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€.