Portugal and Spain: 10 Days, 1 Bag, and 1 Tip

Just spent 10 days traveling  and hiking in Portugal and Spain. So many times I was glad to have my bag on my back and not rolling a noisy suitcase down cobbled streets and up and down stairs. Dodged lots of slow-as-heck escalators and used stairs....really love my E-bag.

Here's my one tip from this journey..and it's really important if you've got a sensitive nose. If you've read the book, you know I travel with very little extra clothing, so I do frequent in-room laundry using a dry sack and real detergent (not shampoo). I grabbed Gain brand powder on my way out of town, packed it in a zip bag and man that stuff smells strong. Really don't want that smell infiltrating my coffee or dry milk. So my take-away: next time purchase some scent-free detergent.

Pics from my trip!

Airline fee information

Here's a link to a pretty thorough post on the topic of airline fees.


And here's a graphic with similar info, organized by airline.

airport workout

Just saw this at MSP...

Hey kids, the first review for my 1-bag packing e-book has been posted....

Got my first Amazon review and it's not bad.  And also, too, I didn't write it.

Allow me to block quote:

• Well worth the cost. Plenty of great tips and a really great mindset explanation of minimalist travel. Not the longest book, but full of good info and at the right price.

Best external battery pack?

Super helpful review of external battery packs - there's a lot of variability in the price, capacity, and performance of these things.

Here's the link to the article.


And here's the one I've been using:

Ultra-thin travel yoga mat

Here is a photo of the ultralight travel mat that I mention in the book, put to use in a hotel room in Buffalo earlier this week. This thing is awesome. It allows me to get in a yoga workout while I travel.

It's not as though a regular yoga mat is huge,  but when you travel super minimalist you don't even want that much bulk. This guy folds up flat as a pancake. Maybe flatter.

Forbes article on 10 tips to better air travel

Decent ideas here.