One-bag, carry-on, light travel tips, techniques, and gear

A reader who recently e-mailed me disagrees heartily with my clothing choices. In the interest of airing all sides (no pun intended), here goes. Tell me what you think.

My wife and I have been to Europe twice, in 2003 and 2007. The last trip was to Bath and London – U.K, Paris, Nice and the French Riviera - France, and Milan - Italy.

The universal dress code I saw in Europe and probably the world, is cotton blue jeans, cotton t-shirts, walking/running shoes, and a lightweight pullover sweater when needed. Near the water, like the French Riviera, the dress code was cotton shorts, cotton t-shirts, and sandals. The only time the Europeans dress up, is for business, when needed. You are way-way over dressed, in my opinion, and to be able to see your white undershirt is a no-no. In hot and humid climates, one should wear cotton underpants, not these plastic synthetic ones. Why? Because you will end up with Intertrigo, which is a troublesome fungus. While these synthetic clothes have their place, such as going on a hike or safari, they certainly are not the universal dress code for Europe. So if you want to look like Jungle Jim, be my guest. The readers of your excellent web-site should be aware of this fact.

My responses would be:

I don’t believe Europeans only dress up for business based on what I’ve seen on four trips to Europe in the last four years, especially in London, Geneva and Venice. I’ll grant you though that Europeans seem to be a little more relaxed and more American every year. Still, I felt very underdressed a few times. I also don’t feel great about visiting churches and major museums in extremely casual clothes. And we almost always visit churches, museums, and go to the theater. It’s easier for me to take slightly nicer clothes since they’ll do almost anywhere.
As for the synthetic undies health concerns, I wear them all often in the southern US where I live and generally find them more comfortable than the natural fiber alternative. I sometimes work with a friend of mine, more or less for fun, who’s a high-end finish carpenter. I turn to the technical stuff when I know I’m going to be sweating all day. Southern Europe or the southern US (where it’s typically warmer) are not the tropics.
I’ve tried not look like Jungle Jim, but you make the call.
Lastly, I sometimes choose to take “travel” clothes so I can test them for the sake of the OBOW readers, knowing that there’s interest there. It’s a thankless job, etc. etc….

One more excerpt from the e-mail:

While waiting for the flight to London, U.K. in 2007 at the Dulles Airport in Washington D.C., I saw the “perfect traveler.” He was a thin man, traveling alone, in his 50’s, going bald, with gray hair and a beard. He had gray glasses on. His clothes consisted of a light gray sweat pants with cargo pockets, light gray t-shirt, white walking shoes, and a thin light gray pullover sweater tied around his neck. His luggage consisted of a black colored duffle bag, with compartments on each end. He picked up the bag with such easy, that it must have weighted 10 pounds, if that. An aura of “peace and tranquility” radiated from him, and his body language was Zen like calmness. He was one of the last people to board the plane, after everyone had pushed and shoved their way to their seats. He appeared to not be in any hurry, at all. I couldn’t see where he put his duffle bag, but it would have fit anywhere, unlike the rest of the wheeled and non-wheeled luggage stuffed to the bursting point in the overhead compartments.

I could certainly be a little more relaxed. When it comes to travel, though the word has the same root as the word for work (travail), it shouldn’t be work. Do what works for you. And keep the suggestions coming.