Laundry service in hotels
 

The price they charge for doing your undies is more than the replacement cost. I know most ladies don't want to send them out for hygenic reasons. Most guys' undies are way beyond their useful life span (rubber band died 10 years ago and full of bullet holes). We feel guilty having them laundered at US$7 each. It's quite a dilemma. We grew up with washing machines. Hand laundry is not our thing. I don't know anybody who actually turned them inside out and wear them again. So what do you folks do when you travel internationally for 10-20 days? I can't carry 20 pairs of undies. The custom guy would get suspicious.

[This message has been edited by henryw (edited 05-17-2002).]

Find a discount store at your destination and purchase the cheapest quality undies and throw them away after you use them. Less laundry as you travel and you'll always have clean ones.

It's almost impossible to do so overseas when you are not familiar with the place, no time, language problem, and considering the cost involved in taking a cab to get to such stores and back. It becomes a chore. I would rather spend the time sightseeing. For instance, where do I find such stores in Cairo, Tokyo or Milan?

We did a 2-week family trip to Asia in March.

One of the reasons I chose a 2BR villa in Phuket was because each villa had a washer/dryer. It was in the middle of trip. (The washer/dryer ended up not working very well, so the property ended up hand laudering all our clothes on the house, but that's another story altogether.)

For the rest of trip we just used the expensive laundry services when we needed to, just doing what was necessary.

If I travel on business and the trip is longer than 5 days, I end up using the hotels laundry service when I have to. Laundry is expensible at my company, but I try not to use it unless I have to because its so overpriced.

-David

Expensive laundry service in hotels is one thing. I'm much more annoyed about the quality of the laundry service: dirty washing doesn't come back clean (as you're used at home); "sensitive" clothes like suits aren't treated with care.

My strategy for taking clothes is:
1.) Take as much as possible in the luggage (if you don't put clothes in the luggage you'll find anything else you won't need and take with you)
2.) Take some very cheap (or old?) clothes with you and throw them away
3.) Buy some clothes at the destination (laundry in the hotel is expensive!) if necessary

Well, if time is a critical factor, just bring enough to cover your entire trip and lug them wherever you go, or just pay for the hotel laundry service as the others have suggested. As to where to find such stores, ask someone at the hotel front desk.

Well,
As a female, I can tell you that underwear laundering is pretty much part of my daily
travel routine. I wash out my smalls every day before bed and they are usually dry.

For our family trip to Rome two weeks ago, we stayed in an apartment that had a washer and lots of clothes racks. Worked great for my dad and partner, they both had dry clothes within hours.

My brother who met us at the end of another trip had 12 days worth of smalls packed. He just never thought of doing laundry.

lala

See the great laundry threads in the Women Travelers section of this forum. Lots of good suggestions and tips there.

Best hotel laundry prices and service are found in small hotels in Bali. Prices are incredibly inexpensive and items are back in your room on the same day.

Lalala: but don't you think it's ridiculous? When we travel for business, sometimes we spend a few days negotiating multi-million dollar deals. And after a long day and long dinner, when we get back to our room we still have to do hand laundry!!!
In North America it's dryer here, and undies can dry overnight. In some humid zones they don't. Several times I found that out in the morning and had to iron them or dry them on the lamp shades. That's why most lamp shades in guestrooms are stained.

Dianne, I couldn't find that thread. Have they moved it?

I forgot to mention the laundry thread in the Women Travelers area is mis-spelled. It shows up as the topic "Laudry" and was posted by Punki. Right now the last post was 3-30-2002.

I'm suprised no one has mentioned the option of going commando. I guess Joey from "Friends" dosen't read this forum.

What is 'going commando'?

What I want is a compact desk-top size washer and a microwave dryer in club rooms. Have them built into the bathroom. I can wash my underwear, socks and hankerchief everynight while working at my laptop or watching TV. Add a premium to the rent if you wish. I won't feel the pain. Most importantly I won't have to worry about this small but crucial detail in my business trips. I can travel lighter and won't have to ration my undies (or going commando) while trying to close the deal with my clients.

It means you are wearing no underwear. It means you are "au natural" under your kilt.