The Anonymous Widower

How Do You Tell Clean From Dirty Clothes When Travelling?

On trips like the one I’ve just done to Gdansk, I travel with enough underwear and socks for the trip, which is one per day and a spare.

Socks are easy to tell if they’re clean, as they are still in a ball, but how do you tell clean from dirty pants.

Hal;fway through the trip, I decided that if your clean pants are carried inside out you can always find them. After all, it is unlikely you would put a dirty pair back in the case with the possibly dirty side out.

I also usually take one new shirt still in its packaging and as many old ones as I need on holiday.  That way, at least one will get to the day I need it, in absolutely pristine condition.

May 7, 2014 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , | Leave a comment

I Can’t Fold Shirts

I’m just packi ng for my trip to Edinburgh tomorrow and have just realised that I can’t fold shirts, so they fit in my case.

But it’s not the stroke, as I couldn’t do it three years ago!

Perhaps I should try harder! Or should I get someone else to do it?

August 10, 2010 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , | 4 Comments

Euro v UK Plugs and Sockets

I travel to Europe a lot and it annoys me that I have to carry various adapters, so that I can charge my camera or run this laptop, that I am using to post this.

The UK uses a system, based on BS 1363, where plugs are fused because they are all on a ring main.  This system was brought in after the Second World War to save copper.  As an electrical engineer, I feel that it is a better system, for lots of other reasons too, such as safety and ease of wiring.  But we’ll never convince Europe to have our system!

One problem is that the adapters and the leads weigh about 0.2Kg each and as I have to have two, then this means I have a lot of excess baggage.  The leads are long too and take up a lot of space, when I’m travelling light.

So I cut both leads in two and fitted Europlugs on each with sockets to take them on the remaining part of the mains lead.

Plugs and Sockets

Plugs and Sockets

So when I now travel in Europe, I don’t need to take the heavy UK 13 amp plugs and I also leave most of the cable behind.  I reckon it will save me about 0.3Kg and all the packing of the long cables.

That weight saving means I can take two more sets of shirts, socks and knickers!

July 16, 2009 Posted by | Transport/Travel | | Leave a comment