When traveling, whether a short trip or a long one, pack smart. Most airlines charge you for bags (unless you belong to their exclusive loyalty clubs) and some are now even charging for carry-on bags. Here are some tips that might help you.
Take only what you need
Keep your items to a minimum. Do you have a shirt that only goes with these pants and no other pants match it? Leave it at home. Take outfits that will mix and match easily. Make sure what you take will not wrinkle or will lose the wrinkles quickly when unpacked. If you are traveling for more than five days, plan your trip around a hotel with a laundry or a laundry service (if your time is valuable).
Fold Vs Roll
So travelers swear by rolling their clothes, claiming it compacts them and removes the air. Others say folding is just as good. I suggest a hybrid of the two, gallon ziplock bags. Why?
Fold that shirt or pair of pants and slide it into a ziplock bag. From the bottom, roll out the air and zip the bag. You can fit more cloths into your suit case (we average about 25% more). An added benefit is that you can put your used laundry into a ziplock bag and keep your clean cloths fresh. And, if you place a dryer sheet into the “dirty” cloths, you can wear them once more without laundering them. (Things like Tide sticks helps to get out small spills and such.)
Also, don’t forget that things like belts should not be rolled. You can p;ace them around the outer edge of the suitcase and they will take less room. Taking an extra pair of shoes? We always do. Make sure you fill them; they are a good place to put rolled up socks, or underwear.
Suitcase Organizers (Packing Cubes)
Another packing tip is to use organizers like Packing Cubes. This goes back to the old days of steamer trunks where everything had its own compartment instead of being lumped together in one bag. Organizers can keep items separated by utility or use. Unlike the ziplock bags though, they do not keep air (and odors) from leaking over completely, but they are still a good way to keep things together.
Pack vs Unpack
If we are ever staying more than a day in a hotel (even on a tour), we tend to unpack and use the dresser drawers to let our items “breath”. It keeps the hotel a little less cluttered and it also makes a hotel room feel more like a home away from home. It can be a little more work, but we find the effort worth it.
Let the kid(s) play grown up.
Kids want to emulate their parents as they are growing up. Get them their own suitcase with wheels and let them feel like older. It leaves room in your suitcase. The draw back is that you now have to remember to look after two or more bags.
0 Comments