Showing posts with label Bachelor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bachelor. Show all posts

Wednesday, 19 February 2014

Packing for a Vacation: Carry-On Suitcase Only

Everyone deserves a vacation; we all work hard and need some time to relax and unwind. But with a vacation comes a bit of planning and understanding your own personal needs to pack efficiently and properly.

Two questions that I receive frequently when or after vacationing are:


  1. Why do you pack with only a carry on suitcase?
  2. How do you get everything into just your carry on?

The answers are quite simple.

  1. I travel with carry on only because of the freedom. I have all belongings with me at all times. I do not wait for baggage claim or worry that my suitcase may be left behind or get damaged. 
  2. When I first started travelling I severely over-packed for the melodramatic "what ifs" scenarios that I would devise in my head. I quickly learned those scenarios do not present themselves as easily as I thought they would. So with time I got smarter and realized I needed less and less and began to pack accordingly. I also bring a laptop bag along with me to house my important documents and to keep my electronics safe.

So with those questions answered I would like to share how I pack for a vacation in just a carry on suitcase. The trip I will be demonstrating today is the typical 7 day all inclusive trip to a tropical destination.


Everything I would need for an all inclusive trip.
Pictured above:
  • Carry on suitcase
  • 3 Pairs of shorts
  • 2 swim trunks
  • 7 pairs of underwear
  • 4 pairs of socks
  • 7 T-shirts
  • 1 pair of dress pants
  • 3 button up shirts
  • 1 pair of dress shoes (I wear these on flight days)
  • 1 pair of sandals
  • 1 toiletries bag (items inside will vary person to person)

Not pictured that I wear on travel day:
  • 1 pair of jeans
  • 1 rain coat
  • 1 t-shirt
  • 1 pair of under wear
  • 1 pair of socks
  • 1 sweater
  • A baseball hat
  • Sunglasses
  • Headphones
Stuff socks and underwear into your shoes to save space. I personally wear mine on flight days so I will not be using this technique below. 
If you do not wear your dress shoes start with them (stuffed with socks and underwear) at the bottom.


I start with my toiletries bag at the bottom standing vertically.
**TIP** Make sure all items in the bag conform to airport requirements before leaving home! 

Next I add the 3 pairs of shorts and 2 swim trunks to the right of the toiletries bag on the bottom of the suitcase.

Next up are the 7 T shirts in the top left corner of the suitcase.

Follow that up with the 7 pairs of underwear in the top right corner.

Then I lay my 4 pairs of socks on top of the toiletries bag

Then I will lay the 3 dress shirts over everything evenly.

Then I lay my dress pants over the shirts (leg openings touch the waist band). There is still room for more items if you pack this way.
For example: An extra pair of pants or dress shirt, some tank tops or t shirts. Just be careful of the weight restrictions airports have.

I then tuck my sandals into the front pocket of the suitcase. There is also room for any accessories you may need, like a belt. 

Voila! Fully packed and ready to lay on a beach for a week!

So I hope this may have helped anyone who was looking to exchange their monster sized suitcase and slim down to just a carry on suitcase. 

If you have any helpful packing techniques please let me know by either commenting below or tweeting me @EdRealManTravel.

Also be sure to check out our Facebook page and click the like button for tips and tricks that you won't find on the blog.

Happy travels!
-Ed

Saturday, 2 February 2013

Monday Night Bachelor Party '04 - Green Bay


Yep that's us. We made it home from Wisconsin. In time for my wedding No hangover story, but almost...

     After going to Green Bay the previous year (Story told here), we were hooked. We were heading back to title town, with new purpose. This year I was tying the knot with my longtime girlfriend Amanda, Which meant I was going to have a Bachelor Party. Not your typical bachelor party this was SPECIAL. It was Monday Night Football in Green Bay!  I asked my groomsman if they would go.... Of course they all said YES those wonderful guys. We planned it 6 months in advance so we could get a good seat. We chose the Monday night Game of October 11 versus The Tennessee Titans. We booked the Gold Package with Packer Fan tours, which meant we would meet a couple of the Packers Players and were staying at the Tundra Lodge, which had a Water Park!!!

                                 Tip - Water Parks are AWESOME for Bachelor Parties

     My brother Sam, My good friends Mike and Sean and I were up at 2 am getting ready for our 12 hour road trip to Wisconsin. Having driven the route before we knew the drive was nice. Driving around Lake Michigan was more amazing with the fall foliage in full effect.

Sean doesn't like to snuggle :(


      When we arrived at the Hotel, we found ourselves feeling like kids again, with the Arcade and the Water Park. The room was a little small but we didn't really mind because we liked snuggling. (Except for Sean).




                                                 The three things I had on my must do list

                                                        1.Tour Lambeau Field

                                                        2. Brett Favre's Steakhouse

                                                        3. Witness A Packer win

     So we booked our tour and sniffed out Favre's Steakhouse which was delicious, we filled ourselves with delicious expensive meat. The Menu.

      After we picked up 36 cans of American beer and relaxed in the room, we could feel it. This was going to be the best Mancation EVER

      The Next morning we went to the water park when it opened. I didn't feel awkward being the only 22 year old "kids" there. My friend Sean he did though he promptly and awkwardly told every female life guard "We're not gay." Every girl had a different reaction but none of them believed him, it was very funny.
 What wasn't funny was the heckling I got from an 11 year old kid who was better at the "floating pads" part of the park or as I call it Sinkers and Floaters except when I went on it everyone was a sinker. The kid said "It’s so easy and you can't do it" I responded with my pride wounded "hey little kid I'm just trying to have fun, this takes a lot of agility and I drank a lot of beer last night so leave me alone". After i was done crying I had a great time.
Beautiful Fall Day at Lambeau
We arrived early for our tour of Lambeau Field, we played the Arcade games, to pass the time. We all wondered if the Pack would win On Monday night. "It sure would be nice. " I thought.

 When they came and got us for the tour they take u around the whole entire facility and tell you little stories or interesting facts about the different parts of the stadium.

In a Nutshell these are the most important parts of the tour.


The Player Tunnel was so cool.
1: Our tour guide made note that "The Vikings play in a dome so God can't watch them play. Because they suck so bad. (Note* Packers 1-4 at the time, finished season 10-6. Lost to the Vikings in the Wild Card Playoff Game)

2. The Boxed indoor seats are Amazing and expensive.

3. The Path that the Players take to the field is quite powerful and the field is amazing it gives me goose bumps just thinking of it.
Player meet and greet.


That evening we had the player meet and greet with running back Najeh Davenport and Packer Great William Henderson ! They were really nice guys . 





     The next day was the big day we slept in and got our party on early. I remember fondly waking up watching everyone else stretch and wake up. Sean sits up grabs a beer. The sound of the can opening grabbed every ones attention. Sam says walking out of the bathroom "Oh it’s this kind of a party is it?" and grabs a beer. a smile appeared on Sean’s face as he says "That's how we do it" as all four of us opened the beer. All of a sudden Mike like a flash of lightning runs out of the bathroom "It’s gonna overflow!!! I didn't do it!" talking about the toilet someone may or may not have plugged... (We know who it was....)

     We had a great time getting primed for the tailgate party, we knew there would be tonnes of food and beer and cookies!.

     When we arrived at the tailgate party it was beautiful weather and they had a DJ playing some good tunes. We met some people our age. We danced from the beer to food to the beer and then moon walked to the Porto potty (Mostly from the beer to the Porto potty, Damn American Beer).

     We had a great time before we knew it, we were en route to the stadium with a little bit of Stagger Swagger in us. The All of a sudden I'm shaking hands with the Governor of Wisconsin Jim Doyle as he is trying to get me to vote for him he gives me a sticker I put it on one sleeve. Then two seconds later I'm talking with his opponent as hey gives me the vote speech, I take a sticker from him slap it on the other sleeve. As I walk away shaking my head laughing to myself thinking "I am Canadian I can't vote for you." The Joke was on me though because those were some kind of super stickers and the glue is still stuck to my Favre jersey.

     That game started out as amazing, we had really great people around us they even bought me a beer because it was my bachelor party. The crowd was electric When Favre came out of the Tunnel I savoured that moment as i thought it maybe my last time seeing it live. Long Story Short they lost. My most triumphant moment came when I FINALLY got on the Jumbo Screen, "Hey camera guy I'm 13 rows away from you I know u can hear me, put me on the screen!!!" I yelled. "There I am! There we are!!" I squealed... So I took the bounty that I had off of the camera guy.

     After the game we stopped at the hotel bar for one more beer as we drank it this nice looking lady sits  beside Sean and starts chatting him up. Sean puts his country boy charm to work and has her laughing and I was like "Holy Shit, that's a cougar and she is on the PROWL!" Honestly enough she was probably just looking for conversation....  Us guys were tired and walked back to the room laughing about Sean getting picked up randomly.  The night ended well, sure we were mad about the loss, but we had a great time.
 

On the way home we were interrogated by the border patrol and I felt as if I wasn’t going to be coming home. But after paying a bit of duty we were on our way.

                                              Tip-  Always declare something at the border.

Looking back on that trip, I realize how lucky I was to have 3 people in my life that I was able to share that with. Even though they lost, Even though I love Purple now (Reason #1, Reason #2)  I still love Green Bay and think about going back often. Maybe if they retire #4 or #80....

Follow me everywhere on Twitter @RealManTravel

Enjoy your Super Bowl Weekend!