Packing: 16 days, 2 countries, 1 backpack

We packed one backpack each when we visited Ireland and Italy in April for 16 days.

Why?

Because on our first trip to Italy we broke every travel packing rule known to man. Here were a few of our grossly overloaded stats:

- 2 large suitcases, 1 medium suitcase, 2 carry ons and 1 camera bag (7 bags?!?)

- 20 pairs of shoes (I won't tell who brought the majority...)

- 15 pairs of clothes each

- a blow dryer, hair straightener, beard trimmer, tablet and laptop (trimmer and blow dryer got fried on day 2 - thanks to poor 220V conversion)

In addition, we packed so inefficiently that while we were sitting in the Rome train station, we were able to re-arrange one of the large suitcases and fit the medium one inside of it. Mind blowing. 

So like good humans, we learned. We vowed to never travel like that again. Especially given our travel style - going location to location - it made moving by train, plane and automobile formidable at best. In fact, we decided to swing the pendulum so far, we would only allow ourselves one travel style backpack per person. 

Our packing philosophy: The question is not "how do we shove as much as possible into a smaller bag?". Instead, our goal is to make less go further by packing as efficiently as possible. We can wear shorts more than once. We can wear sneakers to dinner instead of dress shoes. We can even do our laundry. The idea is to think practically and not get caught going down the "what-if" scenario rat hole. There will always be a time where a raincoat is convenient, or a pair of pleated slacks would look nice at dinner. The truth is, street vendors everywhere will be begging to sell a $7 umbrella and the best restaurants don't require dress clothes. Moral of the story, we pack light and worry about the rest when we get there. It never fails that Kailah "conveniently" forgets items at home, which leaves room in her suitcase for the return journey...

Our gear: The travel bags that we use are Rick Steve's Europe brand, but there are many others on the market. We use these packs because they offer adequate space, useful pockets, compression straps and arm straps which allow us to wear them like a traditional backpack. They can also be compressed down to "carry-on" size for air travel, which means we never wait at the baggage claim and our bags never get lost on a layover. This can be a pretty big win when we don't feel like hunting down a shopping mall on our first day of travel. At the same time (and as you can imagine), some of our most memorable experiences seem to happen when we unexpectedly need something in a foreign culture - so we don't stress! Last but not least, backpacks are just plain convenient - they are easier to maneuver on and off trains, they fit into the trunks of those tiny European rental cars and they make walking from transport to transport a breeze.

Kyle's list: As an example, here is what I would pack nowadays for a week in Italy in June. Notice how simple it is. The most important items are probably my trip documents, as I generally can't reproduce those.

- Toiletries (toothbrush, tooth paste, floss, razor, deodorant and Q-tips). We either use the soap/shampoo from our accommodations, or buy these things when we get there.  

- 7 days worth of socks and underwear. If we are going for longer than 7 days, laundry is in our future (or shopping - This past April I got a few pair of local wool socks from a shop in Dingle, Ireland)

- 3 pairs of khaki shorts and 1 pair of dark jeans. Don't forget a belt!

- 7 t-shirts and 2 light golf shirts.

- 1 sweatshirt/sweater

- 1 pair of sport shorts for sleeping or relaxing.

- 1 pair of sandals and 1 pair of comfortable sneakers (I always wear the sneakers on the plane to save room in my bag). Sandals aren't necessary, but they take up minimal room and are easy to slip on and off around the accommodations.

- Power adapters specific to convert Italian outlets to 120V  (to charge cell phones, tablets etc)

- Lastly, I bring my camera bag as my carry-on and include any books or electronics I want for the plane ride, plus all documents that need to be brought along (train tickets, copies of passports, itinerary etc)

In our minds, our "learned" packing strategy is an integral part of enjoying our trip. The key is to not stress and as I alluded to earlier, it is the unexpected adventures that tend to leave us with the longest lasting impressions.  

Happy Travels.

Free Travel - Credit Card Rewards Strategy

Since 2013, Kailah and I have saved over $2,500 on travel through credit card rewards.

On one trip to Italy, we cashed in $900 on $1,400 worth of air travel, lowering our flights from Boston to Rome to $250 per ticket. This fall, I'll be flying and staying 3 nights in Vegas for $275 because we redeemed $475 in rewards points - this includes a direct Jet Blue round trip flight and 3 nights in a suite in Caesar's Palace.

We thought we might share how we make it work. Here are the 5 main rules we follow:

1. A rewards credit card that meets our needs

We did our research on this one in order to find a card that compliments our travel. Some cards offer general travel rewards, while others partner with airlines and hotels to provide brand specific point redemption. This means that you get more points when you book flights or hotels with these specific companies (Marriot, Delta, etc). As an example, if you are always staying with Marriot properties, it might make sense to get their card, so that you rack up points and get free rooms. On the other hand, if you enjoy flying Southwest because they offer great rates and flexibility, it might be best to hop on board with them instead. For Kailah and I, we currently use the Barclay Card because it offers us flexibility to travel both domestically and internationally - as well as a solid rate of return on points per dollars spent (not to mention a healthy $400 sign on bonus with no international transaction fee). 

2. Always use that card

It's simple, we don't spend money without it going through the credit card - gas, groceries, bills etc.. This maximizes the amount of points earned. Cash may be king, but it earns nothing. There are very few exceptions - but one example would be if you pay your electric bill with your card to get 2% back in rewards, but the utility company charges you 3% in a credit card fee. You are actually losing $$$ in this scenario, so hook up your checking account instead. With that being said, we use common sense and send as much as possible through the card. 

3. Make sure we hit our sign on bonus

Most cards will come with a sign on bonus if you spend a certain amount of money within the first month, or three months. This sounds like a gimmick, but it isn't, so we use it to our advantage (as long as we aren't spending beyond our income and can still fulfill number 4 in this list). Our Barclay card gained us 40,000 bonus points as long as we spent $3,000 within the first three months (Barclay point redemption is $1 per 100 points). Thanks to number 2 in this list, we had no trouble hitting our $3k mark. 

4. Always pay our balance in full

This is the most important point in our list. We pay our balance every month. We set a budget and don't exceed it. We keep track of our spend. This probably goes without saying, but it makes zero sense to redeem points when you are losing money to interest on a credit card. 

5. Automate to relieve stress

We set up auto payments to pay the full statement balance every month on a specific date. The only disclaimer here is that we have to keep an eye on our cash balance in our bank account to make sure that timing with other bills isn't an issue. If we are spending within our income, this isn't a problem. To avoid this stress all together, we just keep a cushion in our checking in case bills overlap. 

There ya have it. By following these rules, we have accumulated tens of thousands of points and enjoyed discounted travel. If you aren't doing it already, go grab yourself a card and start earning some free money!

Europe from Boston - Low cost and easy options

Europe is more accessible than ever, in relation to both time and money. There has never been a better opportunity to hop on a plane and experience new culture, language and food - even for a long weekend...

You can fly out of Boston this September on direct flights to a four night adventure in Iceland for around $340 round trip. Want to spend more time? Add $10 and make it a week!

Care to trade craic with the locals in Ireland instead? Grab a $580 Aer Lingus round trip flight from Boston to Dublin for the same timeframe. We set out on a five night Irish jaunt in April and absolutely fell in love with the scenery and culture (details to come in another article, but check out our self-guided car tour in the pic below). Add in the fact that Irish B&Bs range from $70-$100 a night and you have an extremely affordable getaway.

***Flight in and out of Dublin - dashed line represents travel route by car

Lets say you prefer warmer weather. Thanks to the TAP Portugal airline, you can now cruise over to Lisbon or the Azores for less than $700, direct, round trip. If Lisbon is your destination, rent a car and take it down the coast to the Algarve region for a relaxing Portuguese beach stay - the sand in Salema is gorgeous and lodging is under $100 a night.

Now, saving money is great, but the value of time can't be overstated. All of these flights are 7 hours or less and are direct (Iceland is four hours and change). Any other destination in Europe is going to require a connection and 15+ hours of total travel time, or hundreds more dollars for a straight shot from the Northeast.

So we've removed money and time from your excuse list... :)

Slainte!