Chaahhh-ston, South Carolina

Last weekend, I went with seven of my girlfriends to Charleston, South Carolina for my bachelorette celebration.  We stayed in a lovely house on Folly Beach, an area of Charleston known for its "laid-back" atmosphere and accessible beaches.  It is not unlikely that you will see the majority of people riding bikes or driving golf carts rather than cars along the few streets that pass through the narrow island.  After a relaxing day on the beach, we had a tasty dinner at Taco Boy in downtown Folly.  I highly recommend the guacamole and cadillac margaritas - yum!  On Saturday, we lounged by the pool at our rental house and then headed downtown for a nice dinner and late night dancing.  

My List of Must Do's in Charleston

1. Shop on King Street: You can find both steals and high credit card bills on King Street.  For a variety of stylish, trendy (but not too trendy) clothing, visit Luna.  While their clothes can be pricy, their jewelry is fairly reasonable.  
2. Eat seafood, low country style: We ate at Chai's, a little Asian inspired tapas place.  I highly recommend sitting on the patio, ordering the shrimp and grits and tasting the sangria.  There are definitely more well-known places that are must-eats, like Magnolia's and the Old Village Post House both serving low country favorites like crab cakes and fried oysters. 
3. Relax on the beaches: Charleston has a handful of beaches in its outlying areas.  I prefer the no-fuss Folly Beach.
4. Snack on boiled peanuts: boiled peanuts are "green" peanuts boiled in water and salt.  The best ones are sold on roadside stands.  If you are feeling adventurous, try the spicy ones.
5. Experience the night life: Charleston has as an excellent variety of bars featuring nightly entertainment, ranging from relaxing piano music to lively horn-filled bands and loud dance clubs.  For hard to please crowds, try Trio Lounge. It features both a live Motown/shag band downstairs and club music upstairs.  Plus, it has a nice patio out back for a much needed cool down after dancing. 

My Fishpond

During the year before I began graduate school at CU-Boulder and work at Changes In Latitude Travel Store, I traveled to Georgia for one week each month.  I was completing an internship with a regional magazine there, which I still write for today (and luckily get paid to do so). Each time I went back, I packed in a massive 28" rolling duffel bag (mind you, this was before the dawn of fees for checked luggage).  

The turning point for me happened shortly after I began working at CIL.  A woman came in to the store to buy two new 28" suitcases.  She already had two at home, but decided she needed two more for her 14 day trip to Italy!  No wonder they started charging people for checked bags!  Anyway, this is when I decided that if I was going to help people learn how to pack light and efficiently, I better start practicing what I was preaching.  This, I decided, had to start with a new carry-on wheeled suitcase - something I had never owned before.

Close to one year after I began researching my options, CIL began carrying a new line of luggage: Fishpond.  The Colorado-based company originally designed fly-fishing accessories, but later decided that fly fishermen travel and thus added a line of luggage to their catalog.  Thank goodness - because their products are excellent!  They are incredibly well-designed, styled with bright colors and offered in a variety of shapes and sizes.

I chose the 21" Lariat Carry-On Wheeled Duffel in orange and green.  I love it!  It holds the most out of any carry-on suitcase that CIL carries - a great feature for the newbie to "carry-on only."  It is durable - they offer a lifetime guarantee.  It looks great - have I mentioned the fantastically bright colors that make yours stand out from the drab black ones?  I even received a compliment from a lovely TSA agent who was searching my bag last Christmas for its look and organizational components.  

I pop my plastic bag of liquids in the top front pocket, my laptop in the bigger front compartment and save the smaller front pocket for my special treats at the airport: an US Magazine and Budget Travel.