Washing Clothes on the Road – How To

Washing Clothes on the Road: or the hotel sink is your best friend

What do you do when you have a flight scheduled for a business trip or a vacation and you do not want to carry check-in baggage?  First of all I try not to check baggage unless it is absolutely necessary.  Even for extended vacation stays you can get away with carry on baggage alone.  Bring one backpack that will fit all of your clothes and miscellaneous items and one laptop/briefcase bag for your electronics.  Following is my list of clothing I bring on all but the most extended trips:

  • Four pair light weight underwear (wearing one)
  • Four pair socks (wearing one pair)
  • Two button up shirts (wearing one)
  • Two T-shirts
  • Two pair pants (wearing one)
  • Travel Towel
  • One jacket (windbreaker or fleece depending on season)
  • One pair shoes hiking or sneakers based on preference (wearing)

If your trip requires formal attire either for business or dining a check-in bag will be necessary.  I put all of my reading material and toiletries in my laptop bag for easy access and I am sure to have on my person my passport and wallet at all times.  Zipped cargo pants or a money belt is highly recommended.

You will want to change your underwear and socks every day and your shirt every other day depending on the heat.  If you have a two day layover the washing routine is very easy if you are in the hotel for only one night it is more difficult.  If possible put dirty clothes in a plastic bag that you bring with you until you get a longer time frame to work with.  You should routinely bring large capacity zip lock bags on every trip.  You will also need to carry a small amount of laundry detergent with you in a smaller zip lock bag.  When convenient use either the large zip lock or the hotel sink to soak your clothes in warm soapy water.  After scrubbing the clothes with your hands for several minutes let sit in the warm water and then scrub again.  After about 20 minutes rinse the clothing with fresh water.  Twist the clothing as much as you can to get as much water as possible out.  Take the still damp clothing, place it in a dry hotel towel and roll the towel into a cylinder as tight as possible.  The dry towel will absorb even more moisture.  Remove the damp clothing and hang in an airy location in the hotel room.  By morning your clothes should be clean and fresh albeit slightly wrinkled.

About Joe

I was born in Tewksbury, Massachusetts to Joe and Naomi Candora.  From a young age I had a love of travel.  Our family; mother, father, two sisters and myself were on the road every summer weekend and every vacation since I was in diapers.  Some of my very first memories were of Scottish bagpipers in Nova Scotia when I was still preschool.  We were a middle class family so our travels were limited to New England, New York and the Canadian maritime provinces.  I think the wanderlust bred into me was from my father.  After graduating high school during the depression he spent time in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Project Administration (WPA).  This was his first taste of life outside the big city (he was born in Boston).  He ended up in the army during World War Two and spent time in Northern Africa, Australia, India, Burma and China.  When he talked about his wartime experiences it was never about the battles he was in but about the people and places he had seen.  During his time in Morocco a German POW gave him a carved walking stick as gratitude for fair treatment during captivity.  In India a Gurkha soldier gave him a kukri knife as a sign of friendship.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

 These are two of my most prized possessions today.  He told a story of how when he was invited to dinner by an Indian family he insisted on eating with his hand as was their custom and the gratitude they had for this gesture.  My father’s stories of exotic locales and the family trips with my sisters and parents instilled in me a passion for travel I hope to foster in my son.  My paternal grandfather was born and raised on a farm in the foothills of Mount Vesuvius near Napoli in the Campania region of Italy. Because of my paternal lineage I am eligible for Italian citizenship and am pursuing dual citizenship status.
My mother was born in Eastport, Maine and was opposite from my father. She was the typical stoic Mainer who did not tolerate people that she did not have to interact with. Where my father was rough and tumble and outgoing, always starting conversations with whoever he met, my mother was much more reserved. The reason we did not travel south of New York state was her aversion to hot weather. My mother’s lineage was mixed with Scottish, Welsh and French ancestry. In fact my great-great-great-great-great grandfather was Joseph Paul Compte de Grasse of revolutionary war fame. A great source of pride for my family.
I attended university at the University of Lowell, now know as University of Massachusetts Lowell and received a bachelor’s degree in biological science. Graduate school at the Florida Institute of Technology and back at U. Lowell with majors in molecular biology and biochemistry followed. After graduate school I had two extended trips to Europe staying with my sister and brother-in-law who was stationed in Germany. As I started my career in quality assurance at major New England dairies I would take extensive road trips to the major western national parks and between jobs drove to Alaska via the Trans Canadian and Alaska highways. During this time frame I also took many canoe trips deep into wilderness areas of the northeast.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

My life changed forever when Rita and Alex entered into it. We now enjoy travel together as a family and I see the world through a different lens. Now even the smallest destinations are a source of wonder for us because we are experiencing them together.

 

Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site

The type of small yet historically or culturally significant National Park site that is in almost every state.  This being the only NPS site in New Hampshire with the exception of the Appalachian Trail it gets a little more attention locally than it might otherwise.  The park celebrates the life of Augustus Saint-Gaudens a renowned american sculptor if the 19th century.  The site preserves his home and has copies of some of his most important works. 

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

My favorite is the relief of Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts Infantry. The original is on Boston Common in Boston, Massachusetts.  Also of note is the Adams Memorial

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

There is a rotating art exhibition in a building behind the visitor center.  The grounds adjacent to the visitor center have sculpture and gardens that make a pleasant stroll.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

  You can buy tickets for a tour of the sculptor’s home in the visitor center.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

  There is a sculptor in residence and a nice grassy area bordered by a steep ravine.  My favorite activity is during the summer on Sunday afternoons there is a concert series.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

  Pack a picnic lunch and listen to the music while relaxing on the grass.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

  The music is usually classical or jazz.  A great way to spend a relaxing afternoon if you are in the area.  Put this on your leaf peeping agenda.

Burlington, Vermont

A weekend roadtrip to Burlington, Vermont leaving from our home base in New Hampshire. Next stop was at Green Mountain Coffee in Waterbury, Vermont.  There is a coffee shop and café but the big attraction is the huge variet of K-cup coffee types on sale.  If you are a coffee drinker and use the Keurig type machine there will be a flavor to your liking here.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

On the way we made a slight detour to stop at the Great Vermont Corn Maze.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

From coffee to ice cream; our next stop was Ben & Jerry’s a famous ice cream manufacturer here in the states who got their start in Vermont. There are long lines in the summer and fall for their factory tour and ice cream bar.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

If you think you want to skip the tour you can get the same ice cream in any number of dipping shops in the area without the crowds. Our hotel for the night was the Days Inn in Colchester, Burlington.

The Church Street Market Place in downtown Burlington is a pedestrian only street lined with shops, cafés and restaurants.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

During the next two days we ate at the restaurants Church & Main and Halvorson’s Upstreet Café.  Both establishments had great food and great people watching.  Halvorson’s had outdoor seating on the street that reminded me of European café culture.

I will list just some of the shops on the street that we visited.  Crow Bookshop had a nice selection of both new and used books.  Not that expansive but a nice little shop.  Saratoga Olive Oil Company was fantastic! they had a huge selection of flavored high quality olive oils and assorted artisan salts.  You get a small plate and some cut up cubes of bread and the olive oils are in dispensers so that you can sample each type.  When you find one you like you can purchase a bottle of that flavor.  Earth Prime Comics is a comics and SciFi shop.  Bruegger’s Bagels is a great spot for breakfast with great breakfast sandwiches. A favorite store is Ten Thousand Villages.  This store, one of a chain throughout the country, sells artisan craft items from third world countries that have difficulty finding a market for their goods.  A good cause and some wonderful gift items.

The Echo Center for Lake Champlain is a wonderful hands on children’s museum.  I will let Alex give the review “Papa, this place is awesome!” The hands on exhibits and interactive displays are great for younger children.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

There are many more things to see and do in the area that we will return for such as a Cabot Creamery cheese tour and Lake Champlain cruise.  A nice extension would be to cross over into New York and travel down the western shore of the lake to Fort Ticonderoga or the Lake George area.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

I have to mention the restaurant we stopped at on the drive back to New Hampshire.  This is one of reasons I like my Yelp app so much.  We were nearing the Vermont New Hampshire border and wanted to find a place to eat.  We try to avoid fast food or chain restaurants whenever possible so yelp pointed us to a Korean restaurant in Lebanon, New Hampshire.  Yama turned out to be a hidden gem.  Who would expect authenic korean food in rural New Hampshire, but it was fantastic.   Fresh soft shelled crab and squid and bountiful noodle soup and stir fry dishes.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

A summary of a short stay in Burlington that you could easily turn into a multi day itinerary.

 

National Park Junior Ranger Program

“Explore, Learn and Protect!” This is the moto of the National Park Service’s junior ranger program.  Rita and I have been fans of the National Park system for years and were avid visitors and passport stamp collectors.  When Alex started visiting parks with us we discovered the junior ranger program and found it to be a great way to get a young child interested in the history or natural splendor of the parks.
When you visit a park go directly to the visitor center and ask the ranger on duty about their junior ranger program.  The ranger will give out the booklet and explain the activities needed to recieve the badge.  Many parks also have the booklets available on-line so that they can be printed out before your visit.  This is a good option because some of the activities involve coloring or drawing which can be done in the hotel room or at home before your visit.  Most of the activities though are geared to exploration of the park you are in.  You will have to look for various items or answer some questions based on park displays.

New video by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Working with your child can be great fun.  We find that reading the booklet and helping Alex explore the park makes it all the more rewarding for us as well.

To get started I would suggest going to the junior ranger tag under the kids section of the National Park Service main site.  There are several junior ranger badges that your child can earn with on-line programs from home!

Explore the parks with your kids and create memories that will last a lifetime.