Cultural Capsule

Dear Learners and readers,

Sorry for my absence for the past two weeks, but I had to evacuate due to hurricane Ike as a preventive measure. We spent some days in Orlando, which was not bad at all. In fact, it was a lot of family fun.

All this trip brought back to my mind the topic that I promised I'd explore on my following post, packing. It still amazes me when I'm at an airport to see how you can easily recognize a Brazilian by the size of his bag and the quantity of bags. No, I'm not the perfect packer. I used to be a lousy packer. However, as I've been traveling a lot lately and here in the US they make a big deal out of the weight of your bag and the number of bags, I decided I'd be better in the art of packing. I think I evolved quite considerably. Well, I'll have to ask my husband about it!

I can now take one small bag for me and one small bag for both of my boys. Depending on the trip, I can have a single bag for the three of us. What do you think? It's an improvement, isn't it? And considering that American airlines companies are now charging for each bag you check in, it can save you a pretty good amount of money to spend with something worth it. I have to confess, though, I still need to watch for the weight. They are very rigorous about it. I can say I'm getting there.

Well, instead of giving you all the tips, I must say that I found this very cool site that will help you out next time you travel nationally or internationally. It's full of nice hints, and I'm sure you'll happily travel lighter than ever with no stress trying to find ways to carry all your bags, look for a porter and be worried about losing bags.

So, access now onebag.com

What was the most interesting and useful tip you got there?
Are you willing to give it a try next time you travel?

Do you have any other tip for effective packing?

I'd love to know if you liked it.

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