We're sharing our best tricks and tips to pack your bags as light and efficient as possible for your next getaway. Anyone who has ever flown for a vacation can tell you, packing for the trip can be tricky. Each airline company has their own set of weight restrictions that can make packing feel like a major chore. Carry-ons can only be so big, your "personal item" has to fit under the seat in front of you, the checked bag weight limit usually ranges around 50 pounds and if it's over the limit, you may as well buy your bag its own seat. Those who drive for their vacations have a lot more flexibility but depending on how big the trunk is and how many people are along for the trip, space can run out quickly and make that drive across the country feel A LOT longer. It really can be a pain to travel, especially when flying with all those special restrictions. Since we tend to fly for our vacations, we've been through the ringer and have certainly been those people at the ticket counter rearranging our luggage while the American Airline ladies laugh at us for overpacking. BUT we've gotten better with every trip and we've compiled a list of our favorite tips for packing lightly and getting to your destination peacefully.
-Make a packing list- This has saved us so much time and energy. We write everything on it, from toiletries and clothing all the way down to the things we want to unplug before we leave. We even write out our itinerary and coordinate outfits based on the activities planned. It helps us remember every single thing, even those black socks. Trust me, do you want to be that guy wearing white socks with your black dress pants and shoes... You'll thank the list later! We tend to start on the list about a week before the trip. Things usually get added to it as the trip gets closer which takes extra stress away from D-day. Chase who is not a list maker -EVER- has mentioned how nice it is to have everything written down because it makes packing a ton easier. -Don't overpack- In theory, that seems so easy. Then you start packing and realize your favorite shoes didn't make it in. How can you live without those shoes for a whole week? Oh, and that jacket could come in handy! And you can't forget an extra handbag that goes with that one outfit you're planning on wearing... All of a sudden your Mrs. Potato Head packing "your angry eyes...just in case" (Toy Story 2 reference. Google it, it's hilarious). It can get out of hand fast and all of a sudden your sitting on our suitcase trying to make it zip. Perfect! Except, it's not perfect. You have zero room for anything you might buy on vacation and if it's over the weight limit and you have to pay that extra $75 for your bag, there goes your souvenir money! If you stick to the things you know you'll actually need and use, everything else will be fine at home. Even your favorite shoes! And who knows, maybe you'll find an even better pair out and about that you'll want to buy! -Re-wear staple pieces- Up in No. 1, we mentioned that our list involves planning out our outfits depending on daily activities and places we plan to visit. We tend to pack a few staple pieces that can be re-worn and re-styled throughout the trip. We stick to things like dark denim that easily hides stains, cardigans that can be worn as a layering sweater or jacket, and having one color accessory like brown belts and shoes instead of needing both black and brown. Shoes seemed to be the hardest accessory for us to scale back on. But it was eye opening when we realized we were packing shoes and wearing them just once! All that space wasted for a shoe I wore once? We started planning outfits based around our more comfortable pairs of shoes and left the more specific footwear at home. Don't get me wrong, you can still pack a versatile shoe or heel, but pack a pair that can be styled several times to get the most out of them! -Utilize as much space as possible- Lots of people have different techniques with how to save space when packing. Some suggest rolling all your clothes, others say to pack your toiletries in the top zipper part of the carry-on to save space in the bottom half. The one thing we've found that works well is stuffing our shoes and hats with socks and underwear. It keeps the form of both the hat and shoes and frees up space that was already taken up by those items. We try to put all our heavy items in our carry-ons so our checked bag can hold more. This ends up being shoes and denim in the carry-ons and tees and button-ups in the checked bag. Because of convenience, we tend to put our toiletries in the checked bag so it's one less thing we have to pull out of our carry-ons during security. One last thing, leave your blow dryer at home! Almost every hotel has a blow dryer and that hair tool is usually heavy and bulky. Leaving it at home frees up two big packing issues! -Bring an extra bag just in case- One thing that has saved us several times on overweight fees is an extra duffel bag that we pack in our luggage. It's about $50 cheaper to pack an extra bag in our luggage and check it at the end of trip rather than cram all of our belongings and trip souvies into one bag and pay the overweight fee. We use a large Vera Bradley duffel that is cotton and extremely collapsable so it takes up very little room to pack and weighs maybe two pounds! We usually pack it when we fly home for Christmas or when we are gone longer than a week. When we went to Iceland and South America, we used the duffel as a laundry bag and kept the more fragile items in our structured suitcase. Another great thing about the VB duffel is they are washable so using it as a laundry bag works really well. If you have any tips or tricks for making the packing process easier, mention it in the comments below! Until Next Time, C + D
2 Comments
Paige
2/8/2015 02:28:30 pm
What's your experience with lost luggage? I always make sure anything really important like medicine and jewelry are with me in my carry on.
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Danielle
2/9/2015 12:38:19 am
We've lost luggage twice. Once on our departure home from a trip and once at the beginning of a trip. Both nerve-wracking but yeah, you are right. Keeping all the important stuff on you is best. I carry a large purse (almost a personal duffel) and put all my jewelry, electronics, documents, etc in it so if anything is lost or stolen from my checked back, those more important items won't be messed with.
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