Kris and I are in the final stages of preparing for our trip to France and Italy. We’ve packed, the housesitter is arranged, and one of us (hint: not me) has learned a bit of French. All that’s left is for me to finish prepping the guest posts that will run in my absence. I’m waiting for one more piece to come in for October 4th, and then I have to schedule all of the reader stories, but that’s it!
My big questions now both relate to my quest to pack as light as possible:
- Do I really want to carry an extra pair of shoes? My primary footwear will be a pair of hiking boots, but I also want to take a pair of running shoes so I can exercise every day. I really wish I had some hybrid shoe: something dark that I could wear in restaurants/cathedrals, but also suitable for running. Suggestions for the future?
- Can I really survive for a month without a laptop computer? At a minimum, I’m taking my iPad and a wireless keyboard. When I have internet access, I should be able to process e-mail and comments. But what if I want to write a blog post? Or do something else that the iPad makes difficult? But a laptop is much bulkier and heavier. sigh
To distract myself from these dilemmas, I’ve been reading about money elsewhere on the internet. For example, here are some of the stories I’ve found:
Jon’lethia recently wrote to share what she found in her 12-year-old’s algebra textbook: honest-to-goodness financial literacy info! An entire appendix full of the stuff! For example, here’s the section on credit cards [PDF]. Thumbs up to Big Ideas Learning for including this content in their book.
On a related note, another GRS reader (whose name I’ve misplaced) sent me this video clip of grade-school students in northern Ireland learning about personal finance:
“In Northern Ireland, personal finance is compulsory for all school children,” the report says. Bravo! (And dig those cute school uniforms!)
Kiplinger’s has an article on how to fix your 401(k). A lot of companies provide their employees with these retirement programs, but not all of them are as good as the could be. How good is yours? This article gives tips for how to tell is your 401(k) plan is up to par. Most of all, it provides tips for how to use it well to invest for your retirement.
My wife insists that I link to World Mapper, which is just what it sounds like: a site filled with world maps. But each world map is re-drawn so that the countries are sized proportional to a specific statistic. There are lots of maps covering work, income, wealth, and poverty, as well as many other subjects. For instance, here’s a map of women’s income around the world:
Finally, Len Penzo posted an interesting article describing 10 key characteristics of debt-free people (of modest means). I don’t agree with all of these — plenty of debt-free people remain materialistic — but I do think that most are spot-on. Patience, self-reliance, and self-confidence are key to getting out of debt, I think. You must take responsibility for your own financial future.
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I like the top 10, though I agree that not every debt-free person I know HAS all 10.
I do wonder though…there’s so many books about getting out of debt, so much emphasis in personal finance-land on getting out of debt, and…well…what about everyone who’s not in debt? Are they assumed to be looking at investment books? Or are they just not assumed to be in the market to buy books? (since they’re not in debt
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J.D., I read your blog frequently and almost never comment, but this brought me out of the woodwork.
The spare pair of shoes can come in very handy for a couple of reasons. Something may happen to the primary pair (getting wet or damaged) and having the backup, even if it’s a pair of athletic shoes, will spare you from having to shop for shoes in a hurry. Also, alternating 2 pairs will allow both your feet to rest after hours of intense walking and the primary pair of shoes to get a break.
The cathedrals (and most non-formal restaurants) in France and Italy will not care about the footwear. Some of the stricter cathedrals (St. Mark’s in Venice and St. Peter’s in Rome for example) will care about uncovered knees or shoulders, but not the shoes. This is not an endorsement of wearing running shoes everywhere, no matter the occasion, but you will not be turned away from a restaurant in them
I am a “laptopaholic” and have even paid for expensive data roaming with mobile modems abroad in the past. However I just returned from a 10 day trip to France with an iPad only and survived without laptop. It was a difficult decision to leave the laptop at home (I need it to run a business) and I almost turned around on the way to the airport to go grab it. But I did not and in the end, iPad worked out pretty well. Writing e-mails, Skype, accessing reservations, dealing with primary work and side business, it all worked. If you need access to a PC, there are still internet cafes in major cities. Hotels may have a desktop in the lobby in addition to providing WiFi. Rental apartments sometimes come with a PC as well.
I travel fairly frequently and have learned to roll with a carry-on only, despite my passion for stuffing suitcases with shoes and books (iPad really helped with the latter). On the recent trip my comfortable shoes got wrecked just before I was heading out to the landing beaches of Normandy and I was very happy to have backup. We also do laundry while on the trip (washer in the rental apartment or dropping off at a laundromat) so that we can pack less and get away with a small carry-on bag each, no matter the length of the trip.
Bon voyage et buon viaggio!
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Shoes: YES bring an extra pair. You need to give your kicks a day off between wearing, unless you want some serious funk and hygiene issues. They need to dry out a bit before you wear them again, especially when you’re on your feet all day. Good shoes are worth the money, because no other item you wear has nearly their effect on your comfort, appearance and mobility.
Laptop: You’re on vacation. Leave the computer at home. If you really want to do some typing, go to an internet café. Lugging around a laptop is not my idea of fun.
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Do you take a second pair of shoes?
No.
I’ve been in your position, thinking I’d run in the morning…never did. Take a good pair of shoes that will be comfortable for walking but also appropriate for more formal dining situations. If you don’t have something that fits these requirements, bring an extra pair of formal shoes before a pair of running shoes…trust me. You’ll feel considerably foolish walking into a nicer restaurant in a pair of Nikes. (I’ve been there, felt stupid.)
Can you survive for a month without Internet? C’mon…really? YES! And it might even be good for you to disconnect for a while. Don’t worry, I can take care of the site while you’re away!
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The map looks cool, but since it doesn’t reveal anything comparative, it isn’t very revealing, and is, in a way, misleading. Women in developed nations may make more than those in developing nations, but so do men. What would be more interesting and revealing is a graphic that managed to show women’s income in relation to men’s in each country. Or, their contribution to GDP relative to men’s. Or a breakdown of women’s income by education on a per-country basis, ie., a comparison of women to women. Info graphics look cool, but infographics that look cool AND tell a real story WHILE representing data accurately are REALLY cool, revealing and useful. Edward Tufte is a great source there.
Leave the laptop. If you really want to write a post while you’re away, you’ll make it work on your iPad. And maybe enjoy your trip a little more not worrying about lugging around that big laptop all the time? Bon voyage!
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Trust me, just got back from 3 weeks in Europe with an iPad and bluetooth keyboard. Attended a professional conference and didn’t even get the keyboard out but once, you’re fine without the laptop.
Amount of stuff lugged around is inversely proportional to enjoyment. Ditch the shoes. Probably the workout ones to. I put on my pedometer and just sightseeing I was clocking 13-19 miles a day walking. No need for a supplemental jog.
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As to the laptop, you could purchase the Logmein app, and setup your laptop so you can use the app to use it. It’s a bit spendy, but worth the piece of mind to be able to manipulate your computer to do the things that you can’t do from your laptop.
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Ah- my nephew did his blogging and one of the hundreds of internet cafes that he found. He was careful to log on with a new account- and never connected his $$ to that account.
Running shoes? You will be walking so much- the running part will seem to slip by. I always lost weight on European adventures. We tended to walk miles and miles- and not even notice.
My husband does have running hiking boots made for the army. They are not black- but they would probably be more acceptable in formal dining than Nikes.
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Like Julia said, I read your blog regularly, and have never commented before, but I wanted to help.
By all means, take a second pair of shoes, whether they are sandals, running shoes, or another pair of walking shoes. With all the walking you will be doing, having that second pair is nice for your feet. Trust me – I spent two weeks in Germany with an old pair of slip-ons and I came back with leg problems (thighs, calves), not to mention that our last two days in Munich I had difficulty walking up stairs and on cobble streets. (I was in decent shape – just old, dead shoes.)
As for running shoes, they will tag you as American, but they are great for walking.
And unless you are a die-hard runner, don’t plan on running for exercise while in Europe. You will get plenty of exercise with all of the walking, and will more than likely be falling into bed at night.
BTW, take a pedometer with you – you won’t realize how much walking you’re doing until you see the numbers.
Have a great trip!
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I would definitely bring a second pair of shoes but I do not think they necessarily need to be running shoes. You will walk so much in France and Italy that you will have no need for formal exercise. There is no better way to see most European cities than on foot and if you are not running you will probably feel more motivated to walk everywhere.
But I do think a second pair of shoes would serve you well. Maybe a nicer pair for dinners out.
And I’m in the ‘leave the laptop camp’. There is something so relaxing about being completely disconnected. Although, selfishly, I would like to hear about your trip while you are on the road, but that can wait until you get back!
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JD, you might want to check into black leather “walking” shoes. Mine are from Brooks and New Balance and are dressy enough to wear with slacks at work but I can also use for exercise.
I would take an extra pair of shoes.
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Hi JD! I just moved back to the states after three years in Germany. I agree with other comments that you will be walking so much during the day you probably won’t need to or even want to run! Actually it might be a good idea to bring a pair of nice sandals to let your feet stretch out on more casual days. In any case, don’t bring white tennis shoes – that’s how you spot an American tourist!
Also, don’t bring a laptop. Any medium to large European city is going to have internet cafes, if your hotel doesn’t. Or you might find a library. Though be warned, some of the keys might be different! Maybe you should buy a little pocket notebook (moleskine – apparently they even make special moleskine’s to go with major cities with maps and other info!) to jot down blog ideas.
Have fun! I hope to see a post about your spending habits abroad.
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You will be traveling in first-world countries. You can purchase shoes there if something happens to the ones you have.
For the future, if you want something that will do for casual wear but also fake being a grown-up shoe for evening, take a look at Skechers – my boyfriend bought a pair of the Work Rockland Survey for our upcoming trip to the UK. (For the alternate-shoes crowd: he does that at home, but not on trips. It’s never been a problem for him.) They’re not running shoes, but good for walking around and with nice pants, look close enough to dress shoes to get by. They might have something suitable for a bit of running (although probably not specialized for it) that still look good with pants.
We’re bringing an iPad too – no way are we going to haul a laptop around. There’s plenty of Internet cafes available if one or the other of us wants to do a blog post or something else that requires a lot of typing.
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I just got back from 2 weeks in greece and I’ll tell you what, I over packed… bad… I had too many shirts, too many shorts, way too many pants (wore them on the plane, and out ONCE), and that was really it.
Lots of undies and socks if you aren’t going to beaches or wearing flip flops. 3 maybe 4 shirts, and 2-3 shorts.
The biggest problem we ran into was laundry.
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I prefer leather walking shoes along the lines of Rockports. Comfortable to walk in and presentable enough for a night out. Even used them to climb Kili, trek the Inca trail, etc.
It’s good to have a second pair of shoes. Best to choose a pair that best complements the locations you are traveling. You will do loads of walking and your feet will enjoy something different.
In reality 95% percent of people really aren’t going to run. They will do enough walking and have enough other things going on that the motivation will wane. I do bring some exercise bands so that I can do some basic lifting in addition to body weight exercises every few days.
I usually take a netbook and can’t comment on the Ipad. Ultimately, though, for me it eliminates a few books. Whether that be guidebooks, country specific literature, etc. all of which can be valuable reading on a trip.
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Just want to plug onebag.com, which has a great packing list with nice detail on why all the parts are included.
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I just started barefoot running so I wouldn’t run into that problem.
No excuses for not getting your exercise done.
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Leave the laptop behind. You’re on vacation & I think it could be too distracting (“maybe I’ll just check my email”). Focus on where you are & Who you are with and enjoy yourself!!
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so Kris wears the pants in the Roth household, huh? LOL
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ALWAYS bring a spare pair of shoes. They can even be glorified slippers, or something that can crush (like Converse or something, flip-flops even if it isn’t too cold). If you get a blister, or something starts twinging in your foot, you will be extremely glad that you have something else to wear to change it up. Even if your primary pair are generally comfortable, well-trusted shoes, you will likely be on your feet more than normal and that can lead to problems that you don’t have in normal life. Stuff them with your socks and underwear and the won’t take up much space at all.
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I’d take a second pair of shoes, but not for running. You’ll get plenty of exercise walking. I ate a ton in Europe and came back two pounds lighter.
I took only one pair on my trip to Italy and really regretted it–it’s tiring to wear the same pair of shoes for hours a day, several (or more) days in a row. There’s something about putting on a different pair that feels good on your feet. I was so focused on packing light that I thought I’d be fine with one pair, but I’ll definitely pack two pairs next hop across the pond.
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I know I am going against the flow here but I will never travel without a laptop again. I, too, wanted to travel light on my trip to Germany, the Czech Republic, and England and I was travelling with my daughter, who has an iTouch, so I thought we were covered.
And then a certain volcano in Iceland erupted and I was stranded. My daughter was back at school, taking her electronics with her, and I had to plan an entirely new trip to get myself home. Motels and hotels offer wireless but no longer have computer lounges. Now that smart phones are so much more popular, internet cafes were much harder to find and the cost added up quickly. And the internet cafes I did find were not pleasant places to be, especially for an older woman traveling alone. They were usually loud, smoky, and dirty. Even my daughter didn’t like being in an internet cafe the one time we needed to handle some business while we were travelling together. OK if you only have to be there for 30 minutes or so, not OK when you have to spend hours online.
You don’t ever have to turn your computer on, or even unpack it (although, if you’re taking an iPad, you’re not really disconnected anyway). Maybe you could do everything I needed to do with an iPad – reschedule air travel multiple times, book rail travel across three different countries and in three different languages, find motels in reasonable locations without any prior research, and, of course, find a few fun things to do along the way. But for me, having my laptop with me would have made responding to the unexpected much, much easier.
And to continue going against the trend, I only wore one pair of shoes the entire (longer than I had planned) trip, even though I had packed another. If you find you really need another pair of shoes, there are actually stores in France and Italy. I don’t consider shopping a recreational activity and don’t plan that as part of travel. But when I have to buy necessities on a trip, shopping in regular stores for something I will use in my daily life takes me off the tourist track and sometimes leads to my most interesting travel experiences.
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I would ditch the hiking boots (unless you’re actually planning to go hiking) and take a pair of non-white walking/running shoes and a pair of comfortable dressier shoes with a fairly thick sole — something like a pair of Doc Martens. I find hiking boots are too hot and heavy for everyday wear and, like other commenters, I also find that all the walking associated with sightseeing is plenty of exercise. Walking around on streets, marble floors, cement pavements, and cobbles is hard on the legs and you may very well find that a morning run is more than you and your tired legs can take.
On a related matter, if you want to stand out as American everywhere you go in France, hiking boots or white/colorful running shoes and khaki pants will do that. Some people have no problem with that, others want to blend in, so it really depends on your own attitude. But good to know ahead of time.
Laptop? Leave it at home and have a proper break. It’s just one more thing to lug around and worry about. Think of this trip as giving the iPad a proper test.
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Edit: Gates & Roth household, sorry I don’t want to offend your wife, I apologize, anyway, I’ll shut up now.
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It’s Europe! Good public transport, lots of safe walking, lots of museums, internet cafes, and shops. I don’t know your itinerary, but would assume you’d visit at least Rome and Paris. No need to go jogging, you’ll get your exercise by walking and climbing/descending stairs and uphill streets.
Be aware that a cup of coffee will be charged differently according to where you are in the cafe: from €1.50 standing at the bar, to €10 sitting at the pavement terrace.
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forget the hiking boots, get a pair of trail running shoes and that’s all you need. I’ve taken my innov8 flyrocs as my only pair of shoes to France and Italy many times and they are great for restaurants and climbing hills. They don’t look formal at all – but they are less clumpy than hiking boots and really all that you need. Only the poshest of restaurants will turn you away.
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I am living for a few months in Europe right now and can second the comments on lots of walking. It won’t be the same cardio workout, but you’ll be moving all day.
And to solve the laptop conundrum, I bought an HP mini netbook to bring with me for work (editing documents, web surfing, email, and skype). I am normally a mac person, but I abosultely LOVE this thing!!! It weighs all of 3 pounds, and I am so glad I bought and brought it. That said, for a shorter trip you would be well able to get away without one, especially if you want the psychological break.
BTW, The fellow flying around the world with no luggage (see http://www.rtwblog.com) is using an iPod (note the o) and a foldable keyboard. Much smaller and lighter than the iPad!
Have a wonderful trip. Bon voyage!
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I’d definitely take a second pair of shoes. It could start raining and your shoes may not have enough time to dry until the next day. Walking around in damp shoes isn’t very nice.
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To tie this to the personal finance and credit cards topics, you may want to avoid Dynamic Currency Conversion offers at point of sales (when they offer to charge you in your currency vs. local currency, usually at quite unfavorable rate) – just ask for the charge to be in Euros. I found merchants offering (sometimes pushing) DCC to be more prevalent in UK and Ireland vs. France or Italy, but even in France, it was offered a few times during the trip.
And keep in mind that your US credit card without chip and PIN will likely not work in the automated machines, such as metro/rail ticket dispensers or gas station machines. You will need cash or hand over the card to a human attendant who can run it through their credit card machine.
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JD, as a crossfitter I’m surprised you haven’t come across the Vibram FiveFingers yet. They’re the perfect shoe for going anywhere and you can wear them for running. The Treks are a model that can be worn with dressier pants without attracting too much attention. Europeans wear them too, as you’ll see from this website. HOWEVER – you’ll also see that they take a lot of getting used to. http://birthdayshoes.com/kso+trek:
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Nike Free running shoes are terrific for travel! They are lightweight and fold up small.
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Can I really survive for a month without a laptop computer?
Here’s my prediction: You’ll get more important work done if you elect to go without any electronic equipment.
I love the electronic stuff. It is of great value. But it is addictive and over time it pulls your attention away from long-term thinking.
Vacations are about recharging your batteries. Leave the stuff you do at home entirely behind and you will make HUGE advances because your mind will be freed up in a way that it is never free up when you have easy access to lots of electronic equipment.
We all need to learn how to use these tools to our best advantage.
Rob
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RE the laptop vs. ipad, this is from today’s WSJ:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703860104575507892265552372.html
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I’d take the extra pair of running shoes JD. I travel to Europe at least once a month, and I usually just tie mine to the outside of my backpack/carry-on bag since they usually don’t fit in the bag. They’ll definitely come in handy. There’s nothing more fun than exploring a city on a nice long run (even if you get lost).
I was also going to suggest that WSJ that Jeff suggests (I assume that’s Walter Mossberg’s about leaving your laptop behind and relying on the Ipad. It almost makes me want to break down and get one (still using the Kindle).
Have fun! (love your blog by the way)
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Unless you are hiking, hiking boots are highly in appropriate for daily wear anywhere outside of the Pacific northwest.
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Unless you’re in the mountains, hiking shoes are silly for a European vacation. I’m assuming you’ll mostly be in cities. What you need are nice pair of casual shoes that you can wear to nice restaurants and will be comfortable walking in. Doc Marten’s are a good example (just noticed a previous commenter recommended them, too).
As for running shoes, you’ll probably be walking alot, so you won’t need that extra exercise from running. Also, they have shoe stores in Europe. If you really miss your running shoes, buy a pair over there.
As far as electronics, don’t bring both laptop and iPad. If you must, choose one or the other. Internet cafes are common in Europe, I personally wouldn’t bring either.
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To the folks (such as Andrew #36) who are saying that hiking boots/shoes don’t make sense for a European vacation, you have to understand that here at home, these are my everyday shoes. I wear them all the time. (Well, at least as much as Kris will let me — she doesn’t like me to wear them to nice places, though I do that sometimes anyhow.) Yesterday, for example, I wore them from 9am to 9pm, walking over eleven miles. So, these are my everyday shoes. They just happen to be hiking boots.
That said, I’m not opposed to picking up something else for this trip. I just regret that I only have 48 hours to break them in!
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I’d also under-pack clothing for another reason, which requires a story: Mom and I spent a month in England back in 2003, when I got a 3-week internship at a county archive and she came along to enjoy the trip. We’d packed for a typical balmy English summer, and fell into the highest temperatures England had in a century, hitting 100F.
We had to buy new clothes, or suffer from the heat – interiors were worse than outside, because the buildings were constructed to conserve heat, not to cool down. Buying the clothes was annoying at the time, but it turned out great: not only did we end up with an appropriate wardrobe for the weather, but we wore the items for several years each, which made them better souvenirs than the usual stuff we end up buying that clutter up the house and end up being boxed up or thrown away. I still have one of the shirts, which has now graduated to being a nightshirt because it’s so old and worn, but I think of the trip every time I put it on.
So I’d advise tossing out as many extra clothes as you can, with the mantra “I can always get another if I need to.” You may find that you don’t need to get anything else and you do perfectly fine with three pairs of pants and three shirts, or whatever you bring, but if you don’t and have to purchase something, you end up with a nifty, long-lasting, useful souvenir.
My boyfriend and I are traveling to the UK for a couple of weeks in October, and we’re not even bringing toiletries like shampoo, because one of the things we like to do is wander around basic stores in other countries, to get a feel for how the locals live. It’ll give us something to do the day we arrive as we’re staggering around trying to stay awake long enough to adjust our internal clocks to local time.
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“I really wish I had some hybrid shoe: something dark that I could wear in restaurants/cathedrals, but also suitable for running”
I can’t recommend the Rockport World Tour shoes enough. They aren’t the perfect running shoe, but they’re comfortable enough to run in, sturdy enough to take camping and hiking, and nice enough to wear to churches and nice dinners.
http://www.rockport.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=world%20tour&origkw=prowalker&sr=1
I had a pair that lasted 11 years and I used them for everything, including hiking and touring across Europe. I’ll be buying another pair soon — as soon as the I’m-not-paying-$85-for-shoes shoes I’m wearing for just a year wear out.
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J.D.! Quick! Go get some Vibram Five Fingers. They come in several styles and are very lightweight, packable, washable, perfect for travel fitness.
And leave the laptop. Two devices (iPad and phone) are enough.
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You could get away with 1 pair if you only took the running shoes. They would be just fine for religious sights and any restaurant that’s not among the fanciest. If you still wanted a second pair, you could bring some black flip flops (I like Teva’s). They are much smaller and lighter than other shoes, they can be comfy for walking if needed, they can get wet, and they can look dressier than sneakers (or at least this is my theory since they are black) if you need something for a nicer venue.
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J.D.
RE: laptop. Buy yourself a cheap used netbook instead of taking the ipad. I sold one to a friend who went to Guatemala for the summer and didn’t want her main laptop to be destroyed while traveling. She was able to email, etc., with little risk. The full keyboard, while tiny, is convenient for writing.
E.g.: http://cgi.ebay.com/Acer-Aspire-ONE-/150494479264?pt=Laptops_Nov05&hash=item230a2b83a0#ht_500wt_1154
going for $100 right now.
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Lots of good comments here already, but I still want to chime in!
On shoes, I second those that say not to wear hiking boots. A comfy walking shoe that looks nice is best. Too bad you’re thinking of this just now, a couple days before you leave! The brands mentioned would work, and you could always buy shoes there if need be. Isn’t Italy known for some fabulous shoes?
Other commentors have brought up the Vibram Five Fingers shoes. I’ve recently started a running program and have been *loving* the Five Fingers shoes. They are incredibly lightweight and packable, but I wouldn’t walk around town in them. (Mine are light colored and look like “American running shoes” so that’s manily why.) If you’re not used to running in Five Fingers shoes, I wouldn’t recommend switching to them at the last minute, either. Vibram recommends that you get used to running in them slowly if you’ve been wearing traditional running shoes for a while. Also, if you have any foot problems like flat feet you likely can’t wear them.
On the laptop: don’t bring it. The iPad will be enough and if you want to do some blogging, why can’t you do it with your portable keyboard attached? What functionality would you gain with a laptop there? Internet cafes that have desktops could work in a pinch, too, and you can save your writing online with Google Docs and access from anywhere.
Have fun!
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Dear lord, JD, have you ever thought what people did *before* laptops? How about internet cafes? They’re plentiful in Europe, fairly cheap, and save you from that pesky worry that something expensive will get stolen.
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J.D., out of curiosity, what tools/material did Kris and yourself use to learn French?
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Extra pair of shoes–essential. In case one gets wet or makes your feet hurt. I’d bring well-constructed black tennis shoes (sometimes you need the arch & ankle support, and black makes them look more formal for those cathedrals) plus a pair of super comfortable light loafers or sandals (for hot days, the beach, foot relief, slipper substitutes).
Don’t bring your laptop–you’ll just worry about it getting stolen it all the time, and you’ll have enough trouble getting through airports with your ipad. You probably shouldn’t leave anything valuable in your hotel rooms, you know. Do you really want to cart your laptop everywhere?
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Consider buying black or brown running shoes (sans white stripes & other logos). Then you don’t stand out as ‘American’. They are good for running as well as sightseeing.
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Nike makes a light, crushable pair of good running shoes that come in black. They’re excellent for traveling to run. I only wish I learned of them before my trip to Spain in August.
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My only shoes are two pairs of black leather Rockport ProWalkers. You can run in them and wear them to weddings and no one ever looks at them twice.
Except in airports. The soles have a big piece of metal embedded, which makes for springiness, but also means you’ll have to take them off and put them on the belt every time. But they’re totally worth it.
I would take my netbook.
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packing: YES, leave the laptop behind. You will regret it and its bulk and its weight. If you must, splash out for an internet cafe if the ipad lets you down.
shoes: keens. super comfy and nice looking. but I don’t think you want more than two pairs of shoes if you can help it!
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