Ever pack anything you don't plan on bringing home?

[Shih-tzu]

I have always taken things on vacation that I don't plan on bringing back home...

 

I bring toiletries that have about 1 weeks worth left in them, clothing that I plan on replacing anyway, sandals, magazines.... That gives me lots of space to bring home all the new things that I buy as prices are so much better in the USA than in Canada....I stock up on underwear, socks, tops, shorts, flip-flops, sandals, jeans. With the baggage restrictions on airlines, I couldn't buy things and bring back everything I took as well.

 

Don't get me wrong, there are some things I take and bring back as they are too "new" to leave behind, but I try to "plan" ahead (in the fall when I'm putting the summer things away I say "Will I wear that again next summer?" If the answer is "no" but it's still presentable, that is the type of thing I take but leave behind in the end). I even left a pile of Christmas decorations behind in Disney one year....:rolleyes:

[richfret]

I always bring a couple of dozen wire clothes hangers that you get from the dry cleaners and I leave them at the end of the cruise. They can easily be folded and thrown into the trash. I like to hang most of my clothing in the closest and you end up with a more drawer space for the other things. Doesn't cost any thing and they fit easily in your suit case.

[mrsd912]

old undergarments...?? 1st. ew.. 2nd.. if their not good enough for home daily wear. y are they for vaca...

 

Well, since you asked...

The undergarments that I was referencing were bras. I have a few that are missing hooks, one that I pulled the underwires out of because one snapped, and since they're a little old and have lost a little elasticity, I just bought a bunch of new ones to replace them with. There's nothing wrong with them, in fact I just wore one of them to work yesterday.

Also, my fellow busty females know how much room a few bras can really take up in a suitcase. So why not save them for a couple weeks, wear them on the cruise, and throw them out at the end leaving room for more stuff to bring home?

[jamscckmc]

I always bring my best undies. But I had to laugh at leaving the old underwear behind. My mom and I went on a 3week bus tour of Europe. We were only allowed one suitcase so we had to put our dirty clothes back in with our clean ones. My mom left her dirty underwear behind everyday. I always wondered what housekeeping thought.

 

I always bring a liquid hand soap with a pump. I hate washing my hands with the little bar of soap. I always put it in a baggy just in case and throw it away at the end. If we plan on hitting the beach I get a noodle at the dollar store and cut it in two pieces. I take half to the beach and leave it there giving it to a child if possible. And then use the other half a different day.

[chinamama]

I did that when I went to China, old undies, swim suits, colored Tshirts, etc. All those old favorites that you really should toss, but they are old friends.

[Laughing Angel]

I usually take toiletries that have a few days of product left, and then I throw them away.

 

About the underwear...

 

I've never heard of this "unique" way of disposing of your old, torn undies. Personally, I have a thing about people handling them or seeing them in their "end of life" state. Kinda creeps me out. I prefer to bring brand new chonies with me and make it a point not to leave them behind (no pun intended).

:D

[julie3fan]

I've taken an old (but presentable!) bed sheet to spread out under our beach towels at the beach. Helps keep the sand off everything, and since they are thrift store buys, are easy to leave behind.

 

Paperbacks, before I bought my Kindle.

 

I've heard about people bringing older clothes that would normally be headed to the thrift store and then leaving them on shore in third world countries, but I figure I want to look and feel good on vacation, so I prefer to wear clothes I'd wear at home.

 

Julie

[tip]

old undergarments...?? 1st. ew.. 2nd.. if their not good enough for home daily wear. y are they for vaca...

 

Well, at some point they have to be worn for a last time. I make the cruise the last time. By the way, I throw them away in one of the many plastic bags that you get while shopping on the cruise. The room steward will then know that it was not a mistake to throw them away.

Edited March 23, 2014 by tip

[houstonmomof4]

I have packed things that I have no intention of bringing back home.

 

Shower scrubby thingy - don't want to pack that wet thing!

Deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner - barely enough left to keep!

Suntan lotion - several years old so perhaps losing it's effectiveness

wire hangers - I can always get more :)

 

I bring the hangers because there are never enough of them!

[Lionesss]

Love this thread

 

I am guilty

 

I always travel with a pair of tennis shoes (aka, sneakers) that are ready to retire:D

 

We do the western route, and as we leave Cozumel, I leave them in a trash can at the pier ( no one and I mean no one would want them:eek:)

Put on my flip flops and walk back to the ship.

 

My sneakers serve their purpose before I retire them, and it gives us more luggage space to fly home.

 

Sea Ya

[carolmacey]

You might want to tell your room steward. My husband brought a pair of shoes for formal night. He realized that they really hurt his feet, so he put them in the garbage can. Well, next morning he found them in his closet. So, he put them in the garbage can, again. You guessed it...he found them in his closet, again! So, now we mention it to the room steward if we don't want something returned.

 

Some times the steward collect unwanted clothes and send them to their home countries.

[dhill]

Just my wife:eek: but she always finds her way back home;)

Edited March 23, 2014 by dhill

[seashinesunshine]

Phew! I'm not the only one. I bring almost empty shampoo etc bottles, but then end up packing them to bring home since "there is still some left" All the while my husband is rolling his eyes and saying "I thought we brought it almost empty so we could leave it" Guess I can leave it for the room steward. :)

We do have a story in the family lore. My dad and mom toured the Holy Land, and Dad thought of the "bring old undies idea." So Dad aka Grandpa, left his holey undies all over the Holy land. ;)

We have left things like shoes that didn't fit right (yes I suggested trying them on before we left but what does mom know) water blow ups, etc. Its nice when things can be reused, sometimes things stay behind not due to being ratty old undies but because the new treasures are more important.

[Nebr.cruiser]

I do this once in a while. Mostly toiletries that have just a little left--I often bring them along like this on purpose, and, yes, sometimes my 'older' underwear that I am planning on replacing anyway. It's not that horrible and ratty, just nearing it's end. I do resort to 'hiding' it in the trash can as otherwise stewards will sometimes dig things out, thinking they are in there by mistake.

 

I have also left a pair of shoes on occasion that hurt my feet. Once in Africa, I had a new pair of heels that cut up my feet horribly. I had a heck of a time leaving them in the hotel, as the maid would always take them out of the trash. Finally, I managed to catch her and tell her to take them--she was actually happy to have them.

 

As to bringing hangers, we always get all we need by asking the steward for more the first time we talk to him. No need to bring them from home.

[ger_77]

Just a suggestion, if you want to toss your undies, why not roll them up in a tight little ball and put them into the bags in the bathroom that are intended for ladies "feminine" items? It might not work as well with the gentlemen's underwear due to the size, but you can certainly tie a pair of panties into a couple of knots and put them in the bag. I'm pretty sure the cabin stewards aren't going to be checking to see what's in there.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[Happy ks]

I can't imagine leaving behind old underwear would save much space in a suitcase :confused:

 

Old underwear gets tossed into the trash at home on a regular basis. Unwanted clothes go to the Goodwill. I don't want to wear old, holey, badly stained or elastically challenged underwear just to save a tiny bit of space. I plan our clothing carefully when packing and want to look nice on a luxury vacation (we do not go out and buy new clothes for a cruise, we wear what we already have). I don't care to wear clothing I don't like, or that is ready to be thrown out.

 

Toiletries, mostly travel sized refillable bottles. What is not refillable can be tossed, but it doesn't make that much difference in the suitcase.

 

I think that since we are not souvenir shoppers and have little extra to pack for the return home trip makes the biggest difference. We may buy the kids a keychain and one Christmas ornament. We also don't pack a lot of what I consider to be pretty useless items. We don't pack laundry hampers, coolers, shoe holders, insulated cups, extra bags, etc...

[SewMuch]

Slightly off topic, but goes to the various people who had stewards digging things out of the trash: At home we had a terrible time trying to throw away a garbage can. The garbage men kept leaving it, even when we wrote on it "Please take". We finally had to cut it up (not easy) and put it in another can.

[ShakyBeef]

Slightly off topic, but goes to the various people who had stewards digging things out of the trash: At home we had a terrible time trying to throw away a garbage can. The garbage men kept leaving it, even when we wrote on it "Please take". We finally had to cut it up (not easy) and put it in another can.

 

That's funny, I had this same probblem (including having to break it up into several pieces after they ignored the written message) trying to throw away an old, brittle, broken-up recycle bin. The garbage guys just wouldn't take it!:p

[Bluebury]

The only thing that we take with and do not intend to bring home are the wine bottles.

 

Many years ago on a land vacation in The Gambia we had bought several cheap tops fully intending to leave them behind - 23 tops for less than £30 ($20) between us. On the last day we piled all the tops up and told the room cleaner that he was welcome to them all - the very broad grin on his face brought a lump to my throat - to think that someone was so grateful for those clothes. (This did not replace his tip!)

[Sue Do-Over]

We took grubby clothes for cave rafting in Belize, along with old water/aqua shoes.

They had water shoes to 'rent' at the rafting site, but I was really really glad to have our own. We tossed ours into the rental pile before we got back on the bus.

 

Not on cruises, but we have taken cheap sand toys to the beach and left them with the bartender/tiki hut guy at the end of the day. No way I wanted sand in my luggage!

[Donder1]

Suitcases. Old. I don't want them anymore, no wheels. The room stewards love them.

 

Seriously, my bet is that they don't like them. No wheels???

[Purplsmurf]

Last year my son didnt have any formal wear except for one jacket that was too small and dress shoes that were almost too small. He squeezed into his jacket just for formal night and wore his shoes for only the second....and last....time (he is a growing teenager) We left both behind!! Having the same issue this year altho he doesn't even have the jacket. Will probably be leaving another pair of shoes behind! He will have worn them only twice.

 

 

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[bandnurse]

For our beach days, we get cheap dollar store rafts and always leave with a kid on the beach, either local or someone on a ship that will be leaving later with the request that they keep, re-gift or toss in a can but not leave it on the beach as trash.

 

I also pack an expandable duffel bag, the type that folds up to a very flat square that we can use for souvenirs. There is a limit for the number of bags you bring (or at least a suggested limit) but not for the number you take off. We drive to port so we don't have to worry about airline limits, guess this would not help if you fly.

 

Also pack either nearly empty toiletries or travel size so that we can toss at the end of the cruise.

[lady_cruiser]

We left suitcases before, old but still usable with wheels working and handles intact. We had decorations for our cabin, gifts for the cabin crawl, etc packed in one of them.

 

We always ask our cabin attendant first if they would like it, letting them know that we no longer want them. They always take them and tell us that it gives them extra storage room for their cabin and it easily fits under their beds.

 

So far we've done this on three different occasions.

[Taxguy77]

I've bought cheap sand toys from the Dollar Store and Wal-Mart for my kids to take to the beach at various ports, and then, upon leaving the beach, given the toys to a local child or left them with the beach bartender to give to whomever he so chooses. He said he knew some kids that would be happy to have them.:) Very little money spent (about $4 total), my kids got to play with the toys while we were there, extra room in the luggage coming home, and another child gets gifted practically new toys. A win, win, win situation. I'll continue to do this as long as my kids are still in the 'sand toy age range'.:D

 

I'm sure many kids and their parents have prayed for you in various religions.