I get my ideas for posts from reading other blogs. My reaction is --- oh that's a great idea, but I have some better or alternative ideas.
I am surmising that the really great bloggers have drafts of posts and a list of ideas and a detailed schedule for publishing them. I am a helter skelter blogger. I see something on a blog, which gives me the topic, and then I draft mine, edit it, and save it. For some of my blogs I publish straight away, after polishing. For others I save them and dither about publishing on this topic at all.
Most of all, the amazing bloggers out there really intimidate me --- I'm embarrassed to publish my ideas and afraid I can't keep up the responses to comments and comments on other blogs. Right now, my dilemma is the order of things. Laundry tips --- really? I should be publishing travelogues or tips on getting cheap flights. I really should take more pictures.
But I am not. So here goes, dunny's laundry tips inspired by Travelista.
I pack enough underwear, socks, and tops to last 3 to 14 days. Depending on the type of trip, and how I am travelling, I pack more or fewer clothing items. If I am travelling by car or just need to transport my case on arrival and departure, or staying with friends, I pack more clothes and take a bigger suitcase. It will depend on how far I and how often I have to lug that suitcase. Twice (airport to hotel/friend's house, and back again) in total, or twice a day (into hotel from car, back out to car), or pulling/lugging on/off trains, down gravel/cobble stones, up/down many steps.
I do laundry in my hotel bathroom every time I am in one place for more than one night. If I am staying with friends or in places with laundromats (e.g. on my friend's boat in a marina), I do a big machine laundry then. Sending clothes to laundry service is chancy because it usually takes at least 24 hours. Things seem to come back dirtier or a different colour (machines and soap in other countries are tough on clothes).
In order to keep the laundry routine manageable and consider my roommate, I do some laundry every night. If I am sharing with a roommate, I try to be considerate and ask if she will be needing the sink or shower if I am hanging in there, and also not take over the room with my laundry drying.
First, packing:
1. I pack dark colours, lightweight fabrics, and fast dry fabrics.
2. The easiest fabrics to wash are first, linen and second, cotton. Thick materials can't be washed on the road, unless you happen to find a dryer on the premises. In other countries dryers are not common. The standard is hanging up in fresh air.
3. I pack a laundry kit in a ziploc bag. The pack includes a sink plug (the flat type), plastic clips with hanger hooks, and soap. The sink plugs are available in travel stores and dollar stores. The clips with hooks are available in dollar stores and are hard to find. I've scour the stores for them, and never lend them to anybody.
4. The best soap was Biosuds but it is not available any more. It soaks out any dirt out of any fabric in 10 minutes. You can take packets or soap powder or a ziploc of detergent from home, depending on how long you are away. Remember, no liquids over 100 ml on the plane carry-on. One of the many many reasons why I usually check a bag. You can also use the hotel soap bar or pack a small bar.
5. Wringing out. The best way to wring out the clothes is to roll them in a towel and squeeze very hard. However, in many hotels you only get one towel and using it for laundry means you will not have a dry towel for your shower. Sometimes, I lurk in the hotel hall way and grab extra towels off the cleaner's cart. Travelista has a fabulous idea --- pack a travel towel to use to roll clothes in. These towels dry really fast. I have not tried this, but I will now.
6. For hanging up, I use the clips with hooks and pack one or two plastic hangers. I find there is seldom a place to attach a wash line. The suction cups do not stick with the weight of wet clothes. I use the clips to hang underwear and socks on any thing -- drawer knobs, door knobs, back of a chair, pretty much anywhere. The hangers are good for blouses or you can just use two of the clips and hang shirts and blouses from the back of a chair or wardrobe door.
What are your blogging anxieties? Do you plan your posts months in advance? Do you alternate types of topics, e.g. financial topic, followed by a lighter topic?
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