Saturday, July 8, 2017

Fear of Flying

Thank you for the advice and encouragement you readers provided regarding my plans to fly rather than drive to St. Louis in September.

To tell you the truth, I don't need much encouragement to fly as a woman. It is on my bucket list and is something I wanted to do for a long time.

I have no fear of flying, however, I do have a fear of packing for flying.

I am familiar with Big Brother's rules about how to pack, so that is not an issue. The problem is how to pack economically as a woman.

When I go to Hamvention, which is five days en femme, my Subaru is full of luggage... typically, a large suitcase, small suitcase, garment bag, cosmetics toolbox and computer bag. Taking all that on a flight would just about double the cost of my ticket with most carriers.

I could eliminate the cosmetics toolbox by just taking what I really need and I could eliminate the computer bag by carrying my laptop, iPhone and accessories in my big handbag. But how do I compact a large suitcase, small suitcase and garment bag into one piece of luggage weighing less than 50 pounds?

There's the rub.



Source: Diane von Furstenberg
Wearing Diane von Furstenberg (Source: Diane von Furstenberg)




Marshall High School
The boys of Marshall High School in Marshall, Arkansas, 1986 (Source: Starla)

9 comments:

  1. There is always FedEx or UPS. Just have it sent to the motel

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    1. This is probably cheaper than checking it now. Carry the 'right now' and ship the 'second night' just in case. Also any heels that might not pack down well. The odds of it getting delayed or lost are lower than the airline doing that for you; of course, insure the hell out of it.

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    2. Absolutely! I've used that method several times on business trips.

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  2. I started my blog to write about what I thought was the unique thing I was planning to do: fly en-femme. And what I found out soon after is called "flying pretty," coined, I believe, by Kim.

    There are hint sites about packing for trips. You might find some good ideas there. As I'm sure you've noticed, dresses, undies, etc are lighter and pack easier than an equal number of slacks, boxers, etc. You can probably pack three pairs of hose into the same volume as one pair of socks. And if you underpack, you can always buy something new in StL. Lemonade from lemons. :)

    I can't wait to read your post-trip essays.

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    1. Meg -

      It's a little more interesting when crossing national borders as I've done by sea. Each nation has its own protocol for checking ids, and we have more issues with TGs than some of our neighbor nations.

      M

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  3. Another solution is to fly Southwest. You get two checked bags, a carry-on and one personal item like a purse. I'm not sure where Hamvention is nor do I know if you've booked a flight. If you have, it is at least a solution for the future. Looking at the SWA website, they claim to be LGBTQ friendly and supportive. I've flown SWA from LAS to BDL or PVD numerous times.

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  4. When my daughter went to camp last year, we bought a large toolbox with wheels from Home Depot and packed everything in there. It turned out to be a *great* solution, and the industrial-strength wheels made it a breeze to roll.

    I have to go up into our attic tomorrow to work on an antenna project. I'll send you a picture and brand name via email. I don't recall it being very heavy when empty.

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  5. AnonymousJuly 09, 2017

    Just wear all of your clothes at the same time. They can't charge you for that. :)

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  6. AnonymousJuly 09, 2017

    adoro leggere le tue pubblicazioni sempre particolari...grazie baci baci baci

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