The one thing that I have found to really improve my mobility is to travel light. I have just returned from an 18 day trip in Spain and have been asked to post how I do it!! It takes advance planning. I pack a couple weeks early and then continue to think about what is really essencial.

I am a small person and can only carry 20 to 24 pounds. My pack can easily hold more, but it becomes difficult for me to handle. I need to be able to carry my load up stairs in case the elevator is broken because I frequently travel alone. You cannot very well leave a bag at the bottom while you carry one up the stairs.

I have seen countless kids and adults in tears because of their stuff. This trip I even saw a kid dump some of his stuff because he had too much!!

WEIGH YOUR EMPTY SUITCASE and take the lightest one!! Those suitcases with wheels can be heavy and hard to carry. Before you buy one, check its weight. My suitcase with wheels weighs 5 lbs more than my pack!! I can take more stuff with a pack so it is always a trade off. Which one I take depends on the trip. This trip I took a carry-on size pack and an duffle bag.

For the last 18 days (February 2004), I took:

SOCKS
2 pairs beige midweight (wear one)
1 pair wool gray
1 pair black dress

SHOES
745 Brown New Balance hikers (wear)

UNDERWEAR
3 pairs capiline-type light weight (wear one)
1 set (top /bottom) black long capiline light weight underwear
2 bras (wear one)

SLEEPWEAR
1 lightweight jersey bottom
1 t-shirt

SHIRTS
3 button with collar shirts, easy care (wear one)
2 synthetic, short-sleeved, synthetic, round necked shirts (wear one)
1 red mock turtle-neck, cotton, long-sleeved

PANTS
1 khaki cotton chino type (wear)
1 corderoy gray
1 black synthetic stretch dress type

SWEATERS
1 wool blue
1 cashmere raspberry (wear)

NAVY BLUE BLAZER
SCARF
GLOVES
NAVY WOOL-LINED TRENCH COAT

BASIC TOILETRIES
Be careful here...do you REALLY need it?
All small travel sizes
I use Prell shampoo for washing clothing and hair and put in in a smaller bottle.

BOOKS,ETC
photocopies of all credit cards, passport etc
pens, pencils, and paper
dictionary
grammar book
fiction book in English to leave behind
maps,etc., but only the basics
Rick Steves guide book - I have the print shop slice off the binding and I only take the pages that pertain to the places I will be. I hole punch the pages and use a ring to keep them together.

ELECTRONICS
tiny elf digital camera
2 batteries with recharger and adapter
3 memory cards
tiny, wear to jog on your arm, SONY radio
BOSE headphones - expensive, but they are great on the airplane and work as little speakers for the radio.

PASSPORT
INTERNATIONAL DRIVER'S LICENSE
2 ATM CARDS
2 CREDIT CARDS (call the companies before you leave!!!)

FOOD
a bit of candy and a few teabags for emergencies

GIFTS for my host family.

PURSE
I use an LL BEAN navy, microfiber, kidney shaped thing. It may be in there day pack or travel section, but it works great. In Madrid I do not carry a purse in the winter. I use pockets instead.

WHEN IN DOUBT, LEAVE IT OUT!!!!
Everything weighs something and the little things add up. Every ounce counts!!! (Plus I like to have room to bring some stuff home.)

I have a small leather zipper wallet with a metal ring. Credit cards just fit inside. It has a little picture plasic front pocket where I keep my subway or bus pass for easy access. I clip it inside my front pocket with the zipper in the hardest to reach position. I keep money spread around, but my 'big' stash is kept in a security pocket and my passport is kept in a separate security pocket.

Then I either include an empty suitcase in this carry one bag or I check the empty suitcase with my scissors and nail clippers.

At the end of the trip, I was in Madrid for a couple more days and I used the extra bag to store most of my stuff at the left luggage room (Consigna) at Terminal 2. It cost 3.78€/day. If you leave stuff there for less than a day it costs 2.70€.

Thanks for the battle plan Sel, I was able to send it to a novice packer as a guide.

Very concise!

I recently went to wheels with hidden backpack straps (Eagle Creek) from a straight backpack. I LOVE the wheels. It has a zip off daypack and in the winter I carry an extra carry-on to hold the warmer clothes. It fits over the handle. I also carry a very light, compact bag for the return flight. I stuff soft clothes in it, check it and fill my harder bag with Manchego, La Casera, cafe and conservas.

I carry a braided surgical tubing clothesline and use woolite. (Safely soaks fine washables!)

I find Febreeze to be wonderful when traveling. You can spray and air out your outer clothes while washing the unders.

I bought coolmax t-shirts from Magellans. They are a bit pricey, but they very light and dry in 3-4 hours. Coolmax socks also.

A luxury I really enjoy is a very small short wave radio (AM & FM also) I bought on a KLM flight when the dollar was still strong (oh the days!). It's the size of 2 packs of cigarettes. I seem to always be away for election days and it's great to get the BBC and VOA.

Wow Sel, nice packing list! I wish I had it before I traveled in January (I was there about 16 days). I took 3 pairs of pants also, but felt I could have gotten away with the 2 pairs that were "travel" pants, and dried quickly. One pair was black, and fine for evening out, the other khaki. The other thing was I was traveling with someone else, so we had one set of toiletries between us.

What do you find are good gifts to take for host families/friends in Spain? Some of them had lived here and asked for the "mezcla para las tortillas con liquido dulce." I finally figured out they meant pancakes and syrup

Also, I can't stress enough having good shoes. I unfortunately didn't make a good choice and ended up buying a spare pair (luckly it was las rebajas!) while I was there. Any recommendations for good womens walking shoes (or brands), that are sturdy and that don't have the hiking look? I see a lot of men's shoes that fit the bill but my feet are too small/narrow to fit them

Gifts are always challenging. For those familiar with the US, I think simple things like tortillas, peanut butter, brownie mixes, chocolate chips, and brown sugar might be appreciated. I often take recipies and make baked goods like banana/zuchini bread or candies that are not usual in Spain. My recent host family had just received some maple syrup as a gift but did not know what to do with it! The thought of eating pancakes and syrup seemed really odd to them!

I often take small books as gifts. Books about our National Parks and individual states are fun to share. My host families have always been interested in our cultural similarities and differences so I try to find some theme each time I visit for us to discuss. This trip I took a small picture book about the Amish, a handmade Amish doll, and hand-quilted Amish pillow covers. It was perfect because Witness had just been on TV and my hostess had a doll collection.

Shoes is a more difficult issue!!! I tend to walk each day until my feet will not allow me to go any farther. I have to have good shoes. I have tried Eccos, Merrells, Mephistos, etc. and have finally decided that the perfect shoe does not exist. The New Balance hikers and walkers seem to work best for me. I try to wear my dress pants a little too long to hide the shoe a bit. I guess if I was single and hunting for a mate, I might feel differently but this works for me. I apologize if my shoes are not stylish, but at least I can walk in semi-comfort.

Mongo...I really liked the Eagle Creek Switchback 22 pack on wheels, but it weighed considerably more (7lbs 13oz) than the Columbia Load Toad pack without wheels (4lbs 9oz).

It was/is a tough decision whether to go with or without wheels!!! I am packing for Costa Rica right now and still torn between the two options!! I may go with the wheels because my husband will be with me should I need help!!!

I got the Eagle Creek for half off at the local AAA travel agency. They were dumping it in favor of another line and I had to make a quick decision. Mine is the 20", but it has the zip off daypack for extra room. The other choice was a 22" expandable with less total cubic inches. I travel very light also. If I didn't have such big feet I could do with 1/3 less! (I like an extra pair of shoes).

I'm getting too old to backpack, especially when I carry-on.