My tarot travel pack

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 26 Apr 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

shadowdancer	26 Apr 2005
I have now finalised my travel pack and am so pleased with it. Whilst on my round the world trip I was restricted to taking a tiny deck of majors only, as I had to travel light due to the fact I was relying on a rucksack. However, I have wanted to put together a proper travel pack and have now done so. I basically used the empty case from a video cassette. The dust cover was removed, letting me make my own which I have done. The cover is titled, detailing the decks inside (Osho Zen and my baby Majors deck). It also sports a picture of two baby angels with their arms around each other. The rear cover shows the Great Invocation, which I silently say to myself prior to conducting a reading. The cassette case perfectly holds the two tarot decks and a mini card system showing 40 readings across a spectrum of areas. They were initially chosen as they could be used with Majors only, but lend themselves equally to full decks. Yes it is a tadge heavier than before but it fits wonderfully inside my travel vanity bag, which luckily for me, resembles a TARDIS. (loads of room inside but still is the same size as a ladies handbag). Just thought I would share it, as it was something I had been mulling over for ages but never found the right set up. I spent ages trawling the shops and internet for wooden boxes or even cardboard boxes the right size without success. This had been staring me in the face all along at home, and was easy to adapt. Davina

shadowdancer	26 Apr 2005
PS I don't want this to be a 'look what I have done' thread. I would love to know what others have done who like to have a deck with them at any time. Davina

snowy25	26 Apr 2005
Hi shadowdancer, Although I don't have a deck with me all the time I needed to have something special for protecting and taking the deck with me kind of purse. So some time ago I've found a bag suited for this. I can put a deck in the bag, I have a small notebook in it for notes and a pen. There is still a little space left over and I can wear it over my shouder, but it's small enough to put it into my handbag if needed. Love and light Snowy25

WolfSpirit	26 Apr 2005
shadowdancer you really put thought and love in your travel pack :) When I was travelling I took one deck with me (Ancestral Path) that I also kept in my hand luggage in planes. It already have its own box plus a crocheted bag that protected it against rough handling, but I wanted something to protect it against moisture as well in case my pack got wet. So I made another bag - a bit larger - from the fabric of an umbrella with faulty mechanism. It was also a fabric I really liked, it resembled snake skin and I was sorry I could not use the umbrella. So I was happy to find a use for the fabric ! I also sprayed the bag with water repellent when it was ready. This bag was big enough to hold my deck + a pen and small notebook. Next time I will also take a not too thin spread cloth as well, as I found I always wanted to take out my cards at beauty spots where there were no really safe surfaces to spread my deck on.

Marina	26 Apr 2005
I always take my deck with me, no matter what! I have a small gray bag, which is made from a water-resistent fabric, that has size enough for me to take my enchanted tarot around. However, it doesn't have much space for a pen, i guess, just a small notebook. While i don't manage to make another nicer bag (this one isn't very pretty), i use this one. At least it protects my cards. Now, thinking again...if i took my Thoth deck instead of my Enchanted, perhaps a pen would fit. Hum..gotta try :) Your travel pack seems to be really lovely, shadowdancer ;) ~Yuko

shadowdancer	26 Apr 2005
I love the idea of the umbrella material!! How to solve that waterproof issue. Don't laugh, but the video case did once house a Mel Gibson film - so it has a fond memory on more than one front! I even toyed with the idea of an old tampon box covered with wrapping paper of my choice. It was a good size, but not quite strong enough....lol Isn't it amazing how your imagination can go off on a tangent when trying to solve something. Nice to see I am not the only one out there who looks to have a 'special' deck for travelling etc. Davina

muteswan	26 Apr 2005
I've got my edges-removed Aquarian that I carry in my purse; it's little enough that I've never had a space problem with it, but the pictures are still large and vivid, which is great for an on-the-fly reading. I plan on taking it with me overseas this summer, so it'll have some history with it by the time it comes back to the States.

bleuivy	26 Apr 2005
You know, I have been thinking about ways to take my cards with me when traveling. I am addicted to backpacking. Whenever I get enough cash, I fly somewhere and live out of a rucksack for as long as my money will hold out, and then head home. I haven't been hiking or backpacking since I started seriously studying tarot, though. Your idea is a good one. One of my concerns had been the ability to keep the cards dry, as I've deffinately found myself in a deluge before. Ideally, I would like something that is very small and compact, padded, and water resistant. What I've come up with is this: At a travel store, I've found a soap holder that is made of rubber, seals to keep moisture in (but I will be using it to keep moisture out ;)), and inexpensive, which is always a good thing. I am going to make a spread cloth out of some very thin faberic, right now I am thinking silk, and use it to wrap my cards up. Most of my decks won't fit, but I have just ordered the LS Secret Tarot Mini, which should fit fine. As the large one is one of my favorite decks, I don't think I'll have a problem with having only one deck. The soap holder is large enough that I think a borderless Thoth, or perhapse the Ancestral Path, would fit in it in a pinch instead. Great thread.

Cerulean	26 Apr 2005
at a store that sold kayaking and boating kind of accessories--it had a pop-up lid and is hard plastic and a keyring loop. It reminded me of a soap container of sorts. Great ideas, I'll look myself. Regards, Cerulean

wellspring	26 Apr 2005
Made a huge pouch for deck and book, but have scanned each card and going to print them all out on card but mini-sized, and make a really small pouch to keep them in, and maybe put in a small reading cloth too. Stick a little piece of incense + bit of blu-tac and a t-light and have got a portable pack can use yourself or even do readings with! Cat

mike gorth	26 Apr 2005
Hmm. Interesting idea. It would be really wierd if I took one around with me because number one energy disruption and also I go to a catholic high school so I'd probably get to talk to the dean. I never thought of carrying one around anyway. Probably because I find that to get a great reading that I want a good answer to I need my space and silence but then again, that's just me. Mike Gorth

shadowdancer	27 Apr 2005
Some great ideas here for sure, especially for those who rely on limited space when backpacking. I did take a mini / Majors only deck with me, and the box was totally trashed after the 9 week hike. Cards remained excellent condition though. You have got me thinking for sure. I think if I went in luxury, and had a suitcase or it was just a few days with my vanity case I know I can use my re-vamped video holder. However, I know my partner bought a plastic container on our travels, for keeping his cash in. It is water tight as it was meant for use on the beach. I reckon I can see another re-cycle coming on here! Again, I think it will only be suitable for a mini deck but at least I won't have to worry about any boxes being damaged. Silk is lovely to use by the way. I had a silk sleeping bag liner and it felt wonderful. The whole thing weighed in at 60g so a cloth will take up no space and will weigh next to nothing. Davina

tarotbear	27 Apr 2005
I like the idea of the video cassette case! When I travel to Ireland/Scotland in July I am going to take one of the smaller decks with me, but I am travelling with standard luggage, not a rucksack, so I will wrap the deck in what will be the spreadcloth and put it in a drawnstring bag. Does anyone use those baby-wipe thingies that are folded towelettes in a square plastic container? Although not watertight, they are smallish and rigid.

waya	27 Apr 2005
I carry my backpack with me everywhere so space isn't really a problem for me. I just bought a small heavy cardboard box from Wal-Mart, and painted it up, put some blue and gold stars and moons ribbon around it. It'll hold a couple of decks, my reading cloth (which matches the box), my cone incense burner, a few cones of incense, couple of votive candles, small notebook and pen. I wanted something that I could pull out and have everything in for doing spur-of-the-moment readings. Kind of a DIY Tarot kit.

Emily	27 Apr 2005
I think there is some really good ideas on here - I too like the idea of a video cassette. Usually I just put my deck into a bag and wrap it well. I carry a notebook and pen in my usual shoulder bag but I was looking for a way to keep everything together. Also the spraying of a bag with water-proofing solution sounds like a good idea. :)

tarotbear	28 Apr 2005
What I use when I go on vacation is a shoulder bag that was meant to be a carry-case for a personal CD player and storage for 10 CDs. It's a little flatter than a box of standard tissues. I can fit one or two decks and the spreadcloth in it, also with some business cards (NEVER forget those!) tucked in one of the zipper pockets on the front. It's black and very unobtrusive (could be mistaken for a camera case) and the adjustable shoulder strap makes it easy to carry around the campgrounds.

bleuivy	28 Apr 2005
That sounds like a good idea, Tarotbear. I even have one of those types of cases, but I never thought to use it for tarot. The next time I'm traveling, and I decide I want to bring more than one deck, I think I'm deffinately going to steal your idea. :)

The My tarot travel pack thread was originally posted on 26 Apr 2005 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.