these are things that we don't carry
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with us and we know many many
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experienced Travelers who don't carry
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them either when it comes to packing for
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travel neck pillows are often at the top
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of the list of comfort items but these
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are at the top of my no pack list neck
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pillows take up way too much space in
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your luggage realistically neck pillows
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are only used during your flight or your
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train ride and then for the majority of
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your trip they remain unused and you're
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just lugging them around just not
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efficient to be carrying around I would
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skip the neck pillow and opt for a more
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versatile item like a rolled up scarf or
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a jacket which will save space and keep
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you from having to carry something
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you're not using around with you
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everywhere now if you really do want a
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neck pillow I'd look into an inflatable
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one that packs down flat when you're not
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using it I'm a huge proponent of guide
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books for travel like the ones by R
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Steves or Lonely Planet but they can be
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bulky and heavy I've got a Shelf full of
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guides at home and I use them heavily
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when researching for my trips but I
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don't pack them anymore in the digital
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age your phone can be your guide with
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up-to-date apps and digital guides that
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don't weigh anything I really recommend
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getting the Kindle version of any guide
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books you want and then just downloading
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the Kindle app on your phone so that you
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can carry those guides with you
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everywhere without having to actually
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pack anything okay I consulted my wife
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Ally about this next tip if you're
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looking to save space in your luggage an
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item that you don't have to pack is a
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hairdryer hair dryers are bulky and they
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can add a lot of weight to your luggage
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now there are some great travel
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hairdryer options out there Ali even has
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one but when we were traveling full-time
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she brought that with us we stayed in
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almost 50 different places
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internationally and the amount of times
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that there wasn't a hairdryer provided
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was few and far between there were times
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she needed the one she packed but what I
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would say is if you're pressed for space
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consider whether or not you need your
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haird dryer or you could bum off where
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you're staying most hotels nowadays
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offer hair dryers in the rooms and you
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can even filter your Airbnb search
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results by whether or not a hair dryer
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is provided all right let's talk about
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money something I would not travel with
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is a lot of cash carrying excess cash
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can be risky especially in the case of
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pickpockets now there are some places
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that you may be visiting where cash is
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warranted and useful this happens to us
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all the time and in those instances
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where you need cash don't go to a
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currency exchange don't use one of those
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scammy tourist ATMs in the tourist
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hotspots go to a bank in your
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destination after you've landed and take
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out the equivalent of a few hundred if
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you're presented the option to use
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Dynamic currency conversion or to have
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the transaction happen in your home
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currency don't just take it out in the
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currency of your destination I would
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also recommend carrying a couple of
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credit cards look for ones with no
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international fees and ones that come
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with some consumer protections now the
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reason I say to carry a couple is it's
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good to have a backup for example many
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establishments still don't accept MX me
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I like travel rewards credit cards
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because of the opportunity to earn
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airline miles and hotel points along
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with the ability to earn bonus points
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when you spend on travel related things
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when you're out and about for the day
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only carry what you need if you carry a
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wallet I recommend a front pocket wallet
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which isn't foolproof but it's more
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likely to keep pickpockets at Bay hey
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real quick if you're getting value out
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of this video I would love it if you
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would hit that like button so that
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YouTube will know to suggest it to other
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Travelers like you thank you experienced
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Travelers don't travel with expensive
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international phone plans one thing I
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used to travel with all the time was an
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international phone plan from my home
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provider I would pay an extra like $10 a
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day to be able to use my phone
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internationally but 10 bucks a day
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really adds up and the amount of data
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that we had to use was next to nothing
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now there's a number of reasonable
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alternatives to this but my favorite way
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and the method Ally and I personally use
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is Olaf eims Olaf eim give you a way to
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use your device in over 180 destinations
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worldwide in many cases with unlimited
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data and no roaming fees it's kind of
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like getting a SIM card in your local
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country but you don't have to go
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physically hunt one down you purchase
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online before your trip and then you
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activate the eim on your phone with a
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simple QR scan one of my favorite things
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about Olaf is there are absolutely no
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hidden costs unlike other providers that
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don't offer unlimited data with Olaf
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what you see is what you get and there's
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no need for additional data topups which
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get very expensive olly also has a new
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and improved mobile app that makes it
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easy to purchase an eim and get 24/7
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customer service in just a few clicks if
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you're ready to stop paying for
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expensive international data plans hit
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the link below and use the code away
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together for an additional 5% off your
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eim purchase something you usually never
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need to pack is a towel most
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accommodations from hotels to airbnbs
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provide guests with towels and this WID
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spread availability makes it unnecessary
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to bring your own and you might be
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thinking Nick duh if you have a specific
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reason to pack a towel a packable
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microfiber towel could be a good option
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note I said specific reason for example
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these towels would have come in handy
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for us when we Road tripped around puket
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Thailand to visit a bunch of different
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beaches I wish we'd had these towels
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with us when we went to the thermal
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baths in Budapest because we ended up
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paying like $10 a piece for these crappy
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little towels that were falling apart
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but similar to some other items on this
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list even the clever microfiber towel
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will go largely unused you maybe won't
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even use it at all I put these on a list
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a category called clever travel products
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that you probably don't need they're
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handy if you have a specific need or
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you're doing longer term travel cuz you
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never know what you could get into but
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for the average traveler on a specific
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trip you probably do not need this
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unless you know you have a reason
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speaking of Handy travel products you
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probably don't need let's talk about
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luggage scales I understand the need to
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weigh your luggage Airlines have weight
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limits for check bags most of these days
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have weight limits for carryon bags but
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it's very easy to weigh your bag at home
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before you leave you simply step onto
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your home scale holding the bag note the
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weight and then weigh just yourself
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without the bag now when could a luggage
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scale be good well if you're trying to
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get a very precise weight like within an
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ounce okay I get it or if you plan to
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buy a lot of souvenirs while you're gone
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and you're afraid that you're going to
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exceed the weight limit coming back home
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I get it if neither of those apply to
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you you probably don't need one while on
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the topic of heavy things the next thing
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you might not need to pack is technical
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rugged shoes and clothing a mistake I
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see a lot especially for firsttime
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international Travelers is investing a
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lot of money in technical hiking boots
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and hiking pants and things like that
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for a trip that they don't really plan
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to do much hiking on this was me on my
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first trip to Europe we planned to do a
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lot of walking yes there were several
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days that we walked over 20 M no joke
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but 100% of this 5we trip was in cities
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I had absolutely no business wearing
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these massive chunker shoes no business
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Not only was it Overkill I looked silly
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I recommend choosing simple versatile
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clothing and shoes for most General
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travel items that can be used in
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multiple settings from walking to a nice
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dinner are way more beneficial than
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these rugged single-use very specific
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type of items if you do plan on doing a
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lot of actual hiking ignore me be
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prepared but if you're not keep it
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simple and keep it versatile now the
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next item might seem obvious but
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full-sized toiletries no full-sized
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toiletries take up a significant amount
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of luggage space travel siiz toiletries
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are much more Compact and they free up
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room for other Essentials and help to
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minimize overall luggage size for
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carry-on luggage travel size toiletries
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are a must due to liquid restrictions
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we're talking about 3.4 o or less if you
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go over that you're going to have
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trouble with airport security Now if
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what you need doesn't come in a 3.4 ounz
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or smaller container you could always
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get some sealable silicone containers
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like these ones by gravel solid
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toiletries like shampoo bars or soap
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bars or solid deodorants are not subject
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to liquid restrictions which make them
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great for carryon luggage and they're
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also leak proof which reduce the risk of
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things getting spilled and leaked in
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your bag all right the next thing to
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stop packing is cheap socks for travel
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where you plan to do a lot of walking I
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highly recommend investing in good
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quality socks for years I just wore
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basic crappy cotton socks and in times
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where I was doing a lot of walking they
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would stink and they'd get wet and my
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feet would get blisters and for probably
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10 years now I've exclusively worn
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Marino wool socks in every situation the
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reason they're great is because they're
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naturally odor resistant and antibac
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material which reduces stink they're
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also moisture wicking Marino wool
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efficiently Wicks moisture away from
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your skin which keeps your feet dry when
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those cotton socks get wet they stay wet
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this is crucial for long days of walking
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and can help you prevent blisters Marino
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is also temperature regulating and so it
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keeps your feet warm in cold conditions
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and cool in warm conditions which makes
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them nice for a wide range of climates
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Marino socks are more of an investment
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initially but they last a lot longer and
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they maintain their shape and quality
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throughout the years next on the no pack
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list is too many clothes there's no need
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to pack a completely different top to
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bottom outfit for every day of your trip
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instead I'd recommend creating a
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collection of simple versatile items
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that look good together and mix and
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match well some people call this a
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capsule wardrobe and that approach
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allows for a more Compact and manageable
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amount of clothing in your luggage
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planning to dress in layers allows you
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to pack less
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and safe Space by avoiding bulky items I
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recommend clothing that's lightweight
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wrinkle resistant and dries pretty quick
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having a set of clothes that all work
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well together simplifies your daily
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outfit decisions and fewer clothes means
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a lighter bag I tend to recommend some
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key Marino wool pieces for this as well
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because they can be worn multiple times
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before washing I really like the shirts
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from Unbound Marino typically I pack
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five or six shirts and a couple pairs of
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pants or shorts for a 10-day trip and
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then I try to ensure that at least one
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of the places we stay as a washing
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machine something I often see Travelers
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do is pack what ifs I saw this meme the
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other day me uses the same three things
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at home me packing for vacation I wonder
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if I'll need four French horns or five
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overpacking is often packing your fears
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people overpack a lot of times because
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they're afraid a way to avoid this is by
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packing only what you know you'll need
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this helps keep your luggage size and
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weight to a minimum and not not only
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does this make traveling easier and more
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comfortable but it also helps you avoid
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extra baggage fees I used to chronically
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do this a day or two before a trip a
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thought would creep into my mind hey
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what about this and I'd rush out and I'd
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buy something or I'd pack something that
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I don't need and it goes completely
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unused on my trip don't give into that a
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realization that was comforting to me is
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there are people just like me just like
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you that also need toothpaste that also
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need shampoo that also have one-year-old
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kids that need all this stuff that also
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the list goes on and on bring the things
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you need and the things that you know
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you'll need don't leave your important
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prescription at home I'm not telling you
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to do that but I would recommend that
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you stop stressing about things that you
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could easily get at your destination if
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you had to allly and I took our
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honeymoon to Iceland and we were not
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prepared for how cold it would be that's
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on us one of my favorite travel memories
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though is looking for scarves in an
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Icelandic thrift store the fears and the
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wh ifs nine times out of 10 they're just
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not worth paying attention to right
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bring a jacket okay I'm not encouraging
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you to be as freezing cold as we were in
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Iceland in the middle of the summer but
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in the case that you forget something
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important it can be a fun adventure to
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go find it I hope this video was helpful
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to you and if you're interested in one
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back travel and how I packed for a
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10-day trip to Europe check out this
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video thanks so much for watching happy
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travels
