Five Reasons Why I Do Laundry While Traveling on Vacation

As someone who travels multiple times a year, I have learned valuable lessons over time. If I am traveling for more than three days, I will usually find myself at a Laundromat in whatever city that I am visiting. While most people would think that doing laundry on vacation as a waste of time, I have found that there are many benefits that most people never think of.

Less Baggage
My favorite benefit of doing laundry while on vacation is the fact that if I only pack for half of my vacation time, I will have fewer pieces of luggage than the average person. My wife and I can usually get three days' worth of clothes into a few carry-ons. That means that I do not have to lug extra weight around with me at the airport or on the way to the hotel.

Saves Money
If I do laundry while on vacation, that usually means that I did not have to check any bags in at the airport. With the number of airlines that charge for excess baggage, I save money by doing one load at a local Laundromat. There was one trip that I took a few years ago in which the airline that I was flying was charging $26 for a checked bag. At the Laundromat, I only had to pay $3 for the one load that I was washing. I had packed my own small container of detergent, so I did not have to worry about that expense.

That Fresh Travel Smell
When I am going to be heading to a Laundromat on vacation, I place a few scented dryer sheets in my luggage. When I unpack, my clothing usually smells like it just got out of the laundry. I then use these dryer sheets when I head out to do my laundry.

Talk to Locals
I have always been able to strike up a conversation with at least one local while I am doing my laundry on vacation. I will usually ask about some of the sites that I am still planning to see. I have gotten tips about activities that are tourist traps, overpriced, local coupon deals, great restaurants, and other attractions that only locals would know about. I find that these conversations usually allow me to have a well-rounded trip. I also find that I will usually have experiences on the second half of my trip that few visitors every experience.

Relax
Vacations can sometimes be more strenuous then work. Almost everyone has had a trip or two where speeding from activity to activity or attraction to attraction causes more fatigue than ten hours of work. The hour and a half that I get to spend at the Laundromat helps me to refocus. When I am done getting the information that I need from locals, I will usually pull out a book and zone out for the rest of the time. I get to experience pure relaxation for at least a little bit on my vacation.