Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with packing

Planes, trains and automobiles: Make me a better traveler

kat518 — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 08:36:28 -0800

I travel on a semi-regular basis and would like to become a better traveler, both in terms of trip planning and packing/unpacking/repacking. If you travel frequently, how do you do it? How can I up my game? TL; DR: I would like to know how I can spend less on travel (short of traveling less) and/or make it less stressful for me and my husband. We're in a position where we can afford to pay for things that are a little more expensive if they will be less stressful. I am interested in hearing about loyalty programs, credit card rewards programs, helpful websites, packing tips and general travel strategies (if you buy a plane ticket during a full moon, the security line at the airport will be nonexistent).

I'm also interested in hearing tips on getting cheap airfare and vacations abroad. A friend explained that the trick is to travel when you can get a deal, not when you want, but if you have more advice along those lines, I'm interested.

My husband and I frequently travel short distances (less than 400 miles) to visit family or have fun for a few days at a time (usually long weekends) several times annually. In the first 5 months of this year, there will have been 6 such trips as well as a week-long work trip and a week-long vacation.

We usually fly where we're going except when we go to NY because the bus is so cheap. Southwest is often our airline of choice because they fly to my dad's town though we've flown a few times with US Airways recently. We usually rent a car when we go to places where public transportation is lackluster. Since we're usually visiting family, we don't need hotel rooms unless we're going on vacation.

Specific questions:

- Rental cars: I usually just book the cheapest one which I find using Priceline or Hotwire. I recently joined Alamo's membership thing because it's usually the cheapest but our minimal interactions with customer service are almost always unpleasant. Is there a rental car company program for which I can sign up that will give us points and where they won't behave insanely?

- Flights: We're members of Southwest's frequent flyer program but to fly with Southwest, we have to go to an inconvenient airport so I've been interested in flying more with US Airways, which flies out of a more convenient airport. However, I don't understand frequent flyer programs. In general, how many miles do I need to get a free flight? What does that mean in practical terms (10 short RT flights?)? Do you just need to check to see if you have enough miles for a free flight or do they let you know? Is it worth buying miles?

- Hotels: Similar to rental cars, are there loyalty programs or such that are reasonable and have good benefits? I usually pick hotels based on price but if say, the Holiday Inn offered a really nice rewards program and people who go to the Holiday Inn in any city generally have a good experience, I'd be interested in joining.

- Trains and buses: We usually take MegaBus or BoltBus to visit family in NY because holy crap it's cheap. That said, it feels like it takes forever and I have a hard time using that time productively, plus when I get where I'm going, I feel exhausted so I feel like by taking the bus, I am losing days of my life. I don't mind flying but the bus. is. so. cheap. Is there a way to get cheap flights from DC to NY? I feel like I heard that you could pay for a few trips on the DC to NY shuttle and get one free but maybe I made that up. I've also been told that you can take the train for cheap occasionally but I have never been able to find a train fare that was anywhere near reasonable (~$100 RT) unless I take the train at 4 a.m. Is everyone who says that you can get a cheap train a total liar or am I doing something wrong? How do you sit on a bus for 4-6 hours without going crazy? I take anxiety drugs and nap for a bit, read, listen to podcasts, but after about 3.5 hours, I am done and I start getting cranky.

- Packing: Since I run, I plan to leave pairs of semi-retired running sneakers at my dad's and in-laws' homes so that's one less thing I have to pack. I use packing cubes yet packing always feels like an ordeal. There is a spot in our apartment where I put our suitcases when we return and it feels like stuff just sits there. I am trying to be better about it - we returned from a trip Saturday night and I already put our suitcases away - but it feels semi-exhausting. I don't think I over-pack much and am trying to get better about re-wearing clothes but it's a work in progress. What are your tips for traveling lightly and packing easily? I am thinking of just putting aside all of the liquid things I take on trips that I can in one of those liter bags so I can just grab it. And maybe buying more underwear. I feel like I never have enough underwear. Should I make checklists? What do I tell my husband when he makes fun of me? (kidding. sort of.) Do you have cool products that do double-duty? I LOVE cool products that do double-duty. Please tell me all about them immediately.

- Anxiety: My husband and I both just get anxious about traveling. We take medication for it occasionally and I try to alleviate it by starting to pack a week ahead of time so then we don't have to think about it but then I worry that I'm just stretching out the amount of time during which we feel anxious. I also try to tell him, dude, we're visiting our parents, we don't have to impress people, but anxiety is irrational. We used to have a terrific way of dealing with travel anxiety but the burrito shop at the airport stopped selling margaritas. How do you manage travel anxiety? We also become a negative feedback loop between us.

- Credit cards: Are there rewards cards that would give us points or magic beans for flights, rental cars, hotels, etc.? I just feel like somehow, my friends all have platinum status on different airlines and I'm like, I check two bags for free on Southwest! Which is fine and I don't really care but if I could do something small differently that would improve our travel experience, I'm up for it.

God bless you for reading this far. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

Travel clothes for summer in Europe

OrangeDisk — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 10:54:52 -0800

I am a woman, live in the U.S., and I'm planning several trips to Europe over the next 3 years. They will be about 10 days to 2 weeks long, and will be in warmer months (spring, summer or fall). When I travel domestically, I always take just one bag (sometimes I take a second "personal item"). I need help thinking about what clothes I should take that will fit within these constraints. I am a plus-size woman, so that makes this more of a challenge. I want to find a small number of clothing items that will work for warm-weather touristing in Europe. I am happy to do my own laundry in the sink while I'm there. Most "travel clothes" won't work for me because they either don't come in plus sizes or they are made from non-breathable fabrics, which I know from hard experience will cause me serious chafing and overheating.

The trips I'm planning are for pleasure, not business, and although I'm traveling light, I won't be "back packing" -- I will be staying in small hotels, not hostels.

Can you help me think about what sorts of clothes I should be looking for? What sorts of fabrics will dry fast and also be breathable? I'd also like to not look completely like a tourist all the time, but comfort and packing light is more important to me than looking fab. Recommendations for specific items, brands or fabrics are welcome. I want to spend some time getting the right pieces -- I don't want to buy a ton of stuff all at once.

To give you an idea of me: My usual style is pretty minimal -- a below-the-knee black skirt or blue jeans, a decent shirt (often one of these), a scarf or a piece of statement jewelry. I'll be going minimal with the jewelry on these trips.

I've already got a bag I like, and I'm not yet ready to think about shoes. For now I'm just trying to focus on clothes.

Cost-effective strategies for moving from Hawaii to LA

lostburner — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:12:40 -0800

I'm trying to plan our move from Oahu back to Los Angeles. We have too much for airline baggage, but too little for a shipping container. We're selling all the furniture and big items, and planning to buy used replacements when we arrive. We're paring down our belongings as much as we can bear, but it's still not going to fit in airline baggage. I'm talking medium-value, medium-sized things like baking pans, shoes, small kitchen appliances, and books. What's the cheapest way to ship all this little stuff? I don't care how long it takes. Is there a shared container solution that would let me take advantage of the economy of shipping containers without having to rent an entire one? (Something like the UPack ReloCubes is way too expensive, at $4000 terminal-to-terminal, and too much space besides as we don't have furniture.)

Do the options really boil down to dragging a couple big boxes in to FedEx, UPS, or USPS? Is one significantly cheaper than the others?

A very light shoulder daypack for travel?

critzer — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 17:17:26 -0800

I'm looking for a small canvas bag ideal for packing beach supplies + camera, but not a trendy messenger bag, nor a backpack. I'm going on a months-long backpacking trip in Mexico with a large 80L backpack. Most days I intend to leave the big pack in my hostel storage, rent a bike, and bike a few miles to the local beach. I'm looking for a smaller pack, something almost tube-shaped, that goes diagonal across your back and is perfect for just a beach towel, some water, a camera, etc. Any ideas where to look, or what's an ideal kind? Ideally it'd be something lightweight enough I could just smush into my large pack when not using it. Just not sure what that kind of thing is called.

Shipping a soundbar

dhens — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 16:02:35 -0800

How to pack a soundbar? I have become the owner of a hand-me-down Vizio VSB200 sound bar. I want to ship it (or check it as a bag) to move it from my mom's place to my own place, but she does not have the original box. Given the... unusual dimensions of the piece, can anyone recommend where I could pick up a box which would fit it?

39.63" wide
4.67" tall
4.26" deep

11.68 pounds.

(I will be packing the mounting brackets and such in my suitcase.)

How draconian are Amazon HR policies?

charmcityblues — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 14:52:44 -0800

There was an item missing from a recent Amazon delivery I received. If I complain, is someone at a processing center going to get fired? It's a relatively low-value item (about $10) that is annoying to not have but not crucial or anything. I'd like to have the item (and not pay for it twice) but it's not a huge deal either way.

What I'd like to know-- ideally from someone who has worked at Amazon in management or in warehouse operations-- is if I do ask/complain about it, is whoever packed the box going to get fired? If this is a reasonable possibility, I'll just eat it.

I know that Amazon workers deal with some pretty difficult conditions to begin with, and I'd rather not contribute to any misery.

Rolly wheels and a bright color and... made of titanium?

Mizu — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 17:28:34 -0800

Which luggage is the best luggage for me? I have very generous very rich people who buy me winter holiday gifts, and if I don't make a specific list they just buy me random things I don't need.

So what's the thing I stepped back and realized I needed this year? New luggage!

The few times in my life I've gone shopping for luggage I've been shocked and appalled at the prices of the stuff. And it seems like I'm attracted to things that seem like a good idea but are bad in practice for me. Like, for example, a hard-shell suitcase sounds awesome, but I am short and weak and worry that such an object would be completely unwieldy for me.

I don't travel often, but when I do, I often fly internationally, to Asia and Europe, maybe once a year, and places in the continental US maybe twice a year, at most. Because I don't travel often I usually stay where I go for upwards of a week, usually a little longer, in places that either won't have laundry or require me to bring extra environmental stuff like boots and parkas and formal gowns. I'm a woman who has lots of toiletries, and likes to have various shoe and clothing options. I also work online, so I'm often flying with two laptops, an e-reader, can-style headphones, sundry physical books, sometimes art and crafting supplies, lots of chargers and cords. There's always a lot of stuff to pack! And it always seems like I'm packing quite light despite it all! I often skirt the 50 lb limit on oversized luggage, so the actual case itself needs to be light for at least two reasons.

I check my luggage, because it may be pricey but it's worth it. Heavy carry-ons are a pain in mine and the flight attendants' asses. But because I check my luggage, and my luggage often has a laptop sitting in the middle swathed in pajamas, the TSA seems to like to destroy the crap out of my luggage! My main suitcase, an... American Traveler? I think? has systematically lost all of its zipper pulls, and the sew-on brand patch, and just gotten more and more broken each flight. I purchased it in 2006. I remember using luggage in my family that was more like 20 years old, and not 6 years old, before it was in a similarly dilapidated state.

So, well-seasoned travelers of MeFi, please share with me your luggage wisdom. In a fantasy world I would have a steamer trunk but I have neither the levitation powers nor the cute liveried footmen to carry it for me. What is the best luggage for me? Bonus: it is available in bright exciting unique colors and patterns, so I don't have to hope the ribbon I tied to it will stay on, and I can pick it out of the luggage carousel while I'm zonked from a transpacific flight. Price is actually no object in this discussion, so go crazy, but I am not paying for a brand name.

Making a big move and need to start consolidating possessions to the essentials

mtphoto — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 15:27:29 -0800

I'm planning to move in a little over a year and will only bring what I can fit in my car. How do I start clear out most of my possessions? In about a year and a half I'll be moving and I need to come up with a strategy to begin consolidating and reducing what I own. I want to do as much as possible in the months leading up to the move so I'm not stuck at the last minute trying to rid myself of possessions.

I'm only bringing with me what I can fit in my Dodge Neon. My mom is willing to let me bring a few boxes of personal items to her house.

I'm 25 and live in a 11' x 14' bedroom. My closet is overflowing and I also have some things stored in the garage. The first step I took was to take about half of my DVDs out of their cases and put them in a binder that can actually go with me in the car.

Any advice about where to start or how to go about reducing my possessions would be much appreciated. Any of your own experiences about making a similar move are also welcome!

Thank you.

image packing algorithm for photoshop

Infernarl — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 23:52:02 -0800

I have 200 scanned images of matchboxes. The matchboxes have different dimensions. I want to arrange the images automatically, with as few gaps as possible, into a large image to be printed as a poster. I think what I need is a "packing algorithm" but I don't know how to proceed. Is there a way I can do this automagically in Photoshop or with an existing freeware program? I don't need any special effects, just to simply arrange the images with the most efficient use of space.

Short of packing myself in a box...

TravellingCari — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 07:58:53 -0800

I'm moving. I want to do it in the most efficient way possible. Absent a magic wand, any tips/best practices/suggestions/lessons learned? Following this question coupled with a rent increase of nearly $400/month, I'm moving. I have time to do this sanely as my lease isn't up until 9/30 although there's an outside chance I'll find a place for 9/15. I'm trying to do one box (packing) or bag (garbage) a day so it's not a last minute rush. Been there, done that.

I read most of the related questions but none seemed to be an exact fit. This is an intra city (or immediate surrounds), I'm using a mover I know to be reputable from a past move coupled with ZipCar or a family member's car for little stuff. Not interested in Pod or related due to both likely being walk ups and my own preference. I'd rather pay a mover than do this/lean on friends.

Not concerned about location as you all gave some great suggestions in my previous question, but I really want to do the move well. What have you learned/wish you knew in past moves? Here's where I'm working from as a starting point:

-I already do a trick with my clothes where I hang them the wrong way so I know what I haven't worn. Any that I haven't absent a good reason (i.e. formal dress) are going as is anything that's stained, worn, too big, gone.

-Books. Tossing cheap paperbacks. Can easily get from library or for Kindle if I finally want to read vs. mountain of unread books. Other than 3 favorite titles I reread often and sentimental favorites/books I have yet to read not available electronically I'll keep. I'm tossing any unread non-recent magazines unless collectable/sentimental (Giants’ SB winning, Yankees’ WS winning SIs).

-Furniture/housewares - if it's held together by duct tape, gone. Gorilla glue, maybe. At least temporarily until I get a new coffee table. I really want to move on from early-post college decor, but within budget limits.

-Food - non perishables not along lines of current diet/preferences are going to Food Bank.

If it helps, I'm moving a sort of 1BR (converted studio) into a 1BR or large studio. Have a local thrift shop where I can easily make donations. I really want to take this opportunity to get rid of a lot of clutter if possible.

Any other tips? Ideas? I'm open to anything. Thanks in advance for any info

How to pack for Ireland in August

elvissa — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 13:23:39 -0800

I am going to Ireland for 8 days in August with my mom, aunt and cousins. I'm looking at the average weather and panicking a little about what to pack/bring/carry. I specifically need a good backpack for a camera, and some decent looking shoes. Can you help? We're going to be doing the normal touristy walking around and bus tours. I have 2 major concerns:

1. I have a nice SLR camera that I'd like to carry with me, so I need a good bag that's not too bulky and at least a little stylish. I don't love messenger style / cross body bags because I have bigger boobs and the strap cuts between them and make me look ridiculous. Any suggestions for a good camera backpack?

2. Travel shoes / comfy sneakers look horrible. I'll probably bring my hot pink Converse low-tops, and a pair of patent leather nude flats. Any other good suggestions for stylish comfy shoes?

Any other suggestions for dressing for the temperature would be great. I'm a very short 32-year-old female who likes bright colors.

Is it really more of a liability to pack my own boxes?

divabat — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 21:54:08 -0800

I'm looking for moving/shipping companies to send a couple of boxes of books & clothes from Australia to the USA (as I'm relocating). While requesting quotes, one company strongly suggested that I hire them to pack my things for me as apparently US Customs get suspicious if the boxes were packed by the individual mover (me, in this case) rather than by a professional. I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere else and the US Customs website hasn't addressed this. What's going on? I found her advice to be weird not just because no other company or official website (not even a trawl of AskMefi questions) said anything about who should do the packing, but because it runs counter to my experience of travelling in the US, where they ask you if you've packed your own bags and an answer of "No" triggers suspicion. Admittedly this is cargo/freight rather than travelling luggage but I would have thought the liability was similar.

Do I really have to worry about hiring someone to do the packing for me (something I feel dubious about) or is that just an attempt to get more money from me? I'm getting wildly different quotes from all over the place and most others didn't including packing costs because I didn't specify. The closest I could get with US Customs was that I needed a packing list; I've emailed them a more specific enquiry.

Does this also have any relationship to the $9 surcharge Australia Post recently put into place for any parcels travelling to the US? Would I be better off mailing my gear? It's the cheapest option so far and I don't need my items particularly urgently.

(Any recommendations for moving companies would be greatly appreciated. I've emailed the OP of this question asking who she went with as her situation is very similar to mine.)

Moving across the country! Boxes to ship! Help?

blackcatcuriouser — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 06:50:13 -0800

Moving from Brooklyn, NY to San Diego, CA. Have about 10-15 large/heavy boxes to ship to CA. A few boxes are primarily books and DVDs. The others are clothes and shoes. Nothing super fragile. I don't have a car. What is the best/easiest/most affordable way to do this? Halp!

Contents under pressure

The Winsome Parker Lewis — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 09:45:53 -0800

I'm packing for a move from a dry climate ~7,000 feet above sea level to a wet one ~300 feet above sea level. What precautions should I take to ensure all my stuff survives the trip? Anything else I should be mindful of for adjusting to the new environment?

7 Deadly Zins and Twinkies

terrierhead — Tue, 22 May 2012 08:35:21 -0800

Next month I'm traveling overseas from the US for the first time. What's the best way of packing the foods and beverages that friends have asked me to bring for them? I'm visiting friends in the London area next month, one of whom is putting me up for the week that I'll be there. Two friends have requested that I bring stuff that they miss from the US - a giant box of Twinkies, and a particular kind of red wine.

I've got three bottles of the wine and have easy access to a monster load of Twinkies, but I'm not sure how to pack them. I know I won't be able to bring the wine in my carry-on, as it's a liquid and I could potentially use it to stain people's clothes on the plane. I've heard from different sources that I can carry the Twinkies in a carry-on, or that I can't. I should mention that I'm one of those lucky people whose bags always get searched and who generally gets pulled out of the security line for "random" enhanced screening.

What is the best way to pack wine bottles and snack cakes so that they make it to London intact and not confiscated?

What's the easiest and quickest way to get rid of hundreds of books?

Ivan Fyodorovich — Sat, 19 May 2012 18:32:49 -0800

I'm moving in about ten days, I'm disabled, and my mother (who is in her mid-sixties) is here helping me pack. I've got four of five hundred books, mostly paperbacks and mostly genre fiction, about which I'm finally being sensible and eliminating. The problem we're having is that it's almost as much trouble to get rid of these as it would have been to pack them. It sort of makes me sick to my stomach to throw them in the trash, but I will if I have to. However, I'm on a second-floor apartment and it's a good distance to the trash, so that's not trivial, either. An aunt is the HR person at the women's shelter here and she wants to take some of the hardbacks, though I think she might be overwhelmed by how many I have.

Would craigslist work well? Could I just say that people could come and look through the big plastic tubs we've filled with books, leave the tubs on my porch, and let people get what they want? Or would they be put off by them being all jumbled and, worse, scatter them about and upsetting my neighbors?

I've the impression that used bookstores almost don't exist anymore and those that do are very picky about what they will take.

We can't be available to answer inquiries from those interested in the books and anything that is time and labor intensive isn't really an option because there's a lot more to be packed and we can't devote much effort to disposing of these books. But at the moment, they're taking up both space and packing materials that we need to use for, you know, packing and moving.

How can I get the most out of a 3-month stay in Copenhagen?

zingiberene — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:32:56 -0800

Moving to Copenhagen for 3 months, excited and nervous! What will I eat? What should I bring with me to wear? How will I get around? How will I stay in touch? Hope me, hivemind! (MANY details inside because I am such a special snowflake) Hivemind, can you help me get the most out of my 3-month stay in Copenhagen? I am going to be there June-July-August doing a research project. I am a (female, mid-20’s) PhD student in the sciences living on a reasonably generous (for grad school) fellowship stipend. I have a flight and a place to live in Østerbro , and I know who I will be working with (haven’t met them in person yet, but we communicate over email, and I work with people who have worked with them and adore them) and the visa seems just about set. I have read many Metafilter threads on Copenhagen think I have got kind of a read on the city but still have some things I’d like to figure out.

Climate and clothing- it seems like summer in CPH is like summer in San Francisco – slightly cool? I was planning on bringing a bunch of light sweaters, jeans/trousers, some dresses/skirts and tights, a light trenchcoat, and decent-looking sneakers and flats to wear. Anything I’m missing? Rain-appropriate gear like boots?

Feeding myself- I was planning on mostly cooking for myself and subsisting on mostly Smørrebrød the rest of the time. Anybody who’s lived in CPH able to give me an idea of their grocery/food expenditures? If I’m coming from a Northern California/NYC mindset for food shopping, am I going to find anything surprising? What kind of grocery stores should I look for? (I know, for example, that grocery stores there won’t take credit cards, and I know that the restaurants are more expensive than NYC – but what are groceries like?)

Transportation – I’m going to be regularly commuting from Østerbro to Frederiksberg and Christianshavn. I currently use a 6-speed folding Dahon Boardwalk bike to get around everywhere in my small University town. Any good resources for where I can get an inexpensive bike during my stay? Rent or Buy? Will I be able to sell it when I leave? What about a bus/Metro/train pass- does a public transit pass(es) make sense to buy for a 3-month visit?

Keeping in touch- I have an iphone 4 ~1 month from the end of its contract. I was planning on getting it unlocked. Is there a good/inexpensive Danish SIM card/Data plan (unlimited is a plus, but then so is inexpensive) I can get for it? Would there be a benefit to forward my US # to google voice or skype?

Fun Things: I have a reservation at Noma and am very excited to go to the Mikkeller Bar, and eat lots of smørrebrød and fish and things. I also love coffee, beer, spirits, and cocktails. Any other food destinations I should check out? My tastes run to both the ultra-traditional and ultra-modernist/experimental and I’d rather splurge occasionally than go out to eat all the time. What about the other areas of culture? Museums? Libraries? (this thread has been helpful!) Places I can visit on the train (other neighborhoods/Malmo)? If I want to go off and study for a while, any suggestions for a café/library with wifi?

Thank you, hivemind! I am really excited (I get along well with Danes I have met!) but have never done this kind of short-term move to another country by myself before. I appreciate input on any of my questions, or on anything important I forgot to ask!

We work in creative. We don't dress up. Or do we?

functionequalsform — Wed, 02 May 2012 11:59:00 -0800

What does one take to the Cannes Lions in June? Dresses? Ball gown? Jeans? Flip-flops? Sunscreen? I was just informed that they're sending me to Cannes for the Lions awards in June, on the company dime. (Hooray!)

For the speakers and panels, (probably something like SXSWi) jeans and heels, or a cute skirt is probably fine. But what about the awards ceremonies and nicer dinners? Nice dress and heels? Too much?

Anybody been to this thing before? Got any "Do's and Don'ts" for me?

(Additionally, tips for packing, flying, and getting around the city of Cannes would be greatly appreciated.)

A Place for Ties

Apropos of Something — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 17:27:53 -0800

What's the best device (case, perhaps?) or method (common household item?) keep my ties and pocket squares in order in my suitcase when I travel? If you recommend I go out and buy something special for this purpose, I'd ask that it follow the Morris rule and be exceedingly useful and/or exceedingly beautiful. Thanks!

Density = f(Particle Size Distribution)

stepheno — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:21:36 -0800

Sphere packing problem: for a distribution of sphere sizes? Sphere packing has been of interest for many years, notably since Kepler conjectured the maximum packing efficiency for spheres of a single size.

Wikipedia tells me that for a sphere size distribution the problem quickly becomes untractable, but I have found references in some papers for estimation methods – however these go a bit too deep for me to gain usable knowledge.

So, given a continuous particle size distribution function (e.g. a log-normal distribution), how can I estimate the maximum (or even typical or likely) packing efficiency and make comparisons between different distributions?

(My eventual goal is to correlate density of a real particulate substance to its PSD, but I though I'd phrase the question more generally.)

Away from home for a month for work - what should I be thinking about?

DandyRandy — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 14:50:02 -0800

I'm going to be in Washington DC from late November and most of December, training for a new job. They're putting me up in an extended stay hotel, but it's doubtful that I'll have a car unless I rent one myself for weekends. First time in DC! I've never been away from home for for such a long period; I guess I'll turn off everything in my apartment except the fridge, have a friend pick up mail and help me deal with that kind of stuff, pay bills online. What should (and shouldn't) I take? This comes after a lengthy bout of unemployment, so cash reserves are very very low. How do I get a bunch of stuff there without paying exorbitant airline fees? What else do I need to be thinking about?

Help my friend pack better!!

SoftSummerBreeze — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:17:10 -0800

Four gals going to Vegas for 4 days. Just one wants to check her baggage. How do we/I convince her it's just not necessary and will be a PITA if just one of us is doing this. It's not the outbound trip that has me miffed, but the return trip. As it currently is, our return flight doesn't land until 8 PM and after four days away I'll be eager to get home, which is 90 minutes from the airport, plus the stop we have to make to drop one of us off about midway. Add a stop at the luggage carousel and we're probably looking at an extra half hour or more. I just don't think it's necessary for an extended weekend trip. The other gals agree with me, but one is insistent that she simply cannot pack everything she needs into a piece of carry-on luggage.

I spent 3 consecutive days with this one gal where she wore the same sweater each day, so I'm not getting the need for so many extra clothes or whatever she's going to pack in luggage that must be checked.

Does anyone have any suggestions of things I could say to inspire her to pack lighter/more practically? Thanks!

Effeciently origanizing my wdgets for packing

Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 20:31:54 -0800

How do I analyze 7 years of past orders to determine how to best organize my 6 shelves of widgets for packing future orders? Each shelf should, on average, be picked from equally. I have a warehouse of 400 SKUs. Crates of these SKUs are stored on 6 shelving units. To pack orders, I send an empty box along a conveyor belt past these 6 shelves. Each shelving unit is staffed by a worker who will place appropriate widgets into the boxes.

In order to not over (or under) work any of the staff, I want to arrange the widgets so that each shelf is used about the same amount. For example, if I knew that most orders contain item 1000 and item 1001, I would want those items on different shelves.

Continuing along this line of reasoning, I suspect I just need to organize a list of SKUs by popularity, and then arrange such that shelf 1 gets the 1st, 7th, 13th, etc popular item, shelf 2 gets the 2nd, 8th, 14th, etc popular item, and so on from there. Is this the best way? Is this a common problem in mathematics, and if so, is there a name for it?

For bonus points, I would potentially like to only have a subset of my stock out at a time, and then only pack orders with those widgets. I imagine that having smaller shelves will make it easier/quicker to identify the proper widget. If I do this, is there a way to determine the most efficient selection of SKUs to have out at time?

What to pack and how to get to Anderson Ranch Art Center

nimsey lou — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 16:05:31 -0800

I am headed to Anderson Ranch Art Center in Snowmass Village, Co next week. I have no idea what to bring or how to get there from the airport. Any suggestions? So, I am going to a Digital Media workshop at Anderson Ranch. I was emailed a generic list of supplies for this type of workshop (flash drive/portable hard drive, digital camera, sketchbook, etc). But, I have no idea what else to bring. I have only been to Colorado in the Winter.

I don't know anyone that has been Anderson Ranch. I was wondering if anyone here has been and can offer suggestions.

What type of clothes should I bring? For example, I don't want to bring sandals when I might have to hike from the dorm to the studio.

I have a meal pass and they said to bring a water bottle and a flashlight. What else should I bring?

I know what to pack when going to a different city and when I go camping. I am feeling a bit lost on what to pack for this trip.

I am flying in to Aspen. I will not have a car. The website suggests taking a cab ($35 each way) to the Art Center. Is this the only way? Is there public transportation?

How to manage toiletries while traveling?

maxim0512 — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 12:51:33 -0800

How do you handle liquid/gel toiletries when flying with carry-on only luggage? When flying, I used to pack all my toiletries in a toiletries bag, something like a Dopp kit. With today's airport security rules, though, I find myself carrying everything in two Ziploc bags: one for liquids, one for dry items. That makes getting through security easy, but it's not great for anything else. It's hard to get items in and out, Ziploc bags don't work well on bathroom counters, and the bags have to be replaced every couple trips.

Has anyone found a way to travel with organized toiletries and keep the liquids easily accessible for security?