What to pack for a trip to Switzerland
ROLLING SUITCASE
I’m open to your suitcase suggestions. I’ve read good reviews about Helen Rae Luggage,or perhaps I should consider the Delsey Helium Breeze 26″ Expandable Upright.
Do you travel with your phone?
I’m not a professional photographer, but my Canon Power Shot SD 750 with 7.1 Megapixel takes great pictures for the money. Canon has since moved on to the SD850 with eight Megapixel. I bring along an extra camera battery and charger, as well as a cable so that I can download my pictures to my laptop computer each night. My laptop is a Dell Inspiron 1520. Don’t forget to pack the AC Adapter and the Adaptor Plug. Of course, I can’t leave home without my iPhone. Not only will the iPhone’s camera work as a backup should anything happen to my Canon digital camera, I also like it as a back up for my laptop. This will be my first time taking the iPhone overseas, so I’ll need to remember to turn off network data roaming and turn on the airplane mode to stop text and phone messages or I could be hit with some huge service fees.
When it comes to sound isolating earphones, I’m considering the Shure earphones. I’ve heard that the Shure earphones block out more real-world noise (think droning jet engines and screaming babies) than noise cancelling headphones. The isolating earphones were originally developed as Personal Monitor Systems to allow musicians to hear their own performances in loud onstage environments. I don’t claim to be a rock star, but I don’t see any harm in traveling like one.
TRAVEL APPAREL
The joys and challenges of traveling to Switzerland in the spring time will be the weather. Being the California girl that I am, I tend to dress casual and wear cotton. I like to dress comfortably on the long plane ride. This May I’ll be wearing my Joe’s Jeans and a lot of clothes from Coldwater Creek. My 17 year-old daughter calls Coldwater Creek the old lady clothing store, but they fit my 5’4″ frame and I don’t have to spend a small fortune in alteration fees.
I was reading a fellow travel writer’s glowing review of Merrell’s Mary Jane shoe, but alas, they didn’t fit my wide foot. Same goes for the Keen shoes. I’m going to check out Clark’s Privo Floats. Anyone have suggestions for cute, comfortable yet durable shoes that can be worn in the Swiss Alps?
Do you pack your own food when you fly?
The final question relates to food. Do I bring something on the plane to eat, eat at the SFO international airport food court or sample the food offered on the airplane? After a recent food extravaganza at the San Francisco Fancy Food Show, the folks at Pizza Hut asked me to try their new Natural Rustica Pizza. Once I gave up on the on-line ordering, I called directly to my closest Pizza Hut and ordered the Natural Rustica with sausage and one with pepperoni. Both pizzas featured a multi-grain crust, all-natural sauce from vine ripened tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese and meat without filler. The medium-sized pizzas retailed for $11.99 and were quite tasty. How would you feel if a fellow passenger walked on the plane carrying a fresh-baked pizza pie?
Article and photos by Travel Writer Nancy D. Brown
Hi Nancy, I spent three months in Thailand this fall with a wheeled suitcase left at a base hotel in Bangkok and traveled with an REI travel backpack that I like so much I bought an extra when they sold out last year’s color at a great deal. Even at $100 (the price I paid for my first), it is a deal. http://www.rei.com/product/754680 It just fits in carry on bins on the plane, though it looks too big each time. Within this pack, I strongly recommend using the Eagle Creek packing cubes and folders to contain and organize. Finally, I bought a compact computer (first discovered at the Bookpasage Travel Writer’s Conference last year) — the Asus 900 for about $350 from Amazon including software. This saved my back, was rugged for carting around, and is now my friend for travel. The keyboard takes a little getting used to but once you do it is fine.Have a great trip!KarlaPS I too have wide feet. I love to walk so I give up cute for comfort!
Hi Karla,This is why I love blogging. Instant feed back from fellow travelers!Thank you for your recommendations. I have heard similar comments on the Eagle Creek packing cubes and folders. P.S. There must be a cute, comfortable shoe out there for travelers with wide feet.
Good tips for overseas travel.. Let me know about the suitcase choice, I need a new one
Thx for good tips. However I think the type of baggage depends on what you are planning to do. Suitcases are great but if you want to walk or travel and explore more pleces it is better to take something more practical. But I agree that if you stay at the same hotel for the whole holiday these good suitcases are just the best choice.
a backpack is good in lieu of a suticase. won’t get it caught on the curb!
Nice tips. But a backpack would be better. And you forgot to mention warm clothes as its cold there
Ah, so you are heading back to our side of the pond again, eh? How fun! On our recent trip to the US in Oct. Nov., we just brought a small backpack each and that was for 3 seasons of weather and included a laptop and homeschool supplies!We have often done this on our open ended world tour and we particularly like our Targus backpack that holds the laptop, all electronics, plus clothes ,water and even a cooler compartment for food! It also has a handle on top which comes in handy if one needs to carry it like a suitcase.My 8yo has a wonderful LLBean backpack that is usually used for school ( as is the Targus with Uni students) and it is a convertible one that she can roll or wear on her back. She has been rolling it all over on 4 continents, but when we are using stairs, it can quickly go on her back. Might be a thought for you.We use 3 canon cameras and have been very happy with all of them:http://www.soultravelers3.com/2008/07/new-cameras.htmlThere is a good chance you will run into rain in May, so just make sure you have a raincoat and probably something warm. As a Californian, I am sure you have layering down to an art form. 😉 We all wear lots of basic black and like easy to wash and dry micro fiber clothes like exofficio. Too bad we will miss you again, as we will see Switzerland again this year, but won’t be that far north by May, we’ll still be in Spain. I think we were in the north last year when you were in Spain. Ha!Happy Travels!
Thanks for the great tips everyone. I haven’t been to Switzerland in May, so raincoat and layering are good reminders. As for the backpack suggestion. I do have one, but it’s quite ancient from my backpacking trip to Europe almost 20 years ago!
Rolling suitcases are the best bet any day. However, it also has some drawbacks. You will need to carry it while climbing the staircases, which is inevitable at times. In such cases duffle bags are the best.