November 19, 2024 • 44 mins
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hi, I'm Alexa and I'm Rory, and together we are.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
The.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Romies, we are married To each other.
Right, we are a touring musicalduo.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
And our music has taken us to all kinds of places
all around the world and keepsus always on the go.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
So we hope you enjoy our stories and adventures while
running around working to keepall your plates spinning.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
And we hope, to facilitate your busy lifestyle
and feed your inner travel bug.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Welcome to part two of the Packing Light Recap
episode and the introduction toour Big Brand Bundle Giveaway,
our B3G Get it Big Brand BundleGiveaway.
So, of course, if you haven'theard part one, since this is
part two, you got to hear thatone too.
No pun intended.
It is episode 230.
(00:53):
And don't forget, enter thegiveaway.
There's a link in the shownotes you can follow, and we
also have a pinned post inInstagram with instructions so
you can enter through Instagramand or the link in our show
notes.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Now, don't change that dial.
If you happen to be listeningoutside of our giveaway entry
window, this content is stillrelevant to you.
These brands and products arestill relevant to you.
So, whether you are catchingthe episode in time for the
giveaway or not, you are goingto enjoy this episode and the
(01:29):
information and inspiration thatwe will be sending your way
about packing light.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
It's attached to your main thing.
So, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
So that's the way I would cheat on your class, stop
cheating.
That's just a little snippet ofwhere we left off, with part
one talking about a little.
I would cheat on your class,stop cheating.
That's just a little snippet ofwhere we left off, with part
one talking about a littlepacking cheat, as I like to call
it, and that's our jumpingpoint.
That continues my conversationwith Brooke Shineman and her
packing list.
Okay, so here's what I did.
If you want to say cheated,these are two ways that I
(02:01):
cheated on this trip.
One of the things that I did isI mailed myself a package
halfway through the trip.
I knew an address where I wasgoing to be staying in
Switzerland, and I got thatlittle package like three weeks
into the trip and what I had inthat package was another
toothpaste.
I just took a normal travelsize of toothpaste and I also
(02:25):
tried toothpaste tablets and Ihad sent myself a toothpaste
paste.
It was like a toothpaste in alittle jar.
I kind of just had a little bitof samples and different things
that I was trying along the way.
That kind of helped give meenough quantity.
I shipped some dry shampoo and Iactually only use dry shampoo.
(02:47):
I had dry bar style my hairbefore I left, which is a salon.
It's a chain salon, but you cango to many salons around the US
and they wash and style yourhair for you and so I started
the trip with that and I justtried to be really careful and I
kept that hairstyle as long asI could with dry shampoo and dry
conditioner, and I had foundtravel size versions of these.
(03:10):
They're aerosols and so they'remuch harder to convert to a
different like pump or anythinglike that, and I knew I would
not be able to buy that inEurope.
So I shipped myself in mylittle package, shipped myself a
second shampoo and dryconditioner to use for my hair,
and I shipped myself some otherlike additional prescriptions.
So I sent a couple things tomyself for three weeks into the
(03:32):
trip that I knew I couldn't buyin Europe the way that I that it
would still be a light thing.
So that's one thing I did Imailed myself that package.
However, unfortunately I endedup leaving those things at a
friend's house, like just thenext week or two later.
I ended up leaving them thereon accident instead of having
(03:55):
them with me on the trip.
So some of that stuff I shippedfor no reason at the end of the
day, so that was a littlefrustrating, but anyway.
So that's why I was out of someof the things at the end of the
trip.
I also mailed stuff home.
So if I wanted to buy asouvenir, we go to Switzerland
every year and their food is soamazing they have the best food
in our opinion and so I want tobuy like their canned beans or
(04:18):
their cheese or their seasoningsor their tea.
I'll buy things like that andship it home.
So we we did a couple shippingthroughout the trip.
So that is another way that Iwas able to keep things light.
Is I cheated, quote unquotecheated that way, so I could
keep the stuff out of my bag butI could get it home and I could
(04:40):
still have my versions ofsouvenirs, which are practical
things that get eaten or worn.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
Right, so that's totally fine, like shipping
stuff home.
I recommend that, especially ifyou're going to buy, you know,
art or something like that.
That is just terrible to carryaround yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
So you know it costs a little extra money here and
there, but for us it's worth it.
So the other way that I sort ofcheated is Rory said we are
taking a bag for merchandise.
This was a concert tour and sowe're at concerts and people
don't really buy CDs anymore,but we can make music available
or t-shirts or caps or whatever.
So the way that I cheated forthat is that, because this was
(05:24):
just in Europe, I found aEuropean manufacturing for our
merch and I had them ship it toour very first venue.
That way the merchandise camefrom Europe, stayed in Europe,
we shipped it there.
So we bought a $10 wheeledduffel bag and I said, okay,
(05:45):
rory, but I'm not checking a bagbecause I am packing light and
I'm doing Brooks course and I amnot checking a bag.
And he's like we are taking abag so on the way there and plus
it costs more money, like weweren't flying Southwest
overseas.
You don't get two free checkbags.
What we did is I got straps andRory figured out a way to put
(06:10):
the wheels of the duffel bagaround.
Now he cause he took a pillow,so that's like his.
He normally takes a rolledsuitcase and I think he saw me
get get in a backpack and wewere going to take the train on
this trip.
We don't normally take thetrain but I'm like, let's just
like, for a few things let'stake the train.
(06:32):
We love being on the train.
It's just not practical for atour.
So we took it on times where wethought, okay, we can get away
with the train.
So we did the Eurail pass andthat whole thing.
So we'll probably do an episodefor y'all at some point about
trains in Europe.
He took a backpack because ofthe trains and because I think
he was inspired a little bit topack, like, but he still decided
(06:55):
he was going to take his bigpillow, so that took up most of
his luggage.
So he checked his bag, wrappedthe wheeled duffel onto his
backpack, so, and then he wasable to pull his backpack with
wheels.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Wow, that's how, that's how we creative and
that's how we took that bag.
Then we got the merch and thebag was full.
Then we had these two extrabags, so that even on the train
we had to lug around and thingslike that.
So again, I was really gladthat I had packed light.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Well, I guess what you're saying after talking
about your trip and the packingfor that is that you and Rory
were more creative in yourpacking when getting ready to go
on that two month trip, right?
Speaker 2 (07:40):
For sure, and in all these years it never occurred to
me to take part of an exercisemat, and I'm positive the idea
came from working on your classand just trying to think
differently, challenging us tothink smaller and lighter.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
Yeah, and you wouldn't have figured out a way
to make the rolling duffel bagpart of, like another bag
beforehand, right Before takingthe course, right, right, and
that's one of the points that Itry to drive home to all of my
students, it's that you know,there's always another way.
There's always another way todo something, but if you're not
(08:16):
asking the question, you'renever going to find that
solution.
You're never going to find it.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Yeah, and if you're not open to changing maybe how
you think about things, you'redefinitely not going to get
creative about it.
And you know we were talkingearlier about our essentials and
some things I chose that youmight say, hey, these don't
belong here at this stage of thepacking process, like a lip
balm.
But what I included on myessentials picture I will need
(08:41):
sunglasses, I will needsunscreen.
I am so super pale, I'm aredhead I have certain spots
that we've got to be carefulabout, so sunscreen is an
essential.
My prescriptions those areessential.
Some of those things are in mypicture that I submitted for my
final exam in your class.
But another thing that's onthere is my computer.
It's really difficult for me tohave a trip without that
(09:05):
because I'm self-employed.
I'm always working andutilizing music or editing
software that's specific to alaptop.
I know a lot of folks that arein your class.
They could get by with maybeleaving the laptop, or sometimes
a laptop can feel like it's tooheavy or too big of a thing.
Thankfully my laptop is supersmall and portable.
But the great thing is is thateven if I like got out of the
(09:25):
house and at least had my phone,there's so much that's in the
cloud.
We can do so much with ourphones, which is great, and
that's why I also haveheadphones as part of my
essential, because if I am on aplane and I want the
entertainment, or I do have towork because I'm in music and
podcasting all of that beingable to hear things and being
(09:47):
able to listen is part of my job.
So I did have headphones aspart of my little essentials.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Yeah, some trips.
It might not be the same, and Iwould urge anyone who works for
themselves because I understandthe need to be connected to our
laptops, but I would urgeanyone who works for themselves
to really think about the tripthey're going on and question
whether or not they're reallygonna get some work done.
You know, when I went to theStates last year, I could have
(10:14):
easily brought my laptop, but Isaid no, I will probably use it
like two or three times and doeverything else on my phone.
I'm just gonna leave it behindand just do the work I can do on
my phone.
I'm just going to leave itbehind and just do the work I
can do on my phone.
And it actually was fine.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
So you know, yeah, and if you had to, time
depending, there are stillinternet cafes around the world
and there are libraries and youhave family members that would
probably if you're visiting, orfriends, you know, and a hotel
has a business center.
Friends, you know, and a hotelhas a business center, so even
(10:47):
if you needed a computer there,would be ways to get to one.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
Yeah, yeah.
But I just have to be realistic, because I've done so many
trips where I was like I'm goingto do some work in my free time
and then it's like I do two,two minutes of actual work on
the laptop.
I'm like I just toted thisaround for nothing work on the
laptop.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
I'm like I just toted this around for nothing, so can
I tell you how many trips Ihave had with paperwork.
My whole life, my whole adultlife, has been stacks and stacks
of heavy like that has beenfilling a lot of my carry on is
all of this paperwork.
Because I go on so many tripsand I come home and then there's
(11:27):
a whole new staff to go through.
I'll take some of it, thinking,yep, on this trip I'm going to
get it done on the plane whileRory's driving, I'm going to do
it down the road.
Oh man, and then it doesn't getdone.
And it's still like, and so thenit's another pile and like if I
had just left it it would havebeen in a nice place at home.
(11:47):
And so I'm learning that I'mnot going to get that done.
And I'm also learning, hey,what can I automate, what can I
streamline, what can I do that'selectronically, where I don't
need this physical paper?
What can I scan, what can I?
And so I'm constantly trying torethink those things.
Speaker 3 (12:06):
Yeah, yeah, you're recognizing the pattern, and
that's what's important, yeah,so that's key, and now you can
start figuring out how to solve.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
So there you go.
Now.
On another note, brooke, one ofthe things that you talk about
in your course and your ishaving a medical kit, and when
you are going to places thatmaybe you don't know what to
expect and you don't knowexactly how you might interact
with a brand new food or a newlocation or new activity, it is
(12:37):
super great to have something onhand for nausea, whether that's
from bad food or motionsickness.
So I want to just take a momenthere and talk about GoPatch.
There's a lot that I love aboutGoPatch.
Some of you might always bringalong stomach or anti-nausea
meds with you on a trip, and Ithink that's always a good idea,
whether you know you will needit or not.
(12:58):
What's great about GoPatch?
It's tiny and flat patch.
It's tiny and flat Tomiopathicgoodness that does not take up
bulk and space like a packet ofpills would.
So a packet of patches is asuper great item to have on hand
that won't take up space inyour bag.
It's lightweight, it's easy touse.
It is super thin.
There are a few different kindof like formulas and or
(13:20):
applications Anything from likemotion sickness to anxiety, and
Nicole, the founder, is going totell us a little bit more about
it.
So I'm going to let her justkind of chime in and tell us a
little bit more about GoPatchhey.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
Romies.
This is Nicole, the creator andfounder of GoPatch, and I want
to thank you guys so much forsharing info about GoPatch with
your listeners.
Gopatch for motion sickness andGoPatch for anxiety are two
patches we offer that arespectacular when you're on the
go.
The motion sickness patch kindof speaks for itself, whether
it's cars, boats, planes.
(13:52):
You slap it on your belly.
It actually covers your bellybutton completely, so no one
sees it.
You can be taking othermedications, it doesn't make you
drowsy, so you will enjoy allthe activities at hand.
And then our anxiety patches,also great for holiday travel
times.
Travel, I think we all know, canbe stressful regardless of the
(14:12):
time of year, but tends to be alittle bit more challenging
around the holidays.
So when you feel it coming on,or if you know you're going to
be doing some activities thatmake you anxious travel might be
one of them, or maybe seeingfamily that you haven't seen in
a bit you just same thing.
Put it on your belly.
No one sees it and the calm andease should set in within
(14:34):
minutes.
They're waterproof.
They usually last for 24 plushours.
They've gone throughdermatologist testing so they're
real sensitive on your skin,and I think that about sums it
up wishing you guys greattravels, happy, fun adventures
ahead and a wonderful holidayseason.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Thank you, nicole, so much.
This is such a fun product.
A couple additional things,just little notes about go patch
.
If you are not wanting to putit right on your belly button
like, let's say, you're agentleman who has a hairy
stomach or hairy chest you canjust trim the hair.
If you don't feel like shavingthe hair around that area, just
trim it.
And or find a spot on yourabdomen or chest that might have
(15:16):
less hair and that's whereyou'd want to put the patch.
And then, like ladies, if youwant to wear a bikini, the patch
is discreet anyway.
But if you don't want it righton your belly button, you can
even place it on your rear end.
And then there is also aformula for pets.
When we do road trips, we are90% of the time taking our cats
with us.
If you have a pet that isn'tused to travel and or a pet that
(15:39):
has motion sickness, there is aformula with go patch
specifically for pet motionsickness and tummy relief, so it
will help relieve anxietywithin your pet and also help
with motion sickness.
So if that is something thatyou face with your pet, this is
definitely worth trying.
And there's a whole line ofdifferent products like some for
(15:59):
menstrual cramps, etc.
So make sure to check out theirwhole line to see what all they
offer for you at the gopatchcom.
And, of course, if you win thebrand bundle, you're gonna get
to enjoy go patch for yourselfin this bundle and we will also
have in the show notes how youcan get your hands on some go
patch.
Do you have any other feedbackfor me?
With my trip and um?
Speaker 3 (16:21):
no, I mean, I feel like that was the main thing you
, I mean the fact that you wereable to finish your final with
an 11 and a half liter bag rightis very impressive and you
should be very proud of yourselffor that.
So definitely pat yourself onthe back for that.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Yes, um, but like I said, have laptop and pair of
shoes in there.
See there you go.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
People think I could not pack that light with needing
an extra pair of shoes or, uh,you know, uh, my laptop.
And have you tried?
That's the question.
Have you?
Have you put it to the test?
Have you tried to figure outand solve problems?
And just seeing what's possibleis super important.
So now you know you have aplace to start from.
But yeah, just the one thingthat I recommend is just really
(17:09):
continuing making improvementsand going back to the basics and
looking at your essentials andsee if you can even mentally
think about leaving that waterbottle and that lip balm off
that essentials list.
It just helps you wrap yourhead around all of your
decisions moving forward.
(17:30):
And then practice, take thetrip with just that bag and you
know, see what's possible.
And I know you, you packed fora super complicated two-month
trip.
You saw great success.
But just starting from thebasics again, I think, and and
just taking those shorter tripswith a tiny bag is going to help
(17:52):
you to discover your, like,true packing light potential.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
Agree a hundred percent.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
I think too.
We took a trip to the OlympicPeninsula, which I think we're
going to be talking about, inFebruary we did a little bit
earlier this year talking aboutPort Angeles and we're going to
share more from that area and wehad done the episode with you.
We hadn't aired it yet, but wehad talked with you.
We had done the episode withyou, we hadn't aired it yet, but
we had talked with you.
And so even then I was like ohso maybe I don't have to take a
(18:25):
big giant coat, maybe.
I could just wear a ton oflayers.
So I was like I played withthat on that trip.
So that was the first one whereI tried to start implementing
some of the things that you talkabout.
One of the things that you talkabout in the course that I
think is also helpful is youtalk about practicing or just
testing some of the things.
So like back with toiletries,when you practice at home, you
(18:49):
can practice travel at home andsay, okay, if I, if I only need
this much toothpaste, is thismuch toothpaste going to get me
through a week?
And so you try it out and yousee, can I get by with this
little amount of whatever it is?
Speaker 3 (19:07):
A hundred percent, and that's another reason why I
recommend people come in andtake my class, because it
doesn't matter if you have areal trip booked or not.
We will plan for a trip if it'snot fully real yet, and you
will practice, you will see howit works and then the next time
you're going away you're goingto have so much hard work done
(19:28):
and out of the way for sure, andit's going to feel so much
easier.
So it does?
Practice is important, it is.
And you can watch all thepacking videos out there.
You can collect all of thepacking lists out there, all of
the capsule wardrobes out there.
You can collect them.
I've had many people join myclass who have watched thousands
(19:51):
of videos.
They told me, or collecteddozens of packing lists and it
won't make any sense until youtry and do it for yourself,
right?
Because only then you'll beable to understand okay, that's
how that could work for me.
That would not work for me.
It doesn't matter, until you dothe work.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Right, yeah, so I highly recommend that folks join
your course.
Brooke, if someone hasn't yetlistened to part one, give us a
quick recap on your next course.
Speaker 3 (20:18):
Yeah, I will open it up several times a year.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Right now.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
I don't have the next class scheduled in.
I feel like November, decemberis just kind of a crazy time for
people.
So I'm thinking the next classwill be very early in January.
So in the meantime, if you'reinterested, you can get on the
wait list at herpackinglistcom.
Slash freedom.
That way you don't miss out,okay great.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
Yeah, another great offering that you have is the
membership, and people can havea monthly membership to the
world that you have to offer.
So is that something that'savailable after they take the
initial course or is itsomething that people can join
right now?
Speaker 3 (21:04):
I have it available after you've taken the initial
course, because everything we doinside the membership is based
off of the trainings.
Like you come into themembership without having done
the class, I don't think you'regonna fully understand a lot of
what we're doing.
You know you would probablybenefit, but I feel like
everything builds off of thatinitial HPL packing method
(21:27):
training.
And yeah, so I have it.
We do the live class and thenyou are given an offer to join
us inside of the membershipafter, and then you get to
partake, you know, in everythingwe have going on every month.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
Okay, great, and I highly recommend that because
the things that I've experiencedfor example, you have other
class members or other otherfolks who have done the course
and understand the process right.
So, for example, when I wasgetting ready for this trip, I
had a question about nail polishand I had no idea that they had
(22:00):
.
They sold empty little tinynail polish containers.
I said, hey, anyone haverecommendations for nail polish?
And I kind of just outlined whyI was asking and I got feedback
from other students and it wassuper helpful and it was just in
time for my trip and so thatwas really great.
So, when you have like actualhey, I'm in the middle of this
(22:24):
decision right now, I'm packing,right now, there are people in
the community that can chime inand help you with something.
You are in the community aswell, so there's access to you,
which is great.
Are in the community as well,so there's access to you, which
is great.
But also, you know you haveother teachings and trainings
within things that you have doneover the years and there are a
(22:44):
lot of resources that areavailable and reinforce not only
your class but also maybe justdelve into something a little
more specific, like winter orthey might be specific about.
Hey, this is if you're having awork trip, this is maybe a
little bit more specific to thatand so there's a lot of really
one wonderful tools that areavailable.
(23:05):
So once you take the course,then you can have that.
That's great, I love that.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
Yeah, yeah yeah.
There's so much going on inthere really, so join us in the
initial class If you like it andyou want more.
You join us in the membershipafter.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
Love it, love it.
Brooke's course will also be inthe show notes.
The link to that, as well aslinks to all of the brands,
products that are going to helpyou travel light travel well
that are great for on the go,brooke, I want to just quickly
jump to your first question thatwe started with in part one.
Brooke, I want to just quicklyjump to your first question that
we started with in part one,and that was how did I feel
about my packing before thecourse?
(23:41):
I answered that I feltgenerally okay with what I was
doing, but at the same time, Iwouldn't have connected with you
had I felt like I had my actall together.
I could still feel there wasroom for improvement, and the
question I'd really like toanswer is how I feel differently
after the course, and I feelsmarter, I feel savvy, I feel
(24:02):
more confident, I feel morewilling and open-minded to
continue to work in the processbecause of the difference I've
experienced so far.
Speaker 3 (24:10):
Yes, that is something that a lot of my
students also experience afterthey have learned how to pack
light.
It's kind of a fun challengefor them to make improvements
every time they go away, andit's no longer that super
stressful experience that theyused to have, so that's great.
I want to ask you a few morequestions about your trip to
(24:32):
Europe, okay, so first I'd loveto know did you feel like you
had enough clothing and enoughoutfit combinations from that?
Speaker 2 (24:42):
Yeah, I would say I did.
I can get bored easily.
I like to dress according to mymood for the day, and so I like
having options available to me.
One thing about when you dopack you have to make those
decisions prior to the trip, ofcourse.
Right For me, it took a lot ofthought of thinking through what
(25:02):
would my moods be, what wouldthe days be like, what would the
weather be like, what types ofconcerts would we be doing, what
type of teaching opportunitieswould we be doing, and what type
of clothing would I need tosupport all of the different
activities that we would bedoing?
And so I had to take all ofthose things into consideration
when packing my clothing, and Ihad a lot of things that went
(25:23):
together with each other.
But I also had a few items thatI just wanted to take just
because I wanted to have them,and so they didn't necessarily
go with all my other things, andthat turned out to be okay,
because I wanted a little bit ofvariety.
I didn't take the perfectlittle capsule, but I still feel
like I had enough of thingsthat went together to give me
(25:45):
different looks.
I also had enough clothing tofeel like I wasn't wearing the
same exact thing every day forevery single event.
Well, maybe, except when wewent to Scotland and we wore
layers of all my clothing eachday to stay warm.
Speaker 3 (26:01):
How often did you do laundry?
Speaker 2 (26:05):
I knew my general itinerary and when I would and
would not have washing machinesfreely available.
I was able to do quite a bit ofwashing throughout the trip,
and so it was very.
Maybe once or twice I may havehad to hand wash one or two
items throughout the whole tripto be able to get by.
(26:25):
So Brooke talks a lot aboutwhen you're packing light.
Of course, if you take less,then you might need to hand wash
some things more frequently,depending on your access to
washing machines and things likethat.
So she gives tips on how youmight hand wash or how you might
handle clothing that might notget to get washed for a while,
(26:47):
and so Brooke gave some helpfultips.
With that, I would say.
Generally I had enough clothingwhere I needed to wash, ideally
just to feel fresh, and becauseI had the availability to do so
, I had the access to do so.
I would say I probably washedevery four days on average, and
one of the things that I tookwith me that we are going to
(27:10):
gift to you in our giveaway wasa packet of true earth laundry
strips and, and so those aresuper great.
They're super compact.
You just tear off part of thesheet if you want to hand wash
or throw it in your wash.
Super convenient, superwonderful and great for not only
on the go but also youreveryday life at home.
Speaker 3 (27:29):
Yeah, is there anything you packed that you
didn't need, that didn't getused at all, or is there
anything that you didn't packthat you wish you had?
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Towards the end of my trip I was culling through my
bag and asking myself is thereanything else I can get rid of
that I'm not going to need forthe rest of the trip?
I ended up mailing one kind ofsleeveless top home.
I found that, especiallybecause we knew we were going to
be going to Scotland and itwould be colder, that I would
(28:00):
probably be okay without thatone top.
So I did have one top that Iended up mailing home, maybe at
the last three, two to threeweeks of the trip.
I wish that I had packed alittle bit more of my vitamins,
because towards the end of thetrip I was starting to have to
ration them.
Making sure that I saved themfor performance days and it
(28:23):
would have been nice to justkeep taking everything every day
, and obviously not leavingsomething in someone's house
would help me have everything Ineed.
At the moment.
I can't think of anything elsethat I wish I would not have
brought, but of course, anythingthat I can in the future reduce
(28:44):
in any capacity, make itsmaller, make it lighter just to
have a little bit morebreathing room in my actual
suitcase would be really helpful.
So I want to continue to honemy paring down skills.
One thing that I mailed homethat I regretted was one of my
extra bags.
I actually ended up takingthree extra little tote bags.
(29:06):
They fold up very small.
If I wanted to have somethingjust in a little bag, like
snacks or my laptop or somethingthat I just wanted quickly
accessible without having to digthrough my backpack, it was
really great to have this extratote.
Or if we were going to go tothe grocery store.
Most grocery stores in Europedo not provide bags, and so you
(29:29):
know, just for your shopping,and so it's great to just have
those on hand.
You can do your shopping.
One of my bags was more of anylon type fabric and that
served as my umbrella, and sothat was really great to have
that, because we didn't have alot of rain.
But when there were rainy daysI had something to put over my
head and protect my hair, try tokeep my hairstyle going.
(29:50):
But kind of, maybe three weeksout, when I sent a little thing
of mail home and mailed somethings that I'd purchased home,
I wrapped one of those items inone of my little tote bags and
mailed that home, and I ended upseveral times throughout the
trip, even though I had twoother additional tote bags.
(30:13):
I really missed that bag andwish that I had kept it, so I
really utilized those bags fordifferent things.
That was something that I wishI had held on to.
The size of it was great.
The convenience of it was great.
Yes, I did it without it.
I survived with just two extrabags.
I probably also could have leftone or two eyeliner pencils at
(30:37):
home.
Speaker 3 (30:37):
What would you change for next time?
Speaker 2 (30:40):
I definitely would have to get a new rolling
backpack because the one that Ihad did break on me within the
first week and over the firsttwo weeks kind of pulled apart
in several places.
Thankfully it held togetherenough to get me through the
trip, but I would need to find adifferent rolling backpack for
the next trip.
But one thing that was supersurprising was I bought some
(31:03):
jeggings, so I brought jeanleggings and they were my
versatile pants.
They were the only pair ofpants that I bought for the
entire time, and so they had toserve an exercise like hiking.
If I was going to go hiking,they had to be stretchy enough
for that.
They had to serve as leggings.
I needed to be able to pullthem up and have them look like
(31:24):
leggings that I kept at mid-calffor certain dresses, and then
they also had to serve as anormal pair of jeans.
I ended up finding a pair ofjeggings, so jean leggings, that
were kind of like multi-purposefor those things.
It would have been nice tomaybe have a second pair, but
(31:45):
this particular pair of jeggings, because I didn't have my
parakeeto mosquito repellentwith me.
I got huge mosquito bites andone day I was just scratching
away at one of my mosquito biteson the top of my thigh, and
maybe five minutes later Ilooked down and I had scratched
(32:07):
away most of the top of thefabric of my jeggings.
So they were super non-durableand I had no idea, because in my
mind they were more denim-y.
But whatever fabric they were,they were not very sustainable
and I ended up also sitting on atack and the jeans ripped where
(32:29):
I sat, on the tack of course,and I think they ripped
somewhere else, you know wherejeans kind of rip on your knee.
I ended up needing to patch themup while I was on the road, and
so the theory of the jeggingsworked well for serving multiple
purposes.
But the actual pair that Iended up with was not durable
(32:49):
enough to last me two months,and I've never had a piece of
clothing wear out like that.
You know, I still have clothesfrom like high school, and so
that was very eye opening to me.
Thankfully, I did not spend alot of money on them and you
know, basically you're going toget what you pay for when it
comes to those things.
But that was an eye opener forme.
I would say a second pair ofpants probably would have been a
good and helpful idea if I hadthe space.
(33:11):
So how many clothing?
Speaker 3 (33:13):
items did you actually pack and what
specifically did you bring?
If you care to share, Forundergarments.
Speaker 2 (33:20):
I took about five pairs of underwear, a couple
bras and maybe like five pairsof socks, maybe six, and I had
three tank tops that were morefitting, along with two tank
tops that had a built-in bra,and so I was able to sometimes
use those for like a bathingsuit option.
I took four dresses, four tanktops, slash sleeveless tops, a
(33:44):
workout dress, an SPF zipperfront long swim jacket, one
t-shirt, one thick, long blazer,one pair of jeggings, my black
jean jacket, two pairs of shoesOne of those was like a platform
sandal type shoe and the otherpair of shoes was a tennis shoe,
hiking shoe without laces, acap, my workout slash sleep
(34:09):
shorts, two long sleeve shirtsOne was a very loose, fitting
and then one was a super tight,layering top and a scarf.
Out of those items, I createdmy travel outfit, which you talk
about in your course.
I feel like, overall, I'm veryhappy with what I ended up
taking and my outfit choices.
(34:29):
I think they ended up workingout pretty well and what's great
is that I can continue to packlight, continue to kind of hone
my skills, to learn.
Yeah, I really don't need this.
I really can live without this.
I can get creative with this.
Instead of having five things,I can get creative with this.
Instead of having five things,I can use this one thing for
(34:51):
these five purposes and thingslike that.
And so sometimes, you know, alot of times we gain confidence
through experience, and so themore little trips that I have
taken since your course gave mea continued confidence.
Therefore, enjoy the trip muchmore easily.
You know, it was great hoppingon the train not having an extra
(35:12):
bag that I was responsible forthat I normally would have
otherwise.
It was great to not have tocheck bags.
It was great in the rental car.
I had even more leg room andmore space around me.
When we were going into a hotelor just having to go up the
stairs, all I had was mybackpack and my ukulele, and so,
(35:34):
knowing that we would be on alot of stairs or a cobbled road
and sometimes the backpack wouldbe on my back and I would hand
carry the ukulele, and sometimesit would be flipped and I would
roll the backpack and have theukulele as a backpack, it really
made me more efficient on thetrip, a lot less hassle, and it
was just a fun challenge.
It's fun for me to feel like I'mcreative and to find new ways
(35:57):
to be creative within packing.
Anytime I can find ways to becreative, that's fun, right, and
so like just finding somecreative ways to pack and
creative ways to think aboutthings or to rethink through
things is it's fun because it'ssomething creative, but it's
also helps you grow and it helpsyou stretch and to put yourself
out there and to try somethings that may not be so
(36:19):
comfortable on the get go, butat the end of the day, you're
glad you tried it and you'reglad you experienced it, and so
it just makes it better for thenext trip and the next
experience, and hopefully we aremaking things better for you.
We are inspiring you to thinkthrough the things you have and
to also find great products thatyou can boost your health and
(36:39):
take care of yourself whileyou're on the go, and so we hope
we have encouraged and inspiredyou in all of these ways and
hope that you will continuefollowing us on socials.
Especially Instagram is wherewe focus our efforts.
We are at Instagram, at theromies and, of course, follow
Brooke at her packing list andall of these brands that we've
talked about.
(37:00):
We're going to put all of thatinfo in the show notes.
So just dive into those shownotes, use them.
They are there for yourreference, for your support.
These products and brands aregreat for your daily and your
traveling life.
So visit the show notes andgrab these items.
And also keep in mind that gopatch and parakeeto have both
(37:20):
given us special offers.
Their expiration dates areavailable in the show notes, so
make sure that you check outtheir offer.
Use that promo code if it isstill valid.
You'll be so glad you did so,brooke.
These are the trivia questions.
Speaker 3 (37:35):
Oh, my goodness, okay you ready Now.
Speaker 2 (37:38):
Brooke has not had a heads up.
She didn't listen to the frontof the podcast yet.
No, all right, brooke.
Which of these is not a wonderof the modern world?
A, the great wall of china tothe eiffel tower.
(37:59):
Or three, the taj mahal.
Which one of those is not awonder of the world, wonder?
Speaker 3 (38:08):
of the modern world, wonder of the modern world.
I'm going to go with the GreatWall of China.
No, no, because modern it's notmodern, it's old, true, yeah.
Speaker 2 (38:21):
I don't know why they say that Maybe they just mean
one of the seven wonders.
Speaker 3 (38:25):
Yes, okay, because I probably yeah, you're saying the
Eiffel Tower.
Speaker 2 (38:30):
The Eiffel Tower.
Speaker 3 (38:31):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (38:32):
Okay, all right.
No, that was good.
Speaker 3 (38:35):
I thought you were trying to trick me there.
I know right.
Speaker 2 (38:38):
Shoot Okay.
Speaker 3 (38:48):
Which American city is?
Speaker 2 (38:48):
known as the Big Easy , new Orleans.
Yes, go girl, good job.
Okay, what is the name of theclay cooking pot with a conical
lid often seen in Moroccan cafesand restaurants?
Speaker 3 (39:04):
A tagine.
Speaker 2 (39:05):
Yes, yes, yes, that's amazing, go girl.
Okay, which country doesgorgonzola cheese come from?
Speaker 3 (39:17):
okay, I don't know if this is a trick question or not
they're not supposed to be nearSwitzerland.
Speaker 2 (39:28):
Oh, is it Italy.
Italy, good job good job.
Speaker 3 (39:33):
I thought that was too easy.
Oh my gosh, I feel so silly no,I would, I was like wait.
Gorgonzola, maybe that's Swiss.
No, it's definitely a town.
Okay, all right, I should havejust went with the first thing
in my head, but you know, Ioverthought two questions in
that.
Speaker 2 (39:51):
No, you're good you're good, are you up for one
more?
Let's, let's do it.
In which country would you findthe great sphinx?
Egypt yes, go girl, I think youdid awesome.
Speaker 3 (40:09):
I get extra points for it too, Jean.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
Yes, you did.
I even have family that havebeen in that area and I still
couldn't like tell you what thatis, so, and I would not have
known how to pronounce it.
So I am very impressed you gogirl.
Thank you, brooke.
Thank you so much.
This is super, super helpful.
Thank you for recapping with me, reviewing with me.
Speaker 3 (40:33):
Thank you for having me.
I loved getting to recap yourexperience after taking the
class.
So, yeah, thank you forallowing me to dive into that
with you.
Speaker 2 (40:42):
Thank you so much.
All right, y'all Well.
Thank you so much for joiningus.
We hope you've enjoyed thisepisode.
The link to part one will be inthe show notes, along with all
of the fun things that we havebeen talking about on our
previous episode and on thisepisode.
Here's to packing light and wewill see you on the next one.
See you next time.
Bye.
Win the giveaway bundle ofbrands.
(41:07):
The brand bundle, yes we hopewe've inspired you this episode
so join us next time.
Please subscribe to rate andshare our podcast with your
friends or you know whomever?
And please like and follow uson instagram, youtube and
facebook we are also on x and onall social platforms.
Speaker 1 (41:24):
We are at the romies, that's t-h-e-r-o-a-m-i-e-s, and
our main hub is our website atwwwtheromiescom, that's right,
that's t-h-e-r-o-a-m-i-e-scom.
Speaker 2 (41:40):
We'll be there until next time.
Yeah, thanks for listening.
Bye.
Hi, I'm Alexa and I'm Rory, and together we are.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
The.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Romies, we are married To each other.
Right, we are a touring musicalduo.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
And our music has taken us to all kinds of places
all around the world and keepsus always on the go.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
So we hope you enjoy our stories and adventures while
running around working to keepall your plates spinning.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
And we hope, to facilitate your busy lifestyle
and feed your inner travel bug.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Welcome to part two of the Packing Light Recap
episode and the introduction toour Big Brand Bundle Giveaway,
our B3G Get it Big Brand BundleGiveaway.
So, of course, if you haven'theard part one, since this is
part two, you got to hear thatone too.
No pun intended.
It is episode 230.
(00:53):
And don't forget, enter thegiveaway.
There's a link in the shownotes you can follow, and we
also have a pinned post inInstagram with instructions so
you can enter through Instagramand or the link in our show
notes.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Now, don't change that dial.
If you happen to be listeningoutside of our giveaway entry
window, this content is stillrelevant to you.
These brands and products arestill relevant to you.
So, whether you are catchingthe episode in time for the
giveaway or not, you are goingto enjoy this episode and the
(01:29):
information and inspiration thatwe will be sending your way
about packing light.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
It's attached to your main thing.
So, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
So that's the way I would cheat on your class, stop
cheating.
That's just a little snippet ofwhere we left off, with part
one talking about a little.
I would cheat on your class,stop cheating.
That's just a little snippet ofwhere we left off, with part
one talking about a littlepacking cheat, as I like to call
it, and that's our jumpingpoint.
That continues my conversationwith Brooke Shineman and her
packing list.
Okay, so here's what I did.
If you want to say cheated,these are two ways that I
(02:01):
cheated on this trip.
One of the things that I did isI mailed myself a package
halfway through the trip.
I knew an address where I wasgoing to be staying in
Switzerland, and I got thatlittle package like three weeks
into the trip and what I had inthat package was another
toothpaste.
I just took a normal travelsize of toothpaste and I also
(02:25):
tried toothpaste tablets and Ihad sent myself a toothpaste
paste.
It was like a toothpaste in alittle jar.
I kind of just had a little bitof samples and different things
that I was trying along the way.
That kind of helped give meenough quantity.
I shipped some dry shampoo and Iactually only use dry shampoo.
(02:47):
I had dry bar style my hairbefore I left, which is a salon.
It's a chain salon, but you cango to many salons around the US
and they wash and style yourhair for you and so I started
the trip with that and I justtried to be really careful and I
kept that hairstyle as long asI could with dry shampoo and dry
conditioner, and I had foundtravel size versions of these.
(03:10):
They're aerosols and so they'remuch harder to convert to a
different like pump or anythinglike that, and I knew I would
not be able to buy that inEurope.
So I shipped myself in mylittle package, shipped myself a
second shampoo and dryconditioner to use for my hair,
and I shipped myself some otherlike additional prescriptions.
So I sent a couple things tomyself for three weeks into the
(03:32):
trip that I knew I couldn't buyin Europe the way that I that it
would still be a light thing.
So that's one thing I did Imailed myself that package.
However, unfortunately I endedup leaving those things at a
friend's house, like just thenext week or two later.
I ended up leaving them thereon accident instead of having
(03:55):
them with me on the trip.
So some of that stuff I shippedfor no reason at the end of the
day, so that was a littlefrustrating, but anyway.
So that's why I was out of someof the things at the end of the
trip.
I also mailed stuff home.
So if I wanted to buy asouvenir, we go to Switzerland
every year and their food is soamazing they have the best food
in our opinion and so I want tobuy like their canned beans or
(04:18):
their cheese or their seasoningsor their tea.
I'll buy things like that andship it home.
So we we did a couple shippingthroughout the trip.
So that is another way that Iwas able to keep things light.
Is I cheated, quote unquotecheated that way, so I could
keep the stuff out of my bag butI could get it home and I could
(04:40):
still have my versions ofsouvenirs, which are practical
things that get eaten or worn.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
Right, so that's totally fine, like shipping
stuff home.
I recommend that, especially ifyou're going to buy, you know,
art or something like that.
That is just terrible to carryaround yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
So you know it costs a little extra money here and
there, but for us it's worth it.
So the other way that I sort ofcheated is Rory said we are
taking a bag for merchandise.
This was a concert tour and sowe're at concerts and people
don't really buy CDs anymore,but we can make music available
or t-shirts or caps or whatever.
So the way that I cheated forthat is that, because this was
(05:24):
just in Europe, I found aEuropean manufacturing for our
merch and I had them ship it toour very first venue.
That way the merchandise camefrom Europe, stayed in Europe,
we shipped it there.
So we bought a $10 wheeledduffel bag and I said, okay,
(05:45):
rory, but I'm not checking a bagbecause I am packing light and
I'm doing Brooks course and I amnot checking a bag.
And he's like we are taking abag so on the way there and plus
it costs more money, like weweren't flying Southwest
overseas.
You don't get two free checkbags.
What we did is I got straps andRory figured out a way to put
(06:10):
the wheels of the duffel bagaround.
Now he cause he took a pillow,so that's like his.
He normally takes a rolledsuitcase and I think he saw me
get get in a backpack and wewere going to take the train on
this trip.
We don't normally take thetrain but I'm like, let's just
like, for a few things let'stake the train.
(06:32):
We love being on the train.
It's just not practical for atour.
So we took it on times where wethought, okay, we can get away
with the train.
So we did the Eurail pass andthat whole thing.
So we'll probably do an episodefor y'all at some point about
trains in Europe.
He took a backpack because ofthe trains and because I think
he was inspired a little bit topack, like, but he still decided
(06:55):
he was going to take his bigpillow, so that took up most of
his luggage.
So he checked his bag, wrappedthe wheeled duffel onto his
backpack, so, and then he wasable to pull his backpack with
wheels.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Wow, that's how, that's how we creative and
that's how we took that bag.
Then we got the merch and thebag was full.
Then we had these two extrabags, so that even on the train
we had to lug around and thingslike that.
So again, I was really gladthat I had packed light.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Well, I guess what you're saying after talking
about your trip and the packingfor that is that you and Rory
were more creative in yourpacking when getting ready to go
on that two month trip, right?
Speaker 2 (07:40):
For sure, and in all these years it never occurred to
me to take part of an exercisemat, and I'm positive the idea
came from working on your classand just trying to think
differently, challenging us tothink smaller and lighter.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
Yeah, and you wouldn't have figured out a way
to make the rolling duffel bagpart of, like another bag
beforehand, right Before takingthe course, right, right, and
that's one of the points that Itry to drive home to all of my
students, it's that you know,there's always another way.
There's always another way todo something, but if you're not
(08:16):
asking the question, you'renever going to find that
solution.
You're never going to find it.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Yeah, and if you're not open to changing maybe how
you think about things, you'redefinitely not going to get
creative about it.
And you know we were talkingearlier about our essentials and
some things I chose that youmight say, hey, these don't
belong here at this stage of thepacking process, like a lip
balm.
But what I included on myessentials picture I will need
(08:41):
sunglasses, I will needsunscreen.
I am so super pale, I'm aredhead I have certain spots
that we've got to be carefulabout, so sunscreen is an
essential.
My prescriptions those areessential.
Some of those things are in mypicture that I submitted for my
final exam in your class.
But another thing that's onthere is my computer.
It's really difficult for me tohave a trip without that
(09:05):
because I'm self-employed.
I'm always working andutilizing music or editing
software that's specific to alaptop.
I know a lot of folks that arein your class.
They could get by with maybeleaving the laptop, or sometimes
a laptop can feel like it's tooheavy or too big of a thing.
Thankfully my laptop is supersmall and portable.
But the great thing is is thateven if I like got out of the
(09:25):
house and at least had my phone,there's so much that's in the
cloud.
We can do so much with ourphones, which is great, and
that's why I also haveheadphones as part of my
essential, because if I am on aplane and I want the
entertainment, or I do have towork because I'm in music and
podcasting all of that beingable to hear things and being
(09:47):
able to listen is part of my job.
So I did have headphones aspart of my little essentials.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Yeah, some trips.
It might not be the same, and Iwould urge anyone who works for
themselves because I understandthe need to be connected to our
laptops, but I would urgeanyone who works for themselves
to really think about the tripthey're going on and question
whether or not they're reallygonna get some work done.
You know, when I went to theStates last year, I could have
(10:14):
easily brought my laptop, but Isaid no, I will probably use it
like two or three times and doeverything else on my phone.
I'm just gonna leave it behindand just do the work I can do on
my phone.
I'm just going to leave itbehind and just do the work I
can do on my phone.
And it actually was fine.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
So you know, yeah, and if you had to, time
depending, there are stillinternet cafes around the world
and there are libraries and youhave family members that would
probably if you're visiting, orfriends, you know, and a hotel
has a business center.
Friends, you know, and a hotelhas a business center, so even
(10:47):
if you needed a computer there,would be ways to get to one.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
Yeah, yeah.
But I just have to be realistic, because I've done so many
trips where I was like I'm goingto do some work in my free time
and then it's like I do two,two minutes of actual work on
the laptop.
I'm like I just toted thisaround for nothing work on the
laptop.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
I'm like I just toted this around for nothing, so can
I tell you how many trips Ihave had with paperwork.
My whole life, my whole adultlife, has been stacks and stacks
of heavy like that has beenfilling a lot of my carry on is
all of this paperwork.
Because I go on so many tripsand I come home and then there's
(11:27):
a whole new staff to go through.
I'll take some of it, thinking,yep, on this trip I'm going to
get it done on the plane whileRory's driving, I'm going to do
it down the road.
Oh man, and then it doesn't getdone.
And it's still like, and so thenit's another pile and like if I
had just left it it would havebeen in a nice place at home.
(11:47):
And so I'm learning that I'mnot going to get that done.
And I'm also learning, hey,what can I automate, what can I
streamline, what can I do that'selectronically, where I don't
need this physical paper?
What can I scan, what can I?
And so I'm constantly trying torethink those things.
Speaker 3 (12:06):
Yeah, yeah, you're recognizing the pattern, and
that's what's important, yeah,so that's key, and now you can
start figuring out how to solve.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
So there you go.
Now.
On another note, brooke, one ofthe things that you talk about
in your course and your ishaving a medical kit, and when
you are going to places thatmaybe you don't know what to
expect and you don't knowexactly how you might interact
with a brand new food or a newlocation or new activity, it is
(12:37):
super great to have something onhand for nausea, whether that's
from bad food or motionsickness.
So I want to just take a momenthere and talk about GoPatch.
There's a lot that I love aboutGoPatch.
Some of you might always bringalong stomach or anti-nausea
meds with you on a trip, and Ithink that's always a good idea,
whether you know you will needit or not.
(12:58):
What's great about GoPatch?
It's tiny and flat patch.
It's tiny and flat Tomiopathicgoodness that does not take up
bulk and space like a packet ofpills would.
So a packet of patches is asuper great item to have on hand
that won't take up space inyour bag.
It's lightweight, it's easy touse.
It is super thin.
There are a few different kindof like formulas and or
(13:20):
applications Anything from likemotion sickness to anxiety, and
Nicole, the founder, is going totell us a little bit more about
it.
So I'm going to let her justkind of chime in and tell us a
little bit more about GoPatchhey.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
Romies.
This is Nicole, the creator andfounder of GoPatch, and I want
to thank you guys so much forsharing info about GoPatch with
your listeners.
Gopatch for motion sickness andGoPatch for anxiety are two
patches we offer that arespectacular when you're on the
go.
The motion sickness patch kindof speaks for itself, whether
it's cars, boats, planes.
(13:52):
You slap it on your belly.
It actually covers your bellybutton completely, so no one
sees it.
You can be taking othermedications, it doesn't make you
drowsy, so you will enjoy allthe activities at hand.
And then our anxiety patches,also great for holiday travel
times.
Travel, I think we all know, canbe stressful regardless of the
(14:12):
time of year, but tends to be alittle bit more challenging
around the holidays.
So when you feel it coming on,or if you know you're going to
be doing some activities thatmake you anxious travel might be
one of them, or maybe seeingfamily that you haven't seen in
a bit you just same thing.
Put it on your belly.
No one sees it and the calm andease should set in within
(14:34):
minutes.
They're waterproof.
They usually last for 24 plushours.
They've gone throughdermatologist testing so they're
real sensitive on your skin,and I think that about sums it
up wishing you guys greattravels, happy, fun adventures
ahead and a wonderful holidayseason.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Thank you, nicole, so much.
This is such a fun product.
A couple additional things,just little notes about go patch
.
If you are not wanting to putit right on your belly button
like, let's say, you're agentleman who has a hairy
stomach or hairy chest you canjust trim the hair.
If you don't feel like shavingthe hair around that area, just
trim it.
And or find a spot on yourabdomen or chest that might have
(15:16):
less hair and that's whereyou'd want to put the patch.
And then, like ladies, if youwant to wear a bikini, the patch
is discreet anyway.
But if you don't want it righton your belly button, you can
even place it on your rear end.
And then there is also aformula for pets.
When we do road trips, we are90% of the time taking our cats
with us.
If you have a pet that isn'tused to travel and or a pet that
(15:39):
has motion sickness, there is aformula with go patch
specifically for pet motionsickness and tummy relief, so it
will help relieve anxietywithin your pet and also help
with motion sickness.
So if that is something thatyou face with your pet, this is
definitely worth trying.
And there's a whole line ofdifferent products like some for
(15:59):
menstrual cramps, etc.
So make sure to check out theirwhole line to see what all they
offer for you at the gopatchcom.
And, of course, if you win thebrand bundle, you're gonna get
to enjoy go patch for yourselfin this bundle and we will also
have in the show notes how youcan get your hands on some go
patch.
Do you have any other feedbackfor me?
With my trip and um?
Speaker 3 (16:21):
no, I mean, I feel like that was the main thing you
, I mean the fact that you wereable to finish your final with
an 11 and a half liter bag rightis very impressive and you
should be very proud of yourselffor that.
So definitely pat yourself onthe back for that.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Yes, um, but like I said, have laptop and pair of
shoes in there.
See there you go.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
People think I could not pack that light with needing
an extra pair of shoes or, uh,you know, uh, my laptop.
And have you tried?
That's the question.
Have you?
Have you put it to the test?
Have you tried to figure outand solve problems?
And just seeing what's possibleis super important.
So now you know you have aplace to start from.
But yeah, just the one thingthat I recommend is just really
(17:09):
continuing making improvementsand going back to the basics and
looking at your essentials andsee if you can even mentally
think about leaving that waterbottle and that lip balm off
that essentials list.
It just helps you wrap yourhead around all of your
decisions moving forward.
(17:30):
And then practice, take thetrip with just that bag and you
know, see what's possible.
And I know you, you packed fora super complicated two-month
trip.
You saw great success.
But just starting from thebasics again, I think, and and
just taking those shorter tripswith a tiny bag is going to help
(17:52):
you to discover your, like,true packing light potential.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
Agree a hundred percent.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
I think too.
We took a trip to the OlympicPeninsula, which I think we're
going to be talking about, inFebruary we did a little bit
earlier this year talking aboutPort Angeles and we're going to
share more from that area and wehad done the episode with you.
We hadn't aired it yet, but wehad talked with you.
We had done the episode withyou, we hadn't aired it yet, but
we had talked with you.
And so even then I was like ohso maybe I don't have to take a
(18:25):
big giant coat, maybe.
I could just wear a ton oflayers.
So I was like I played withthat on that trip.
So that was the first one whereI tried to start implementing
some of the things that you talkabout.
One of the things that you talkabout in the course that I
think is also helpful is youtalk about practicing or just
testing some of the things.
So like back with toiletries,when you practice at home, you
(18:49):
can practice travel at home andsay, okay, if I, if I only need
this much toothpaste, is thismuch toothpaste going to get me
through a week?
And so you try it out and yousee, can I get by with this
little amount of whatever it is?
Speaker 3 (19:07):
A hundred percent, and that's another reason why I
recommend people come in andtake my class, because it
doesn't matter if you have areal trip booked or not.
We will plan for a trip if it'snot fully real yet, and you
will practice, you will see howit works and then the next time
you're going away you're goingto have so much hard work done
(19:28):
and out of the way for sure, andit's going to feel so much
easier.
So it does?
Practice is important, it is.
And you can watch all thepacking videos out there.
You can collect all of thepacking lists out there, all of
the capsule wardrobes out there.
You can collect them.
I've had many people join myclass who have watched thousands
(19:51):
of videos.
They told me, or collecteddozens of packing lists and it
won't make any sense until youtry and do it for yourself,
right?
Because only then you'll beable to understand okay, that's
how that could work for me.
That would not work for me.
It doesn't matter, until you dothe work.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Right, yeah, so I highly recommend that folks join
your course.
Brooke, if someone hasn't yetlistened to part one, give us a
quick recap on your next course.
Speaker 3 (20:18):
Yeah, I will open it up several times a year.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Right now.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
I don't have the next class scheduled in.
I feel like November, decemberis just kind of a crazy time for
people.
So I'm thinking the next classwill be very early in January.
So in the meantime, if you'reinterested, you can get on the
wait list at herpackinglistcom.
Slash freedom.
That way you don't miss out,okay great.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
Yeah, another great offering that you have is the
membership, and people can havea monthly membership to the
world that you have to offer.
So is that something that'savailable after they take the
initial course or is itsomething that people can join
right now?
Speaker 3 (21:04):
I have it available after you've taken the initial
course, because everything we doinside the membership is based
off of the trainings.
Like you come into themembership without having done
the class, I don't think you'regonna fully understand a lot of
what we're doing.
You know you would probablybenefit, but I feel like
everything builds off of thatinitial HPL packing method
(21:27):
training.
And yeah, so I have it.
We do the live class and thenyou are given an offer to join
us inside of the membershipafter, and then you get to
partake, you know, in everythingwe have going on every month.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
Okay, great, and I highly recommend that because
the things that I've experiencedfor example, you have other
class members or other otherfolks who have done the course
and understand the process right.
So, for example, when I wasgetting ready for this trip, I
had a question about nail polishand I had no idea that they had
(22:00):
.
They sold empty little tinynail polish containers.
I said, hey, anyone haverecommendations for nail polish?
And I kind of just outlined whyI was asking and I got feedback
from other students and it wassuper helpful and it was just in
time for my trip and so thatwas really great.
So, when you have like actualhey, I'm in the middle of this
(22:24):
decision right now, I'm packing,right now, there are people in
the community that can chime inand help you with something.
You are in the community aswell, so there's access to you,
which is great.
Are in the community as well,so there's access to you, which
is great.
But also, you know you haveother teachings and trainings
within things that you have doneover the years and there are a
(22:44):
lot of resources that areavailable and reinforce not only
your class but also maybe justdelve into something a little
more specific, like winter orthey might be specific about.
Hey, this is if you're having awork trip, this is maybe a
little bit more specific to thatand so there's a lot of really
one wonderful tools that areavailable.
(23:05):
So once you take the course,then you can have that.
That's great, I love that.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
Yeah, yeah yeah.
There's so much going on inthere really, so join us in the
initial class If you like it andyou want more.
You join us in the membershipafter.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
Love it, love it.
Brooke's course will also be inthe show notes.
The link to that, as well aslinks to all of the brands,
products that are going to helpyou travel light travel well
that are great for on the go,brooke, I want to just quickly
jump to your first question thatwe started with in part one.
Brooke, I want to just quicklyjump to your first question that
we started with in part one,and that was how did I feel
about my packing before thecourse?
(23:41):
I answered that I feltgenerally okay with what I was
doing, but at the same time, Iwouldn't have connected with you
had I felt like I had my actall together.
I could still feel there wasroom for improvement, and the
question I'd really like toanswer is how I feel differently
after the course, and I feelsmarter, I feel savvy, I feel
(24:02):
more confident, I feel morewilling and open-minded to
continue to work in the processbecause of the difference I've
experienced so far.
Speaker 3 (24:10):
Yes, that is something that a lot of my
students also experience afterthey have learned how to pack
light.
It's kind of a fun challengefor them to make improvements
every time they go away, andit's no longer that super
stressful experience that theyused to have, so that's great.
I want to ask you a few morequestions about your trip to
(24:32):
Europe, okay, so first I'd loveto know did you feel like you
had enough clothing and enoughoutfit combinations from that?
Speaker 2 (24:42):
Yeah, I would say I did.
I can get bored easily.
I like to dress according to mymood for the day, and so I like
having options available to me.
One thing about when you dopack you have to make those
decisions prior to the trip, ofcourse.
Right For me, it took a lot ofthought of thinking through what
(25:02):
would my moods be, what wouldthe days be like, what would the
weather be like, what types ofconcerts would we be doing, what
type of teaching opportunitieswould we be doing, and what type
of clothing would I need tosupport all of the different
activities that we would bedoing?
And so I had to take all ofthose things into consideration
when packing my clothing, and Ihad a lot of things that went
(25:23):
together with each other.
But I also had a few items thatI just wanted to take just
because I wanted to have them,and so they didn't necessarily
go with all my other things, andthat turned out to be okay,
because I wanted a little bit ofvariety.
I didn't take the perfectlittle capsule, but I still feel
like I had enough of thingsthat went together to give me
(25:45):
different looks.
I also had enough clothing tofeel like I wasn't wearing the
same exact thing every day forevery single event.
Well, maybe, except when wewent to Scotland and we wore
layers of all my clothing eachday to stay warm.
Speaker 3 (26:01):
How often did you do laundry?
Speaker 2 (26:05):
I knew my general itinerary and when I would and
would not have washing machinesfreely available.
I was able to do quite a bit ofwashing throughout the trip,
and so it was very.
Maybe once or twice I may havehad to hand wash one or two
items throughout the whole tripto be able to get by.
(26:25):
So Brooke talks a lot aboutwhen you're packing light.
Of course, if you take less,then you might need to hand wash
some things more frequently,depending on your access to
washing machines and things likethat.
So she gives tips on how youmight hand wash or how you might
handle clothing that might notget to get washed for a while,
(26:47):
and so Brooke gave some helpfultips.
With that, I would say.
Generally I had enough clothingwhere I needed to wash, ideally
just to feel fresh, and becauseI had the availability to do so
, I had the access to do so.
I would say I probably washedevery four days on average, and
one of the things that I tookwith me that we are going to
(27:10):
gift to you in our giveaway wasa packet of true earth laundry
strips and, and so those aresuper great.
They're super compact.
You just tear off part of thesheet if you want to hand wash
or throw it in your wash.
Super convenient, superwonderful and great for not only
on the go but also youreveryday life at home.
Speaker 3 (27:29):
Yeah, is there anything you packed that you
didn't need, that didn't getused at all, or is there
anything that you didn't packthat you wish you had?
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Towards the end of my trip I was culling through my
bag and asking myself is thereanything else I can get rid of
that I'm not going to need forthe rest of the trip?
I ended up mailing one kind ofsleeveless top home.
I found that, especiallybecause we knew we were going to
be going to Scotland and itwould be colder, that I would
(28:00):
probably be okay without thatone top.
So I did have one top that Iended up mailing home, maybe at
the last three, two to threeweeks of the trip.
I wish that I had packed alittle bit more of my vitamins,
because towards the end of thetrip I was starting to have to
ration them.
Making sure that I saved themfor performance days and it
(28:23):
would have been nice to justkeep taking everything every day
, and obviously not leavingsomething in someone's house
would help me have everything Ineed.
At the moment.
I can't think of anything elsethat I wish I would not have
brought, but of course, anythingthat I can in the future reduce
(28:44):
in any capacity, make itsmaller, make it lighter just to
have a little bit morebreathing room in my actual
suitcase would be really helpful.
So I want to continue to honemy paring down skills.
One thing that I mailed homethat I regretted was one of my
extra bags.
I actually ended up takingthree extra little tote bags.
(29:06):
They fold up very small.
If I wanted to have somethingjust in a little bag, like
snacks or my laptop or somethingthat I just wanted quickly
accessible without having to digthrough my backpack, it was
really great to have this extratote.
Or if we were going to go tothe grocery store.
Most grocery stores in Europedo not provide bags, and so you
(29:29):
know, just for your shopping,and so it's great to just have
those on hand.
You can do your shopping.
One of my bags was more of anylon type fabric and that
served as my umbrella, and sothat was really great to have
that, because we didn't have alot of rain.
But when there were rainy daysI had something to put over my
head and protect my hair, try tokeep my hairstyle going.
(29:50):
But kind of, maybe three weeksout, when I sent a little thing
of mail home and mailed somethings that I'd purchased home,
I wrapped one of those items inone of my little tote bags and
mailed that home, and I ended upseveral times throughout the
trip, even though I had twoother additional tote bags.
(30:13):
I really missed that bag andwish that I had kept it, so I
really utilized those bags fordifferent things.
That was something that I wishI had held on to.
The size of it was great.
The convenience of it was great.
Yes, I did it without it.
I survived with just two extrabags.
I probably also could have leftone or two eyeliner pencils at
(30:37):
home.
Speaker 3 (30:37):
What would you change for next time?
Speaker 2 (30:40):
I definitely would have to get a new rolling
backpack because the one that Ihad did break on me within the
first week and over the firsttwo weeks kind of pulled apart
in several places.
Thankfully it held togetherenough to get me through the
trip, but I would need to find adifferent rolling backpack for
the next trip.
But one thing that was supersurprising was I bought some
(31:03):
jeggings, so I brought jeanleggings and they were my
versatile pants.
They were the only pair ofpants that I bought for the
entire time, and so they had toserve an exercise like hiking.
If I was going to go hiking,they had to be stretchy enough
for that.
They had to serve as leggings.
I needed to be able to pullthem up and have them look like
(31:24):
leggings that I kept at mid-calffor certain dresses, and then
they also had to serve as anormal pair of jeans.
I ended up finding a pair ofjeggings, so jean leggings, that
were kind of like multi-purposefor those things.
It would have been nice tomaybe have a second pair, but
(31:45):
this particular pair of jeggings, because I didn't have my
parakeeto mosquito repellentwith me.
I got huge mosquito bites andone day I was just scratching
away at one of my mosquito biteson the top of my thigh, and
maybe five minutes later Ilooked down and I had scratched
(32:07):
away most of the top of thefabric of my jeggings.
So they were super non-durableand I had no idea, because in my
mind they were more denim-y.
But whatever fabric they were,they were not very sustainable
and I ended up also sitting on atack and the jeans ripped where
(32:29):
I sat, on the tack of course,and I think they ripped
somewhere else, you know wherejeans kind of rip on your knee.
I ended up needing to patch themup while I was on the road, and
so the theory of the jeggingsworked well for serving multiple
purposes.
But the actual pair that Iended up with was not durable
(32:49):
enough to last me two months,and I've never had a piece of
clothing wear out like that.
You know, I still have clothesfrom like high school, and so
that was very eye opening to me.
Thankfully, I did not spend alot of money on them and you
know, basically you're going toget what you pay for when it
comes to those things.
But that was an eye opener forme.
I would say a second pair ofpants probably would have been a
good and helpful idea if I hadthe space.
(33:11):
So how many clothing?
Speaker 3 (33:13):
items did you actually pack and what
specifically did you bring?
If you care to share, Forundergarments.
Speaker 2 (33:20):
I took about five pairs of underwear, a couple
bras and maybe like five pairsof socks, maybe six, and I had
three tank tops that were morefitting, along with two tank
tops that had a built-in bra,and so I was able to sometimes
use those for like a bathingsuit option.
I took four dresses, four tanktops, slash sleeveless tops, a
(33:44):
workout dress, an SPF zipperfront long swim jacket, one
t-shirt, one thick, long blazer,one pair of jeggings, my black
jean jacket, two pairs of shoesOne of those was like a platform
sandal type shoe and the otherpair of shoes was a tennis shoe,
hiking shoe without laces, acap, my workout slash sleep
(34:09):
shorts, two long sleeve shirtsOne was a very loose, fitting
and then one was a super tight,layering top and a scarf.
Out of those items, I createdmy travel outfit, which you talk
about in your course.
I feel like, overall, I'm veryhappy with what I ended up
taking and my outfit choices.
(34:29):
I think they ended up workingout pretty well and what's great
is that I can continue to packlight, continue to kind of hone
my skills, to learn.
Yeah, I really don't need this.
I really can live without this.
I can get creative with this.
Instead of having five things,I can get creative with this.
Instead of having five things,I can use this one thing for
(34:51):
these five purposes and thingslike that.
And so sometimes, you know, alot of times we gain confidence
through experience, and so themore little trips that I have
taken since your course gave mea continued confidence.
Therefore, enjoy the trip muchmore easily.
You know, it was great hoppingon the train not having an extra
(35:12):
bag that I was responsible forthat I normally would have
otherwise.
It was great to not have tocheck bags.
It was great in the rental car.
I had even more leg room andmore space around me.
When we were going into a hotelor just having to go up the
stairs, all I had was mybackpack and my ukulele, and so,
(35:34):
knowing that we would be on alot of stairs or a cobbled road
and sometimes the backpack wouldbe on my back and I would hand
carry the ukulele, and sometimesit would be flipped and I would
roll the backpack and have theukulele as a backpack, it really
made me more efficient on thetrip, a lot less hassle, and it
was just a fun challenge.
It's fun for me to feel like I'mcreative and to find new ways
(35:57):
to be creative within packing.
Anytime I can find ways to becreative, that's fun, right, and
so like just finding somecreative ways to pack and
creative ways to think aboutthings or to rethink through
things is it's fun because it'ssomething creative, but it's
also helps you grow and it helpsyou stretch and to put yourself
out there and to try somethings that may not be so
(36:19):
comfortable on the get go, butat the end of the day, you're
glad you tried it and you'reglad you experienced it, and so
it just makes it better for thenext trip and the next
experience, and hopefully we aremaking things better for you.
We are inspiring you to thinkthrough the things you have and
to also find great products thatyou can boost your health and
(36:39):
take care of yourself whileyou're on the go, and so we hope
we have encouraged and inspiredyou in all of these ways and
hope that you will continuefollowing us on socials.
Especially Instagram is wherewe focus our efforts.
We are at Instagram, at theromies and, of course, follow
Brooke at her packing list andall of these brands that we've
talked about.
(37:00):
We're going to put all of thatinfo in the show notes.
So just dive into those shownotes, use them.
They are there for yourreference, for your support.
These products and brands aregreat for your daily and your
traveling life.
So visit the show notes andgrab these items.
And also keep in mind that gopatch and parakeeto have both
(37:20):
given us special offers.
Their expiration dates areavailable in the show notes, so
make sure that you check outtheir offer.
Use that promo code if it isstill valid.
You'll be so glad you did so,brooke.
These are the trivia questions.
Speaker 3 (37:35):
Oh, my goodness, okay you ready Now.
Speaker 2 (37:38):
Brooke has not had a heads up.
She didn't listen to the frontof the podcast yet.
No, all right, brooke.
Which of these is not a wonderof the modern world?
A, the great wall of china tothe eiffel tower.
(37:59):
Or three, the taj mahal.
Which one of those is not awonder of the world, wonder?
Speaker 3 (38:08):
of the modern world, wonder of the modern world.
I'm going to go with the GreatWall of China.
No, no, because modern it's notmodern, it's old, true, yeah.
Speaker 2 (38:21):
I don't know why they say that Maybe they just mean
one of the seven wonders.
Speaker 3 (38:25):
Yes, okay, because I probably yeah, you're saying the
Eiffel Tower.
Speaker 2 (38:30):
The Eiffel Tower.
Speaker 3 (38:31):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (38:32):
Okay, all right.
No, that was good.
Speaker 3 (38:35):
I thought you were trying to trick me there.
I know right.
Speaker 2 (38:38):
Shoot Okay.
Speaker 3 (38:48):
Which American city is?
Speaker 2 (38:48):
known as the Big Easy , new Orleans.
Yes, go girl, good job.
Okay, what is the name of theclay cooking pot with a conical
lid often seen in Moroccan cafesand restaurants?
Speaker 3 (39:04):
A tagine.
Speaker 2 (39:05):
Yes, yes, yes, that's amazing, go girl.
Okay, which country doesgorgonzola cheese come from?
Speaker 3 (39:17):
okay, I don't know if this is a trick question or not
they're not supposed to be nearSwitzerland.
Speaker 2 (39:28):
Oh, is it Italy.
Italy, good job good job.
Speaker 3 (39:33):
I thought that was too easy.
Oh my gosh, I feel so silly no,I would, I was like wait.
Gorgonzola, maybe that's Swiss.
No, it's definitely a town.
Okay, all right, I should havejust went with the first thing
in my head, but you know, Ioverthought two questions in
that.
Speaker 2 (39:51):
No, you're good you're good, are you up for one
more?
Let's, let's do it.
In which country would you findthe great sphinx?
Egypt yes, go girl, I think youdid awesome.
Speaker 3 (40:09):
I get extra points for it too, Jean.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
Yes, you did.
I even have family that havebeen in that area and I still
couldn't like tell you what thatis, so, and I would not have
known how to pronounce it.
So I am very impressed you gogirl.
Thank you, brooke.
Thank you so much.
This is super, super helpful.
Thank you for recapping with me, reviewing with me.
Speaker 3 (40:33):
Thank you for having me.
I loved getting to recap yourexperience after taking the
class.
So, yeah, thank you forallowing me to dive into that
with you.
Speaker 2 (40:42):
Thank you so much.
All right, y'all Well.
Thank you so much for joiningus.
We hope you've enjoyed thisepisode.
The link to part one will be inthe show notes, along with all
of the fun things that we havebeen talking about on our
previous episode and on thisepisode.
Here's to packing light and wewill see you on the next one.
See you next time.
Bye.
Win the giveaway bundle ofbrands.
(41:07):
The brand bundle, yes we hopewe've inspired you this episode
so join us next time.
Please subscribe to rate andshare our podcast with your
friends or you know whomever?
And please like and follow uson instagram, youtube and
facebook we are also on x and onall social platforms.
Speaker 1 (41:24):
We are at the romies, that's t-h-e-r-o-a-m-i-e-s, and
our main hub is our website atwwwtheromiescom, that's right,
that's t-h-e-r-o-a-m-i-e-scom.
Speaker 2 (41:40):
We'll be there until next time.
Yeah, thanks for listening.
Bye.
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