Traveling in recent years has become a game, and a challenge, with tougher security measures and airline baggage fees - and it's not getting any easier. Even the experienced traveler can find it difficult at times, but with some forethought and good planning, even a novice can be a pro when it comes to packing their bag for a week away.
Although a little tougher on a cruise (where you usually pack extra clothes for formal nights) it's not difficult to travel a full week with a 22" carry-on and a good sized bag for under the seat.
Advantages? Lots!
Your bag is with you and never gets lost in transit. There's no waiting at the baggage carousel for bags that may not appear, and you can glide through the airport and get on with your vacation! Plus, there's nothing nicer than the feeling of "freedom" you have from lugging around oversized, heavy suitcases!
I hope you'll find one or two travel tips on my page that you can use. I have truly tested each of these, so you know they'll work. Check in from time to time as I continue to add more!
Bags
Buy the best you can afford, but definitely check websites and reviews before you commit. Expensive does not mean better. Read up on the latest improvements in materials and hardware. There's nothing worse than starting a trip with a broken wheel or zipper.
And in this day and age of airplanes and weights, don't forget to consider the weight of the empty bag. It can vary quite a bit from bag to bag. Travel guru, Rick Steves, has designed an eco-friendly, well built, 7-pound suitcase.
Things to Save
Those plastic bags from your Sunday newspaper - Larger than the weekday bags, use them to wrap bottled liquids and to slide your shoes (stuffed with your socks) inside. If your travel umbrella doesn't come with a cover, these are a great substitute.
Dry cleaning bags, and more - layer small stacks of folded clothing inside to prevent wrinkles, which are caused when materials rub against each other during shifting. The bags protect your clothing from accidental spills, and, if your bag gets searched, the agents won't mess up your perfect packing job - they can see through the plastic!
You know those tiny zip bags that extra buttons from suits, coats, and sweaters, come in? They're great for taking a small amount of OTC medications like aspirin and allergy medications, or holding a few safety pins.
Zippered, heavy plastic pouches that pillowcases and other linens come tightly packaged in are another great help in packing. They're exactly like the over-priced packing cubes on travel websites - but free! Tightly roll up socks, t-shirt's, undies, pj's, workout clothes, and pack away! Again, TSA will be able to see through them without ruining your packing job, should they have to check your bags.
Magazine perfume samples - Tear out those paper samples. They're great for cutting down weight and a neat way to test a lot of different scents. I have several of them in my makeup bag.
Toilet paper tubes - You can corral phone and digital cords, chargers and other cables inside the cardboard tubes. Notch the ends to secure the plugs.
Rubber bands - pair up shoes, socks, and scuba flippers!
What to Pack
Let's face it, Girls. We like to look good when traveling. This isn't hard, but keep in mind when you travel it should be for comfort, as well as style. Keep the pieces simple, neutral, and in one color grouping - and in as non-wrinkle a fabric as you can find. Knits work great. 2-3 dark pants, several colorful tops, 2 sweaters, a light jacket, walking shoes (Brad and I always wear Clark's), low heels for evening.
A few large, beautiful scarves will do more for your outfit than a heavy bag of jewelry, and they can be used to cover bare shoulders in the cathedrals, act as an evening shawl, or give you warmth on a cold plane.
Lay the clothing you'd like to take out on the bed, see what can be mixed and matched a minimum of two times - even better is three. Then leave half of it at home. Really! Click on the "Tips, Links & Information" page to find packing lists for men and women, then print it out and use it to help in planning your vacation wardrobe - but think twice about what you need to take and what you will find in town, on the cruise ship, or in your hotel.
Bicycle locks - great for preventing suitcase theft in public places - just loop one through all your family's suitcase handles.
Soap case or Altoid tin - pack breakables like jewelry or fragile souvenirs, create a 1st Aid or survival kit.
A rain poncho - they take up no space, can cover you or your luggage in a sudden downpour.
A foldable nylon shopping sack - A girlfriend gave me one that I take on every trip, and it's wonderful. Folded up into its own self-pocket, it measures 3"x4" and weighs just grams. Opened up it's the size of a shopping bag, with handles and an inside pocket.
Flip flops - for beach, shower, and hotel room - because, you're not always sure....
Duct tape - A god-send! Wrap a couple yards around a golf pencil. I've used it to hold together a broken suitcase zipper, remove lint, or quick-fix a loose hem.
Dental floss - makes a great temporary shoelace or works as thread if you rip something or lose a button.
The Art of packing
And it truly is! There's much to consider, but, again, it's not hard.
There are several thoughts to packing a bag and I've tried a few. Some pro's espouse the "roll it up" method, some like the "layering outside the suitcase and overlapping" method.
My best luck has been with folding items carefully, making small piles of similiar-sized items, and sliding them into dry cleaning or large zip bags to make neat "packages". The first time I used this method was the first time I didn't have to drag the iron out of the hotel closet. It was great! Even better, TSA can see through the packages and won't un-do all your hard work.
Before you pack, think about the bag - it'll be either standing on end as you glide to your destination, or lying on its back in the airplane's overhead compartment. You want to keep things from shifting while in motion, so a fully packed (not overstuffed!) bag is the best.
With your opened suitcase on the bed, place your pants, folded once, on the bottom. If your suitcase has the extendable handle hardware that creates a bumpy bottom, you can "even" it out by placing undies, t-shirts, workout clothing, or pj's in between the rods. They don't wrinkle, no one will see them - it doesn't matter!
Put your sock and undie-stuffed shoes, placed inside plastic newspaper bags, to one end. They should be on the bottom when your bag is standing upright, so the bag won't be top heavy (which could cause tip-over) and the weight won't crush your clothing.
Layer your clothing "packages" in your bag, so they fit like puzzle pieces, then fill in any extra spaces with smaller items like underclothes, work out clothes, belts...things that don't wrinkle no matter what you do to them. Utilize the mesh pockets, to keep things from shifting. It's a great place to store scarves - they don't have to be over-folded and they stay wrinkle-free.
Your personal bag
Believe it or not, if you take your own, a three oz bottle of shampoo is MORE than enough for a week's travel. In the Caribbean I shampoo'd twice a day and I still had leftover! Check out the pharmacy or travel aisle at the grocery for the 3-ounce containers. Cruise lines also provide plenty of shampoo, conditioner, and body lotion in your room. Some even include body cleanser and mouthwash. If you're concerned that 3oz liquids aren't sufficient for your trip, check out Lush or (my favorite) "Morning Mist Farms" for solid shampoos, conditioners, and hair products.
And speaking of the travel aisle, have you noticed how extensive some of them have become?! Selling everything from toothpastes and deodorants, to lotions and shaving creams, laundry soap and spot cleaner, and anything you could possibly think of! They're all there - in maximum 3 oz sizes. Load up!
Never, never, place jewelry, electronic equipment, money, medication, or anything else of importance (yes, people have even packed their passports) in your checked luggage. Once it's checked - it's gone! You can't get it back. Those items, along with your boarding passes, itineraries and hotel information belong with you - in your carry-on luggage!
And a few more "good to know"
- In my cellphone I have a contact for "Airline" and "Hotel". I switch out the numbers for each before I leave on a trip.
- Send yourself an email that includes passport numbers and expiration dates, credit card numbers and expiration dates (don't forget the 3-digit security # on the back), people to contact in emergency, flight/hotel information, primary care physician's info, etc. It can be pulled up anywhere in the world, if needed.
- Before leaving home, scan your passport and attach it to an email to yourself. Again, you can pull it up from anywhere. As well, make two copies and keep one in your suitcase and leave one with a friend at home. Packing an extra set of photos can help expedite a passport replacement if you need one
- Xerox your flight info, hotel info and week's itinerary, and put it inside your suitcase - outside pockets if your luggage is locked. If your luggage gets mislaid your contact info is there, and you have a good chance of it catching up with you much quicker.
- Utilize Google Maps to create your itinerary with notes that can be accessed by friends and relatives at home. They can follow your journey.
- Internet time can be pricey on cruises - and I email a lot! Tip? Type your letter out in Word, then cut-and-paste to a new email. Internet (ergo money) time saver!
- European hotel beds are harder than what most of us are used to - vacuum pack a twin size foam bed pad. It'll end up the size of a folded towel.
- Ladies, save those foam flip-flops from your pedicures to use in hotel showers or around the room. They're lightweight, easy to pack, and can be thrown away when done.
- I'm always losing those tiny plastic pierced earring locks, so I take a thick/wide rubber band, cut off tiny squares and poke a hole in the middle with a safety pin. Keep them in a tiny zipbag that extra coat buttons come in.
- Need extra drawer space in your stateroom? After emptying your suitcases, slide one under the bed with the top open and use as you would a dresser drawer at home.
- Extra space in your luggage before your trip is a good idea so there's room for your overseas purchases. Fill those spaces with empty soda bottles. They add no weight and can be recycled as you fill your bag with souvenirs.
- Save the excess weight of canned shaving cream and use the lotions provided by the ship to shave your legs.
- Print out everything for your travel before you leave - airline boarding passes, parking instructions/reservations (if you fly out of a distant airport), copies of any advance reservations made for museums/restaurants/sights, and itineraries. Fold each item in thirds (business letter style), face out, and write the item name in red sharpie on the upper right hand side for easy viewing. Place inside a sturdy business envelope in order of use and tuck into your carry-on.
- Save those Cruise Logs that you're given at the end of your trip, as well as your daily entertainment schedules. You won't have time to write in your journal, no matter how hard you try, and the logs give you all kinds of information on your itinerary so that you don't have to scramble afterwards to remember what you did, where you were, and when!
Extra's you might like to pack
- suction hooks or the 3M removable-tape hooks for extra hanging in your stateroom.
- A shoe bag that hangs over the bathroom door to corral all the little things that can get in the way.
- a small flashlight (especially in an Interior Stateroom)
- energy bars or small zip bags of nuts to throw in your daypack
- a basic pocket knife
- battery operated candles for "mood lighting" (real ones never allowed!)
- magnetic ceiling hooks and a shower curtain to create an extra "room" (especially if there are more than two guests in the stateroom).
