Travel

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On a trip to teach in California, the following eight items proved their worth: Customized Airflight Personal Bag; Trout & Goose Bag, fox gloves (fingertips cut off); neck loop; Mountain HardWear Raincoat; Zpacks Bivvy sack; neo lite sleeping pad; Zpacks sleeping bag.

Useful travel items for a rainy November in California

Though the airflight personal bag was useless during the trip to Provence, it made navigating through airports a breeze this time around. It carried my raincoat, waterbottle and over-the-shoulder bag. Gloves, neck loop stowed securely in the coat pockets. The short handles tied the bundle together and the long handles worked like shoulder straps. Neck loop kept me comfortable while sketching en plein air on drizzly days and cozy during damp nights camping beneath the stars. lightweight fox gloves are perfect for en plein air sketching in cool weather. I picked up the Trout & Goose Bag for $2 at a Good Will shop in Santa Rosa. It helped to keep my art materials somewhat organized and handy for the demo and various workshops. I didn’t need another bag, but I’m glad I took a chance on this one. It folds up to nothing for the flight home.

Packing Light

Packing light is the key to sketching and painting on the go…… Less is truly More.

The lighter I pack, the more I explore and the less time I spend fiddling with clothing and supplies. I have to be ready for serious changes in temperature no matter what time of year it is. Camping in the mountains requires several layers. Multiple, thin layers work well to keep me warm. They take up little space and weigh next to nothing. Choosing a theme of sorts for each trip makes limiting my art supplies easier. I would love to bring my watercolors and oils with me wherever I go. When I travel by car, that’s not a problem. When I travel by bus, train or plane I can’t indulge in such fickleness. Decisions must be made regarding luggage, art supplies, clothing and toiletries. I will continue to share my personal preferences in each area. I am always looking for and finding wonderful items that make traveling and painting a joy. This page and the included links are an ongoing attempt to inspire the constant use of sketchbooks! Please be patient as I develop this area of my website.

Air Travel Clothing List

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Packing for traveling falls into three main categories: .

Local errands and daily excursions close to home (walks, trips to the lake, gardening)
Overnight travel by car. This can be one night or a month of nights.
Overnight travel by public transportation including international travel.

There are some items that are a must for all three categories. I will post my packing lists in July, 2014 when I return from France. I will have tested my lists to see which items I can eliminate and what items I should have included.

INTERNATIONAL BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE – CAREFULLY CHECK THE LIMITATIONS FOR EACH AIRLINE!

Though I thought I had done my research, I had not been thorough enough. It turns out that the allowance can differ not only depending on the airline, but also on the aircraft you are flying, what class you are flying and where you are seated. Though my carry on was only 28 pounds, TAP Portugal only allowed 18 pounds since I wasn’t flying Executive Class. Repacking at the Gate is not something you want to do.

FLIGHT CHECK-IN AND BAGGAGE TRACKING:

I made my reservations through United Airlines since I was using Frequent Flyer Miles. I was scheduled to fly TAP Portugal with one stop in Lisboa on the way to Marseille. On the way home, I was scheduled to fly Lufthansa from Marseille to Frankfurt, Air Canada from Frankfurt to Ottawa and United from Ottawa to Newark. I will never do that again. The confirmation numbers I was given by United were not the same numbers used by any of the other airlines, making it impossible for me to Check-In prior to arriving at any airports. It was also impossible to track my carry on that I couldn’t “carry on” because each airline had its own tracking number system. I barely made my connection in Frankfurt. My bag wasn’t as lucky. It arrived home three days after I did. Non-stop flights are a better way to go, when possible.