Traveling with the Jones

Japanese tidiness consultant Marie Kondo believes that clearing the clutter from your living space will change your life. Her new book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing is a best-seller and there is a three-month waiting list for her consulting services in Japan.

While on a flight last month, I downloaded the book and was quickly enthralled with Kondo’s advice.

Getting rid of clutter is a subject near and dear to my heart, and I’ve read many different approaches to the subject.

A couple of things that Kondo wrote resonated with me:

1) Hold each piece of clothing or object in your hands and ask yourself the question, “Does this spark joy?” If the answer is not a resounding yes, get rid of the item.

This seemed a little “woo-woo” but I found the simple nature of the question helps one cut through the “voices” that stop you from discarding of items cluttering your closets such as:

a) I might wear this again someday;

b) This sweater was a gift from my grandmother;

c) I did “X” while wearing this outfit, I can’t get rid of it.

Asking yourself, “Does it spark joy” stimulates a quick emotional response, which is often, “No!“, and therefore makes it easy to discard.

2) A tidying marathon helps eliminate rebound clutter.

Many books and organizational experts recommend clearing a little at a time, such as one drawer or one shelf or one room.  Kondo argues that if you thoroughly and completely eliminate your clutter in a short span of time, you will see instant results that empower you to keep your space in order ever after.  I didn’t believe it, but so far I’ve found the advice to be on the mark. Living with less stuff is freeing.

3) By folding your clothes neatly, you can solve storage problems.

We have large closets so I hung most clothing, even t-shirts. Kondo claims folding is better for space-saving for most clothing. She demonstrates her KonMari folding techniques in this online video:

How does this relate to easier travel packing?

After clearing our closets and drawers of excess clothes and other clutter, it is easier to see all of your clothing at once for easier packing.

Plus, with drawers of clothes like T-shirts folded and rolled into little bundles, it is easy to remove the “bundles” you need and put them directly into our favorite eBags Packing Cubes.

Out of the drawer and into the packing cube.

Zip the cube, and into the suitcase it goes.

Clothes stay neat and organized when you arrive at your destination.

Do you have a clutter-eliminating or clothes packing tip to share? 

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Sometimes you plan a visit to coincide with a key event.

Sometimes you don’t plan it, but get to experience a special day by random coincidence.

Last weekend I was in Washington DC to attend a frequent traveler conference and to spend time with a friend who was also visiting from Alaska.

After rainy, grey weather on Friday and Saturday, Sunday was a crisp, sunny day in Washington, so we decided to visit some of the sites I hadn’t seen on prior visits.

We started with the World War II Memorial.

We noticed all of the flags were flying at half mast, and wondered why.

When we reached this sign, we quickly figured out the significance of the day.

It was December 7th, 2014, the 73rd anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

This sign explaining the Gold Star Wall at the memorial puts the cost of the human sacrifice during World War II into perspective, with the 405,399 American dead and missing second only to the loss of Americans during the U.S. Civil War.

Next we walked to the nearby Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. I especially appreciated the quotes of Dr. King.

Our next destination, Arlington National Cemetery, was too far away to walk, so we scheduled a ride with Uber, which proved to be a terrific way to get around the metro area.

At the cemetery, we headed to the Tomb of the Unknown Solider.

While we were there, a group of veterans from the Austin Honor Flight presented a wreath at the memorial.

Later in the day, as I was waiting to board my flight to leave Washington, I learned that there were 13 Pearl Harbor WWII veterans from the Austin area attending a special Pearl Harbor Day ceremony at the National WWII Memorial in Washington D.C.

Once again in a random circumstance, I was on the same flight at these Pearl Harbor veterans. While waiting to board the plane, I chatted with one of the gentlemen, asking him how old he was on the day of the Pearl Harbor attack. “I was 21,” he answered. “I was blessed then and I’ve been blessed with good health my entire life.”

It was touching to be a part of the flight: everyone at Reagan National Airport cheered for the Veterans as they boarded the plane.   We applauded them before takeoff, and once again upon landing in Austin.

I’ll always remember December 7th and those Pearl Harbor veterans.

Have you happened into an event during your travels? Please share in comments below.

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This post includes an Uber referral link – if you use it you will get your first ride free and I will receive a ride credit. 

We recently stayed at the Hilton Milan hotel for two separate overnight stays.

We like the location of this hotel in downtown Milan, Italy only about a two-block walk from the Central Train Station.

We checked in around 12 noon after a long overnight flight, so we were excited to get into a room right away.

Room 771 is spacious with an “L” shaped layout. This hotel has nice little touches, like two robes and two bottles of water in a handy location on each nightstand.

Across from the king-sized bed, you will find a dresser, television and sleek work desk.

There is also a table and chair seating area, which provided a nice second works space. The little box on the table contained several delicious, dark chocolates.

As you enter the room, the dressing room area is off to the right, with an armoire, refrigerator and coffee-making station.

The bathroom contains a nice size tub with shower and a marble sink.

The toiletries were nice but the hairdryer was the old-fashioned low wattage type.

One of our favorite things about room 771 in the Hilton Milan was the stunning black and white photography, which is found throughout the hotel, but was a particularly refreshing upgrade from much of the “art” displayed in hotel rooms.

We enjoyed an Italian lunch in the Cosmopolitan Lobby Bar Lounge. The lunch special included a make-your-own salad bar and your choice of pasta or pizza. My pasta (pictured above) was perfectly ala dente with a fresh sauce.

Mr. Jones enjoyed the crispy, thin crust salami pizza.

As a nice perk for Hilton Honors Diamond guests, we were offered breakfast in our choice of the executive lounge or the extensive buffet in the Pacific Milano Restaurant, which we choose because it opened earlier and we had an early departure.  It was a good choice – the breakfast buffet is second to none with an array of hot and cold breakfast items and a machine that squeezes the juice from fresh oranges right before your eyes into your glass.

The Hilton Milan is a Category 8 Award in the Hilton Honors program.

We recommend this hotel for business or leisure travel in Milan.

What’s your favorite hotel in Milan, Italy? Please share in comments below. 

We stay in a lot of Hilton properties around the world. Check out these posts for a look inside some of them:

• A Peek Inside the Conrad Chicago
• A Peek Inside New York City’s Hilton Times Square Hotel
• Traveling With a 12-Year-Old: The Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina Hotel
• A Look Inside the Hilton Beijing Capital Airport Hotel
• A Look Inside the Conrad Centennial Singapore Hotel
• A Look Inside the Hilton San Francisco Airport Bayfront Hotel
• A Peek Inside the Parmelia Perth Hilton Hotel, Australia
• A Peek Inside Chicago’s Palmer House Hilton Hotel

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