Travel Tales
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| Packing light shall set you free. |
Every month we feature funny, cautionary, or inspiring anecdotes from travelers. If you have a true (short) travel tale to share, send it to stories@ricksteves.com. If you have a photo that illustrates it, please attach it. And don't forget to tell us your first name and the city where you live. We'd love to hear from you!
Regretfully Trading Away "That Sweet Mobility"
Just wanted to tell you how seriously I will take your recent column in the St. Louis Post Dispatch about packing light. I've just returned from 10 days in England, and although I am a seasoned traveler — and travel writer — I let my vanity get the better of me by packing stylish outfits I thought I'd need since I was going on a 'girls trip' with my cousin and daughter. Unfortunately nothing worked out as planned, and I was left lugging a 50-lb. suitcase from London to Bristol to Bath back to London on my own — and, as you noted in your article, living in only one of the 4 pairs of shoes I packed: the sneakers on my feet!
Anyway, I guess the lesson here is to focus on that sweet mobility and freedom you mentioned, which would have assuaged some of my misery during this trip. I enjoy all your advice. Sincerely,
— Dorothy in St. Louis, MO
[Ed. note: If you need yet another reason to pack light, The Los Angeles Times reports that checked luggage fees on flights to Europe have nowhere to go but up.]
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