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Packing For Your Cruise. 6 Things You Should Be Doing
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Jan 28, 2025
75% of cruise passengers say they get packing for a cruise wrong. I share my cruise packing tips based on the 78 cruises I have done at time of recording this. How to pack for a cruise and make sure you do not take too much and still have everything you need. My packing checklist: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/packing ABOUT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS: If you want to get cruising right, Tips For Travellers makes it easy to plan and have the incredible cruise experiences you dream of every time. All my Tips For Travellers advice, tips and tricks tips draw on everything that I have learnt on the 77 cruises I have done to date. BUY MY CRUISE-THEMED T-SHIRTs ————————————————- Check out my T-Shirt range: http://bit.ly/TFTStore SUPPORT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS ————————————————————— Become a Channel Member and get perks: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/Join Become a Patron on Patreon and get perks: https://www.patreon.com/tipsfortravellers Make a donation: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=V9STJGYSEMGLJ Buy my book “Cruise Traveler’s Handbook: USA Amazon https://amzn.to/2YVFmG4 and https://amzn.to/3tzIxBn UK Amazon https://amzn.to/3oXbzYc and https://amzn.to/3qawqIQ FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA
View Video Transcript
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three quarters of cruise passengers say
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they
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never get packing right with most of you
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over packing well certainly that's what
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over
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5 000 of you said in a poll on my
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channel so i'm going to show you how i
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moved
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from being one of those consistent over
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packers
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for every single cruise to cutting down
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what i take now by
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more than half and yet still having
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absolutely
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everything that i need and if you find
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my approach helpful i have a link
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to download my cruise packing checklist
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to try out
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on your next cruise i'm gary bembridge
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and let's go
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cruise packing my first two cruises were
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no-fly cruises and so
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like everybody else i could take any
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size and as many cases
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as i wanted so i did but i then faced a
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real
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cruise packing challenge because my next
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cruise was traveling across the atlantic
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on q naught's qb 2 and flying back
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so i had to deal with two big issues
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first of all
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i could only take one check in case one
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carry on i had weight and size limits
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which was set by the airline
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but that was compounded by the fact that
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cunard has really strict dress codes
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you need black tie tuxedo and suits
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but also i knew that i would be at sea
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for seven days
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so if i left anything behind there was
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no chance to pop out to the shops to get
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it
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and i had to rely on the onboard shops
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having it and i had no idea what they
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did or didn't stock
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so i discovered the very first rule of
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smart cruise packing
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choose a suitcase and a suitcase size
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before even
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starting to think about what to pack
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what i used to do i used to sort out
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what i wanted to take
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pile it all up and then decide on the
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suitcase what i learned was
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work the other way around it leads to
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perhaps not surprisingly
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really easy self-editing you'll be
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surprised how what a difference it makes
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so for a seven night or even longer
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cruise including ten weeks
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of a world cruise my suitcase choice is
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basically now a medium size
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it's easy to maneuver around it also
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means i can use self disembarkation
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at the end of the cruise because i can
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carry everything myself which means
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i can get off early and fast so my first
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packing transformation choose the
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suitcase before you start to pack
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set your packing limit up front fine
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but then how do i still fit everything i
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need into this particular suitcase
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what i do is i slash what i need to take
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on most cruises
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by deciding simply to do laundry pretty
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basic
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but again it works there are four
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options that i check out and you can
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check out first of all
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are there passenger laundry rooms on
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board many lines
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do and is either free or dirty cheap to
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use if you excuse the pun
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secondly is free laundry included which
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it often is if i'm traveling in a
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premium cabin and on luxury lines
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thirdly do i get free or heavily
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discounted laundry as part of my loyalty
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benefits for example
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on cunard or does the line that i'm
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cruising on run those fantastic part way
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through the cruise or you can fit into a
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laundry bag for fifteen dollars twenty
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dollars
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or summer promotions now most cruise
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lines many many cruise lines
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that do seven night cruises in popular
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regions like the caribbean
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the mediterranean and alaska they offer
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these
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and i use this a lot it's a fantastic
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good way of cutting what you pack
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and being pretty inexpensive but even
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still before i get
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into actually physically sorting out
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clothes i do one more thing
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i walk through each day of the cruise
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decide and jot down what i will need
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in the day on any activities or
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excursions and then in the evening so
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those three things
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this means i can then take account of
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what is needed
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and make sure i don't forget things like
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socks shoes
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underwear belts and the like because i
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literally think from head to toe as i
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work
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through that particular thinking so i
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think through what will i be doing each
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day
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you know where will i be and then using
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that grid with those three rows
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day activity evening and then a column
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for each of the days
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i simply think through what i'm going to
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be doing so for example if it's a c day
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it might just be say a t-shirt shorts
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underwear flip-flops in the evening it
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might be a long-sleeve shirt
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small trousers belt socks underwear
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smart shoes
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whatever it happens to be the next day
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it may be a beach excursion so
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i will add in swimming trunks a cap in
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the evening it might be the same as the
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first day
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and so on it sounds kind of basic but i
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count up what each item is and then i do
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what most people say is the ultimate
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packing guide
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but i do it without getting anything out
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of my cupboards is i
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cut that count in half so for example
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instead of saying
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two long sleeve shirts on two days i
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take one long sleeve shirt
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for one day so i basically cut the
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number needed from say seven
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to three or four i can wear the same
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shorts for two three days same smart
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trousers and
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so on so as i work through that
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day-to-day planner though
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there are four big things that i check
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for which
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are cruise specific because they
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probably mean that you do need to pack
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unique things
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and if you don't do that you'll find you
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don't have what you need so these are
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the fourth
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things i really asked myself first of
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all are there any unique
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itinerary requirements now most of these
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are actually weather related so
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let me give you an extreme example when
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i went to the arctic and then when i
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went to antarctica
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you i needed special multiple layers you
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know the different layers i need boots
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warm hats gloves waterproof out wear and
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so on but before i add them to my
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packing list i then check
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if i can hire any of these specific
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things i need on the ship or by
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excursion providers rather than take
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them yes it's often the answer
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immediately you can scrap having to buy
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and take all of those things
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probably a more common example of a
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weather related thing is somewhere like
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alaska
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where you probably also need layers and
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you probably need some kind of
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waterproof
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out outerwear now if i do have to take
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something bulk like that like a big coat
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for alaska
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what i do is not aim to put in my
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suitcase i wear or i carry them to the
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ship
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rather than take up space on my case and
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a lot of ladies will take their very
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smart
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gowns and they'll actually carry those
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also as an aside by the way i wear jeans
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to board the ship
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because they take up more space than
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shorts so thinking about what i wear
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is part of my packing number two any
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dress code or theme party requirements i
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think through
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now there are not many lines that have
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strict dress codes
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and so there's normally not much need to
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take
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extra usually now the big exception is
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of course cunard that i was talking
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about earlier we
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for former knights they're really strict
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you need kind of a black tie or a tuxedo
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a dark suit
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you need a tie and suit and ladies need
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cocktail dresses or even fancier for
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those nights
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so you do have to then factor those in
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but most lines at best
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have a really relaxed approach to formal
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nights and i can only get away with
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simply wearing a long sleeve shirt
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some smart trousers the equivalent of
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course for ladies
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and even on former nights i don't need a
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suit i don't need a jacket so i don't
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take it i also importantly though check
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if there are any
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theme party nights like for example
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azamara's white knight
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party because then i want to include
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some white clothes you'll find in most
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cases the parties are color themed
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or really easy like that on a pirates or
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tropical island make sure that you've
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taken something for those who kind of
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feel that you fit in and get in the
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party spirit
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the third one is activity requirements
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now i've already touched on those
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earlier but i i do as i consider day by
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day really think about activities i will
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be doing
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important on the ship and if there's
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anything specific as needed let me give
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an example
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i going on the behind the scenes tours
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on board but you have to wear
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closed toed non-slip shoes for those so
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you need to
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factor that in i like doing excise
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classes and particularly
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cycling so if i have room i like to
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bring my cycling shoes
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and cycling shorts to be able to do spin
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classes if they offer them
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when it comes to excursions i like doing
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cycling hiking
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other active excursions and beach tours
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so again
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it's about thinking through do you need
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any of those specific things
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packed the fourth area that i think
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through is shoes shoe shoes
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this is a big problem now when cutting
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down the number of items
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overall to pack and from the planet to
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pack the challenge i found is
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shoes shoes take up a lot of space so
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what i usually do and what i've learned
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over time is i only take three pairs of
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footwear
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and at a push if i'm going on a really
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smart cruise like cunard
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maybe four so i take a pair of very
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casual shoes so like flip-flops or
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sandals
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i can use those for the beach i can use
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those to walk around the ship on sea
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days
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i can use them to go to the pool i can
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use them to go to breakfast or whatever
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so
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really really informal secondly i take a
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pair of trainers that i can use on going
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hiking
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cycling if i'm doing those behind the
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scene tours i can use them for exercise
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and then thirdly a pair of smarter shoes
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that i actually normally wear to get on
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the ship
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with my pair of jeans again to save
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space and luggage and those shoes need
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to be smart enough
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to wear with my smart trousers they may
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not match perfectly but they are
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certainly smart enough
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if i'm going on something really smart
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like cunard and perhaps wearing a suit
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or a tuxedo then i take a suitable pair
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for that but shoes
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is a big big thing they need to focus on
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to
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reduce the amount of space now the next
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consideration
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is around what non-close items i need to
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have space for
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there are four areas that i make
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decisions on
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number one essentials your passport your
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cruise documentation
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insurance documentation nowadays any
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medical or test requirements
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at the time that you sell and of course
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things like credit cards
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cash whatever you're taking that's
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pretty obvious the second one
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is my phone and other appliances now try
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and minimize these
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for example can i use my phone and not
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take a camera now of course
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for me the answer that is no because i
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take a range of camera stuff to make
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videos
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like this one all of which i take in my
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carry-on though to keep it to hand
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and also because it's valuable i really
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want to keep it with me
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remembering of course to include charges
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every time i pack i put the charger and
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that item out the third area is
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toiletries and first aid kit now i'll
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cover this in much more detail in
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another video
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but i always limit myself to only cover
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the days
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i'm on board consider what the line will
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supply and i tend to take
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travel sizes but i don't take big sizes
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are going to last for much longer
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fourthly and you'll see this if you
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download my packing list that i have a
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section
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that i call my must-haves these are kind
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of things like say my medication but it
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includes for me eye shades
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ear plugs and my portable speakers to
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listen to music in my cabin these are
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things that don't really make necessary
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sense
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but i want to take with me so you might
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have tea bags or certain types of treats
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or things that you take on a vacation
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that just make you happy or you'd
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actually miss
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not having them at all then with all of
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this still in my mind
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and the count of what i need to get done
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and so on it's only then
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that i actually start taking up the
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clothes and the items and
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set about the actual process of packing
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and you'll be surprised
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i found that having thought through the
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stages this has become
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faster it's become simpler it's become
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easy
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and in fact i'm not taking too much
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stuff i actually pack using my
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packing list pdf which uses the
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framework i've spoken about
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that helps me pack but you don't really
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need to use a checklist
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if you've thought it all through but i
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do go through that list
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and tick everything off and make sure
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that i haven't forgotten
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anything if you think this could help
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you you can download my packing
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checklist at tipsfortravelers.com
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packing and remember it's travelers with
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two ls if you do want to download it
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for more packing tips including things
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that you are not allowed to take on
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board
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i have this playlist which has these in
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so you can click
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and watch those now and find out more
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about packing
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enjoy
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