And I am indebted to my friend and Travel mover and shaker, French-based Irishman, Michael Collins for sparking me to revisit an old series, Holidos and don’ts.
Michael flagged up that at his local supermarché the aisles selling suitcases and headrests are interdit, or blocked.
Which beggars the question: how essential are suitcases?
And who doesn’t have one anyway?
As all Travel professionals do I like to take advice from seasoned pros, like doyen and Americanophile JP Thomson, erstwhile of the Sunday World.
JP always packs a half-full suitcase to leave space for what you take home.
Half full
Irish Travel professionals, nay all Irish people, love few things better than hitting the shops after they get off the plane.
Possibly the afternoon after they hit the bars.
And so when our Irelando party hit Aaawlando, and they set aside a couple of hours at a shopping mall, it was like the Olympics 100m final.
Needless to say they all returned with half the mall in their bags, while I bought a tee-shirt.
New suitcase
The fact is though that shopping in America is great value.
So why not take the opportunity to update your wardrobe and send the outdated clothes you’re standing up in to the charity shop.
The same applies, of course, if you go on a sun holiday.
Pack light
So that the members of my party who took full suitcases to the Maldives found they only needed their swimwear and summer clothes.
Some of us, of course, found that all you need on dry land is a sarong and flip-flops.
While we’ll not talk about those women who took heels.
And make it snazzy
And in the last instance why not just go out with hand luggage, or better still a rucksack that doubles as a wheelie?
And buy a suitcase when you’re out in a country where, Zut Alors!, they don’t stop you buying suitcases from their supermarchés.
And for more Holidos and don’ts advice here’s a reminder of how we roll from where we last rocked up… Bergamo.
