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My Adventures in Bundle Wrapping and Carry-On Travel

May 23, 2013

In March 2012 I set out on an 18 day, 6 country solo trip to Europe, my 1st ‘real’ solo trip. Yes I had travelled numerous times on business, to see friends around the globe and even once to Cuba to sit at a resort for 1 week by myself, but this was different. The first 8 days were going to be busy as I was going to travel 4 countries in that time. The beautiful thing about Europe especially when you are time limited like I am as a mom who travels solo, is that the cities and countries are so close together. If I wanted to go to Innsbruck, Austria for an afternoon/evening jaunt from Munich, Germany, I could and I did.

I was going to be travelling by train and bus and I really didn’t want to be carrying a large suitcase. So I started to google things like “packing light” and “carry on travel”. I came across One Bag. It was there that I discovered the bundle wrap packing method. Back in 1998 I went backpacking around Scotland with a friend and had one of those large backpacks. I’m not gonna lie, I did not like that pack on my back; it was bulky and it was heavy. This time around I wanted to be free of a heavy pack. I decided that I was going to be a carry-on traveler and was going to limit myself to a carry on backpack.

Off I went to Mountain Equipment Coop in search of a pack. My only real criteria was that it had to be carry on. With all that travelling, I didn’t want to take a chance at the airlines possibly losing my luggage. I came across the MEC Pangea 40 and was sold.

It fit well and it was carry on. After I decided on what clothes to bring I attempted to pack it all. Although I managed to fit everything inside it was bulky and packed to the brim. I wanted to see if there really was a difference between the way I normally pack and the bundle wrap. Amazingly the bundle wrap really does work and make a difference. It took me about 10 minutes to do the first trial wrap and I got it down to about 3-4 minutes on my travels. It’s a little intimidating at first, but if you follow the diagram at One Bag it’s pretty simple – for how to pack using the bundle wrap method, visit here.

Here’s my clothes all wrapped up with space left over! It’s really freeing to be able to travel with just a carry on.

My clothes packing list:

1 black dress pant
2 jeans
2 turtlenecks
1 long sleeve shirt (dressier)
1 sweater (dressy)
2 tshirts
2 tank tops
1 pajama pant
a small case which is the ‘core’ that contained 2 bras and 5 underwear and 4 socks
1 trench coat (I figured by layering I’d be warm enough, I was right. Had great weather in March too)

The toiletries were in a clear case and I laid it flat on top. I also
brought a clothesline, sink stopper and woolite for hand washing. Ya I kick it old school. My Gran used to always do her clothes by hand, I learned from the best. I also carried a small make up case and some scarves for when I needed to dress up for the opera or ballet.

On my solo travels I always travel with a Pacsafe and wear it cross-body. It is said that people that pickpocket go for the easy grab. The packsafe is slash proof, cross-body eliminates the grab and it has locks so it can’t be unzipped easily in a rush.

I started off with one of the smaller pacsafe bags but now carry the pacsafe metro 200 and LOVE it. I feel more confident and safe walking around with one. I have the one shown below but in grey.

ipad
iphone
notebook, pen, passport, 4 currencies (british pounds, euros, korona and forint), europe adapters, iPhone/iPad chargers & cables, 1 wallet, 1 neck wallet (I never wore it but I kept money separated and in different areas of my Pacsafe).
miscellenous items like mints, accessories for my iPhone etc.

While I did love travelling carry on, the backpack gets to you after a while and I really wanted something light, carry on and more stylish. I did some research (I’m such a researcher) and came across the Travelite luggage company in the forums, I believe it was the Flyertalk forum and the One Bag forum. They are from Germany and from what I could tell at the time aren’t sold in Canada or at least not directly. I happened to be going to Munich and found out where I could buy one there so that was my mission for my arrival in Munich at the end of the 8 day whirlwind to 4 countries. On my first night of 3 nights in Munich I picked up a red Travelite StarLITE carry on rolling suitcase, I bought it at Maria Buscher. If you go to Maria Buscher, say hello to Peter.

Oh how I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this suitcase. It’s so light, weighing in at about 4.5lbs. It’s a hybrid of a suitcase, the back is hard and the front is light soft material and it opens up like a book. The roller part of the suitcase does not sit inside where you lose space. On my travels, flight attendants have asked where I got it. It’s THAT good! 🙂

my lovely Travelite starLITE carry on roller

So after Munich I put my souvenirs in my backpack and my clothes in the starLITE. My next stop was Paris where I was to be for 5 days. I then went to London for 3 and left my backpack in the lockers at Gare Du Nord for the weekend as I was going back to Paris for one night before I flew back home to Canada. It was a great plan and now anytime I travel solo, this is what I take as well as I pack using the bundle wrap if I need the space.

Until next time,

Andrea… and my wandering iPhone

Finding Ubuntu in Cape Town, South Africa

April 3, 2013

From spontaneous drumming with a young shopkeeper at the popular V&A waterfront arts and crafts building to hearing the personal path of an apprentice Sangoma in a local township to singing Christmas carols with 5000 locals against the backdrop of Table Mountain, it was the most incredible trip of my life. I went to the Cape for the great white sharks, the penguins and the scenery, but came home with moments that I will never forget.

INSPIRING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN KHAYELITSHA

I found Uthando South Africa on Trip Advisor and contacted James (the director) about their trips to Khayelitsha. I wanted to visit a township in a responsible, respectable and non-intrusive manner. After learning that Uthando is a non-profit and fair trade certified tourism organization and that you visit community development projects, I was sure that I had booked the right tour for me.

EKHAYA EKASI ART & EDUCATION CENTRE

Our first stop was to eKhaya eKasi Art & Education Centre. We met Lulama, the managing director of the centre and were given a tour and history of the centre. We learned about the programs such as women’s skills development and had an opportunity to see some of the women create handmade crafts. I loved that the centre empowers women by teaching them arts and crafts so they may sell their products to provide for their families. At the end of our visit, we had the option to visit the on-site boutique where we were able to purchase the crafts that were made by the women and other artists in Khayelitsha. One of my favourite souvenirs and gifts for family and friends was the heart ornaments made of shweshwe fabric, a traditional South African fabric. It was an opportunity to buy local and make a direct contribution.

I was then able to personally give the donated items I brought from Canada. To be able to choose, purchase, pack, carry and pass them from my hands to Lulama’s was an incredible feeling. Visiting the centre with Uthando was a definite highlight of my trip to Cape Town. It was inspiring to see the great things that were happening at eKhaya eKasi.

shweshwe heart ornaments made by women at eKhaya eKasi Art & Education Centre in Khayelitsha, South Africa

The view from the rooftop of eKhaya eKasi

ABALIMI BEZEKHAYA

We then continued on to Abalimi Bezekhaya’s organic garden centre in Khayelitsha where we met Mama Nokwanda. We learned how the women learn how to grow, harvest, provide for themselves and sell their produce to organizations outside of the Townships. Great progress had been made in the area of organic produce especially considering the dune-sand conditions on which they grow the vegetables.

MamaNokwanda Khayelitsha, South Africa — Mama Nokwanda, Khayelitsha, South Africa

Organic gardens in Khayelitsha, South Africa — organic gardens in Khayelitsha, South Africa

THOKAZANI BROTHERS

Our final visit was to the Thokazani Brothers. They are a choir that originally started with a group of men, but has expanded to include male and female youth from the township. They sing traditional songs. In addition, the adult leaders provide counselling and friendship to the youth and the building houses a creche (daycare). This group is sponsored by Uthando South Africa and was getting ready for a very important performance at Kirstenbosch Gardens for the 20th anniversary of Carols by Candlelight that was only 3 days away. We were treated to a beautiful performance by the youth of Khayelitsha. I had no idea what was being sung as it was in isiXhosa, but music has a way of expressing itself universally and I found it moving.

Thokazani Brothers, Khayelitsha, South Africa

My visit to each of the community development projects in Khayelitsha left me feeling inspired and moved. It was amazing to see the work being done by community members and leaders, a real grassroots endeavour. Each leader of the projects works hard to pass on skills and to uplift and empower their communities and they do so with such passion and commitment. Every tour booked with Uthando contributes to the projects visited.

GETTING IN THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT WITH NEW FRIENDS

A few days after my tour with Uthando, James invited me to attend Carols by Candlelight at Kirstenbosch Gardens with him and a few of his friends. The Thokazani group that I heard sing in Khayelitsha was the opening act. It was a thrill to not only watch them perform but to see the pride on their mother’s faces as they watched the group on stage.

The Christmas carol sing-a-long began around 8 pm in the shadow of Table Mountain, under starry skies and with the shimmering lights of Cape Town in the background. It was a different experience for me to not only be singing Christmas carols in the middle of summer (rather than in winter like at home in Toronto, Canada) but to do so with 5000 Capetonians. It was a great night and a perfect way to end my time in Cape Town.

Carols by Candlelight - Cape Town, South Africa — Carols by Candlelight, Cape Town, South Africa

SPONTANEOUS DRUMMING AT THE V&A MARKET

While wandering around the V&A Waterfront, I happened upon a djembe stall. I stopped to check out the djembes (African drum) after having lessons in Senegal the week prior. The young man who worked the shop insisted on hearing me play the djembe even though he knew I had only 2 lessons. He made me feel comfortable to play in such a public place and the next thing I knew, we were jamming. He showed me some beats on the drum and we played together for almost an hour, people even stopped to watch. Though we came from two completely different backgrounds, we connected in that experience and our mutual love of the African drum. He even suggested that I record him playing so I can practice at home.

THE SPIRIT OF UBUNTU

During my time at eKhaya eKasi, I connected with Lulama, the Managing Director or the Centre. For about 20-30 minutes on the rooftop, we discussed the challenges of running eKhaya eKasi, ways I might be able to assist and her journey to become a Sangoma (traditional healer). A moment I’ve remembered to this day (now 6 years later).

Participating in Cape Town Carols was another highlight and I enjoyed my time with the 4 people I met and spent that evening with. I was given a ticket to the event, welcomed by the group of friends, shared in their food and drink, sang and laughed with them and felt as if I had known them for a long time.

I had never encountered such openness and warmth as I did in Cape Town. I am grateful for those moments and the people I met. I know that without those experiences my time in Cape Town would only have been a series of proud accomplishments especially as a solo traveller rather than a journey of my heart. The moments inspired me to continue to live a life with an open heart. That time will forever stay with me.

I learned of the term Ubuntu, a beautiful word in the isiXhosa and isiZulu languages that in summary means “I am what I am because of who we all are.” Ubuntu speaks of the interconnectedness of all people. It is openness, caring, respect, love, community, humanity, compassion and sharing to name a few adjectives that describe the essence of the word.

These experiences in Cape Town taught me that travel is more than the seeing of the sights, it is the sharing of experiences and it is about the connections we make.

Local SIM cards for South Africa and Senegal and a resource for Europe and Prepaid Data Around the World

March 21, 2013

Why I Stay Connected When Travelling Internationally and How an Unlocked iPhone Helps Me Feel Safe Travelling Solo:

Staying connected while travelling solo internationally is essential for me. I do so to stay in touch with my husband and 2 boys via FaceTime and so they know my whereabouts in case anything should happen. I also like to stay “connected” as an extra measure of safety.

Reasons to Stay Connected

To use Google’s street view to scout the neighbourhood of the hostel/hotel I’m going to be staying at ahead of time. I can see what amenities are nearby and what the neighbourhood is like.
To open google maps and follow the “blue dot” to see if your taxi is taking you in the right direction. It helps to guard against taxi ripoffs. Prior to visiting Prague, I had read in various travel forums about the potential to be overcharged especially from the train station. I usually take a taxi when I arrive, especially at night. I used my iPhone to look up the typical cost using the World Taximeter website. By having data available, I was able to keep more of my Koruna as I could debate the cost of said trip. My driver went out of the way from the train station to the hotel so I knew he was overcharging me thanks to Google maps and world taximeter. He didn’t contest told and charged me less than what he initially asked for.
To use a Translate app such as iTranslate or Google translate. It helps me to say what I need to.

Most smartphone users know the high costs of data and roaming while travelling. So what do you do to keep costs to an affordable amount? If you have an unlocked phone you can purchase a local SIM card and prepaid data.

Purchasing an SIM card & prepaid data in South Africa:

Johannesburg’s OR Tambo airport: There are several wireless provider shops near the international arrivals area. I went with Vodacom. It was easy to get set up and it was about $30-35 CAD for 1gb data, 20 minutes of calls to South Africa and texting.

Cape Town airport: There are several wireless provider shops after arrival in the Cape Town airport as well.

If you should need to top up, you can do so at any Vodacom shop or at stores like Pick n pay where you purchase of voucher for a certain amount and follow the prompts on your phone to credit your SIM card/phone number with the codes from the voucher. It’s simple and it’s in English.

Purchasing an SIM card & prepaid data in Senegal, West Africa:

In Dakar and many towns outside of Dakar there are Orange stores as well as resellers everywhere. You can barely go a few blocks without seeing an Orange sign. You can even find their prepaid cards while stuck in traffic from the vendors
that come to your window.

To purchase data service in Senegal, follow these steps.

Purchase a microSIM card. If none are available, purchase a regular sized one and have it cut or cut it yourself.
Purchase either 10,000 (1-week internet) or 25,000 CFA (1 month internet) at any reseller. You will get a scratch card with the pertinent information.
Important: Visit www.passorange.sn to activate the prepaid card and choose which service you’d like.

Open up your browser and you should see that you’re connected.

Activating your Orange prepaid data card

If your phone is locked:

A locked phone means that you cannot change your SIM card from that of your usual wireless provider. You have to either “roam” (costly), rent (if available), buy something local or wait for a wifi connection. You can read that post here.

A Regional SIM card and staying connected in Europe:

In March 2012, I travelled solo to 8 cities in 6 countries in Europe and chose IPhoneTrip for convenience as they provide data plans for the world, a region or one country. I chose coverage for Europe so I could travel seamlessly from one country to the next rather than getting a local SIM card because I was only in some places 24-48 hours. I didn’t want to have interrupted service and I also didn’t want to spend my time having to find an SIM card on arrival. The service providers automatically switched as I entered a new country and I barely noticed.

iPhoneTrip sends you an SIM card as well as a backup SIM card in case there is something wrong with the first one. Rental is for a minimum of 7 days. At the time of rental, it was $11.99 USD per day for unlimited data. I only needed data as I use apps such as Vonage and Skype to make phone calls and iMessage and What’s App or Facebook messenger. My phone also worked as a wifi hotspot (tethering) so I could share my data with up to 5 devices if I wanted to. Fellow passengers on the tour bus to Budapest from Vienna became my best friends 😉

Prepaid SIM cards and Data Plans Around The World:

Here’s a great site that Susan of Vibrant Travels tweeted to me. It lists Prepaid SIM cards with data by country. http://prepaidwithdata.wikia.com/wiki/Prepaid_SIM_with_data

I checked Senegal and it’s not up to date, but I added a comment with some information. I also checked South Africa and it seemed pretty up to date. So please do further research before you travel before relying solely on the information presented.

There is definitely something to be said for wandering about and getting “lost” and disconnecting, but sometimes it is not okay to do so. For those of us that need or want to stay connected, I hope these tips will help you.

Until next time,

Andrea… and my wandering iPhone

Africa, South Africa, Travel, travel tips, Travel With Purpose

Socially Responsible in South Africa

November 20, 2012

I am grateful for the opportunity to go to South Africa and want to give back to the communities that I will be visiting. Short of volunteering trips which generally require several weeks to a year and can potentially be more about exploitation rather than helping (read here about the potential problems with some volunteering trips), how can people that want to help more directly, do so?

In my research, I came across three organizations. I learned about a program called Pack for a Purpose through The Backpack. The idea is to use space in your suitcase or your extra baggage allowance to pack much-needed items. To figure out what is needed, you look up a destination, choose lodging that participates and view the items that are needed. The information is regularly updated. What a great idea, right?!

For my trip to Africa (Senegal & South Africa), I am allowed two suitcases of up to 50 pounds each. I only need one small suitcase, so I have filled another one for donation. With the Pack for a Purpose organization, you bring the items to the lodging, and they will make sure it gets to the projects they support.

The hostel I’m staying at in Cape Town is The Backpack. I chose them because of their initiatives that support people and communities. They are more than a great hostel in an excellent location; their responsible tourism efforts are what drew me to them. It is important for me to support small businesses that affect people more directly, where I can. Check them out if you plan to visit Cape Town.

donations — donated items for Pack for a Purpose and Uthando South Africa

The other organization I learned of is Uthando South Africa. I couldn’t go to Cape Town and ignore the communities outside of the tourist areas. I’ve known about Apartheid over the years. Admittedly, I struggled with the idea of visiting a township as I didn’t want it to be voyeuristic or intrusive. I came across many tours, but they didn’t feel right to me. Uthando is different as you visit community projects that are making a difference to their communities.

From the Uthando website: “Uthando offers tailor made, unique and authentic philanthropic cultural tours, visiting the projects that receive funding and other forms of assistance from Uthando and its benefactors. People attending on the field trip have an insight into the remarkable stories that make life in South Africa so interesting, dynamic and very importantly, inspiring. The tours are interactive, meeting the people at the projects, learning about their work and way of life, firsthand. By booking a tour with Uthando, clients are also automatically assisting the projects on a financial level.”

In addition to helping financially by going on a tour, I will also bring items that are needed in the donated suitcase. Finding a way to help not only locally, but globally is important to me, especially since having children.

I want to teach my boys about the world and the people of the world. I want to raise them to be socially responsible men. I want them to learn about giving and helping where they can, but not just by telling them, by showing them, and involving them. I strive to find ways to teach them about this in a meaningful way. Thanks to the Backpack, Pack for a Purpose and Uthando South Africa, I will be able to do so in a more tangible way.

The Backpack – www.backpackers.co.za
Pack For a Purpose – www.packforapurpose.org/
Uthando South Africa – www.uthando.org

Read More about Cape Town & South Africa :

Update February 2020:

Since this post almost 8 years ago, I’ve been to Cape Town 8 times and South Africa 10 times. My most recent trip was in October/November 2019. I still feel this way about these great organizations.

How to Protect Your Memories

September 24, 2012

Your son is getting married and you want to gift him with an album full of his childhood photos so that he has it for his own family. Problem is, your computer crashed and the hard drive you had some of the photos on became corrupt. So what do you do?

A few years ago I wrote a blog post for my professional portrait business. It is still relevant today so I’ll post the information that pertains to the iPhone. Originally posted on the Andrea Rees Photography Blog May 11, 2009.

August 2019 — updated with current relevant information

———-

While working on a blog post, a tv commercial came on that caught my attention. It’s a funny commercial that starts with a boy posing in a crib while his parents are taking a picture of him on their digital camera. The boy is about 11 years old and they are recreating his childhood in photos because his father dropped his laptop and lost the originals. While it was a comical look at the situation that I’m sure has happened to you or at least, one person you know, the commercial’s intent was to promote their online storage services.

As a photographer, backup is very important and I make every effort to backup and archive the images I create. My husband is in IT so I’m very lucky as he helps me come up with the best solution.

So the question is… how do you protect photos of your loved ones or of your travels?

External Hard Drives

While this is a great option if you’re travelling with a laptop, hard drives do crash. Let me repeat that. They do crash. I’ve had two external hard drives fail on me. Luckily, I had the images backed up in multiple ways so I didn’t lose anything. One hard drive crashed within 1 week of purchase. The other hard drive was about 1-2 years old.

When I travel I don’t rely on cloud storage solutions and use one of these backup scenarios:

2 portable SSD hard drives
1 portable SSD hard drive and an iPad
1 portable SSD hard drive and an iFlash Drive

I travel with several 128 GB SD cards as well and don’t delete images off my iPhone or SD cards until they have been transferred and backed up. It really depends on the type of travel I am doing and if I need to travel light. I don’t rely on cloud storage on my travels simply for cost as well as the internet can be unreliable.

USB drive or iFlashDrive

These little things are great for mobility, but they are meant for temporary storage so please don’t rely on them alone, they can crash too. As I said above, I travel with 2 storage solutions.

An iFlash Drive. If you travel with an iPhone and an iPad or laptop this is the tech accessory for you. I often transfer my iPhone photos to my iPad mini to edit and for storage, especially if I’m travelling without a laptop, reliable internet or data.

This device will allow me to transfer photos to my iPad mini, but back again to my iPhone after editing. It works with videos and documents too. It really has been a great time saver and allows me to travel lighter when I need to. The one pictured below is no longer available in my photography stores or on Amazon, so I did some research and found something similar with good reviews.

iFlash Drive, 30-pin, I now have a lightning iFlashDrive

Online storage and/or Backup

I believe this is the best solution for most people. I use a Flickr Pro account for my original and edited images and videos, it gives me unlimited storage for about $45 USD/year. The free Flickr option gives you 1000gb of storage. I use Dropbox or Box.net for files and documents.

I also use Crashplan to automatically backup the files on my home server.

Mirrored drive and RAID servers

This is what we have in place at home. I don’t want to get technical on you especially since I don’t fully know the details, but simply it’s a way to replicate your data. For example, say you have your photos and data stored on one drive, mirrored drives and raid allow you to have an exact copy of that on another drive should the first drive fail. You will need someone with the knowledge to set this up for you. It might be overkill for most people, but if you take A LOT of photos or if you are a small business it might be something you should consider.

Hope this helps or at the very least gives you something to think about.

Until next time,

Andrea… and my wandering iPhone

Recharging your iPhone on the go

September 22, 2012

You’re enjoying the sights and smells of a beautiful country in a faraway land all the while watching your iPhone drain rapidly. You’ve already googled how to maximize your battery power. You’ve done all the tricks like turned off wifi and lowered the brightness of your iPhone screen, yet it’s not draining any slower. You CANNOT run out of battery. The warning comes up that tells you that you have 10% battery remaining. You keep photographing. You’re about to take THE shot, you know the one. Your screen goes black. That’s it, it’s gone, your iPhone is dead. You’re nowhere near an outlet so what do you do?

WhenI was traveling through Europe in March 2012 I relied on my Just Mobile Gum Max power pack (pictured below) the majority of the time. It allowed me to charge my iPhone about 5 times before having to recharge it again in an outlet. It comes with a carrying case and can easily be carried in a travel bag, purse or backpack. It is especially great for train or bus travel. It charges fairly rapidly as well.

Well, you’re prepared of course so all that didn’t really happen. Well, not if you’ve read my blog or know me as you would have extra battery power in your arsenal already.

One of the reasons I created this blog, was to give you suggestions on how to be prepared as an iPhone user BEFORE you travel and before you run out of battery power – again!

If you are an average user you probably charge your phone at least once a day. When I travel I am out all day and will drain my iPhone at least once if not more. I am a heavy iPhone user as I like to take a lot of photos, Facebook, tweet and Instagram my way around. I currently have 2 types of portable battery power for my iPhone, and I never leave home without one. They are both great and are used for different reasons.

The larger Anker battery pack has enough power to charge my phone 4-5 times. It also charges my iPad and other electronic items. I always bring it on my travels as there still may be many airplanes that don’t have power outlets or accommodations that don’t have plugs next to the bed. I like to have my iPhone near me as it is my alarm.

The smaller Anker battery pack is useful if I’m just going out for the day close to home. I also bring it on my travels for day use.