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Planes, Trains, and Automobiles...
Packing to Perform
- By Edie, The Salsa FREAK

With events like the International Salsaweb Convention just around the corner, many performers, instructors and dancers are preparing for the trip. Whether you’re in a plane, train, or automobile, packing smart and light is key.

YOU’RE GOING TO LOVE ME FOR THIS ARTICLE.

How do you pack dance clothes and costumes for an extended trip (four days or more)? I can give you my own tips based on my travels throughout the world, performing, training, and dancing.

Luggage
Every piece of luggage you bring should have wheels, and be no larger than 2’ x 3’ x 1’ in size. Why? Try lugging anything larger from train to train, bus to bus, cab to cab for weeks at a time, and then write me about it.

I brought a HUGE suitcase to Europe with me, that was filled with…. EVERTHING I "thought" I needed for three months.

WHAT A MISTAKE THAT WAS.

By week #4, I got so sick and tired of lugging my HUGE suitcase around that one day in COMPLETE FRUSTRATION I literally chose ¾ of everything I brought, put it in a big box, and shipped it BACK to the United States. That day, I bought a much smaller suitcase, and GAVE my huge suitcase to our host as a "gift". He loved it.

Of course people in my group saw me wear the same thing several times, but our performance audiences did not. As long as your clothing is clean, people in your group won’t care. Think about it, they’re in the same boat as you!!!

Also, if your luggage is a smaller size it can fit in the hand-carry of the airplane, and comfortably in busses and train cuchettes.

Gentlemen in Suits
If you’re bringing suits, that need to be pressed, and do not have access to an iron or ironing board, a garment bag is essential… BUT, it may be very bulky and difficult to carry around at train stations and airports. My dance partner suggests that you buy a garment bag that not only attaches to a small piece of luggage, but also has wheels. These can be found at virtually any travel or luggage store. I saw one at the airport today for $390. I’ve seen the same at the Garment District in Los Angeles for around $70 (11^th and Maple). So buyer beware.

Dancers, Beware of Backpacks
Wearing your luggage on your back or shoulders "seems" like a good idea, but for dancers delicate shoulders, it is not. I found this out the hard way. My shoulders started aching for some reason. My dance partner and I were practicing and dancing hard, and my right collarbone started to kill me. It was during a spin, and something pulled – a muscle or ligament or tendon. I could barely move my arm the next day. The pain was so bad, that my dance partner offered to carry my bags. He didn’t realize how heavy my computer bag was until he picked it up and carried it on his shoulders.

"Mommy, don’t carry this heavy bag on your shoulder anymore! We’re throwing this backpack away and getting you a new computer bag! THAT’S what is screwing up your shoulders!"

… And that’s exactly what he did. Within 24 hours of that statement, I had a brand new computer bag that was lighter, and did not go over my shoulders.

After months of slinging that backpack on my right shoulder, it actually weakened my entire shoulder and collarbone – causing a needless injury later on.

My advice to dancers: Don’t sling heavy backpacks on one of your shoulders. If you HAVE to have a backpack, use BOTH STRAPS when carrying it. You’ll save your shoulders dancing later on. Get luggage with wheels. Most of the luggage weight is on the floor, and not tugging on your bodies.

If you can send it, SEND IT!!!
If you have stuff you can send to your destination, like videos, or other items… SEND IT via the postal service a couple weeks before your trip. It makes no sense you lugging all this extra weight around, making yourself and others around you miserable as well, trying to help you with your luggage every step of the way.

Buying Souvenirs
If you’re a souvenir collector, don’t stuff your suitcase BEFORE YOU LEAVE. Leave room for stuff you buy. However, if I were you, I wouldn’t buy anything but postcards, and the very LAST country/city you visit, buy stuff there for family and friends. Remember, you don’t want to LUG ALL THESE GIFTS AROUND WITH YOU FROM CITY TO CITY!!!

If you just HAVE to get something in the middle of your trip, buy it, then SEND IT TO YOUR HOUSE AT HOME, so avoid lugging it around with you. Trust me, the pulled muscles and headaches this prevents for you and your group is WORTH the postal charges!!!

The Bathroom…
Buy a Toiletry bag (I call it my bathroom bag). Place your razors, tooth brush, tooth paste, floss, deodorant, comb, brush, and other items there. This way everything is neatly tucked in a separate bag so you can carry it in and out of the bathroom as "one single unit", and avoid many trips, dropping things, and accidentally combining your stuff with other’s stuff. If you are traveling by airplane, shampoo, lotions, perfumes, and anything liquid should be placed in a separate plastic bag inside your bathroom bag, because THEY WILL LEAK, at the most INAPPROPRIATE time.

Murphy’s Law ALWAYS applies here.

For some reason the cabin pressure ALWAYS unscrews the lids on your liquids items!

Dance Shoes
Pack your shoes first. Bring two pairs of dance shoes, one pair of performance shoes, and wear your daily shoes on the plane, bus, or train. Stuff your hose and socks inside your packed shoes. Place them in a plastic bag so they won’t make your other clothes dirty. As dancers, we can’t afford to lose our shoes. We suggest you carry at least one pair of your dance shoes with you in your carry-on bag. OH, and don’t forget shoe spray. Foot odor will become an "issue" if you’re traveling with others.

Underwear, Hose, and Socks
Bring only 2-3 pairs of underwear. You can hand-wash these nightly. If your clothing is still damp the next day, DO NOT PUT IT IN A PLASTIC BAG TO AIR – DRY LATER!!! They will smell like MILDEW and make you want to THROW UP on the train if you pull them out of that BAG!!!

Trust me. I know.

This is what you do:
If your clothes are still wet, and you have to catch a train/plane/bus or cab, place a small towel on top of your clothes in your luggage, then your damp clothes on top of the towel, then close the suitcase lid. This will air-dry your clothing and avoid mildew.

Roll, Roll, and Roll!
Roll all your clothing into tight wads and pack them. Try to bring clothing that doesn’t need to be ironed. Packing a travel iron is a waste of space. Borrow an iron once at you’re destination. (it was hilarious, when we were in Europe, one of our hosts had an iron alright, but his ironing "board" was his television set…) Most hotels have irons and ironing boards. Steam-ironing your clothing while you take a VERY HOT shower is another excellent way of getting the wrinkles out.

Bad Hair Days… NO MORE!!!
Ladies, forget the curling iron, and hair dryer if you can. People (men) will love you with or without curls. I mean, think about it. After dancing the whole night, do you really look like you spent hours doing your hair? Trust me, for the amount of time you put into your hair before dancing, Salseros could really care less. They just want a great dance partner! Put your hair in a ponytail, let it go wild… put your chin up, shoulders back, SMILE, and don’t stress over your hair.

Makeup.
Ladies, go to the eyeglass or sunglass place and get a large sunglass case that snaps shut. Put all your smaller makeup items in there, and place that in your makeup bag. Use it as your carry-on. This is one bag you won’t want to lose!!! I have a small travel-makeup kit that I bought through Victoria Jackson Cosmetics. It’s awesome. It’s about the size of a pack of cigarettes, and has 20 different lip colors, two blushes, mascara, eye liner, lip liner, 5 different eye shadows, a lip brush, an eye brush, and a blush brush. It’s AWESOME. (Victoria Jackson: (800) 862-5387 (800-v-make-up)

Money, ID, and passport
Keep money/credit in several places…. In your luggage, your purse, and on your body. Go to a travel store and get a body-pouch for ID’s and passports, traveler’s checks, etc.

Get two Identification Cards. Place one in your suitcase, and one on YOUR BODY. Write your passport number in your address book, and make a copy of your ID’s and passport, leave one copy with your family or loved ones at home (make sure you have their phone number with you when you travel abroad). Place the copies in your suitcase, your purse, or somewhere else. If you were to ever lose your passport or ID’s, at least you have a copy you can report from.

If not, YOU’RE BASICALLY HOSED IN A DIFFERENT COUNTRY FOR SEVERAL DAYS. You will be stuck in a foreign country, because you can’t leave.

When my purse was stolen in Madrid, they just got a credit card, about $70, and my digital camera. I had my passport, traveler’s checks, and the rest of my money in my body pouch, which I had strapped around my waste, underneath my pants (whew!). I phoned the United States, cancelled the credit card right away, and filed a police report for the purse contents and camera.

Watch all your stuff at airports, train stations, and bus terminals…

Gypsies actually "study" how to rip you off! They are professional pick-pockets and purse snatchers. This is how it happened:

I was watching the group’s luggage while they went to get something to eat and go to the restroom. I placed myself in the middle of the luggage, and began to type on my laptop. There was a small disturbance on my right, about 50 feet away. I looked up from my laptop, to see what people were yelling about. After few seconds, I looked back down and to my left. To my astonishment, my purse was gone! Frantically, I looked up and around to see if someone was carrying it off, but there were so many people in the terminal, with so many bags, that I couldn’t see it.

I also couldn’t run and try and catch the person, because I was watching everyone else’s luggage!!! I’ll bet they KNEW IT too. These guys are good. They probably watch groups coming into terminals, and see if they split up, and have one person watching everyone’s stuff. We fell right into that trap. I could have screamed I was so pissed.

Pack Black
I know, I know… I wear a lot of black. Well, there’s a reason for this. Not only does it hide extra lumps and roll of fat and cellulite, but it also hides dirt, and stains that you can’t get out during traveling or normal washing. I have black socks, black pants, black dresses, black shirts, and black underwear.

If they ever decide to make a Salsa Freak DOLL,
her ENTIRE wardrobe would be BLACK.

The only problem with this is finding clothing in the dark.

IT’S IMPOSSIBLE.

Colorful, flowery clothing.
This reminds me of when Salsa dancers audition for movies and commercials. "Wear colorful clothing." The Hollywood producers and Directors tell us. I can’t think of one time when all the Salseras didn’t say, "Oh geez… all I have is BLACK!" And then, when they get to the audition, they don’t look like they do at the clubs. In fact, some of these Salseros look absolutely ridiculous. I just KNOW they wouldn’t be caught dead wearing these "colorful" outfits a nightclub. Why is it, PRAYTELL, that all these producers think we wear colorful, flowery clothing when we dance?

YEAH RIGHT.

PLEEEEEEEASE.

Give me a BREAK.

I truly hope these travel tips help relieve some of the headaches and heartaches I've been through in some of my travels throughout the world.  "Learn from the mistakes of others..." 

In your case, "Learn from all the mistakes Edie made!"  

Best of luck to you in your travels!!