Managing to cram all our belongings into a TSA approved carry-on can be a challenge but in the long run, you'll have less to keep track of and if your usual airline charges for checked bags, it'll save you some major cash. During this year, we've taken four trips all with just our carry-on luggage and a personal item each. Because Southwest never has the cheapest options for us, we tend to fly American and U.S. Airways. AND since they charge for checked bags, we've learned to scale down on what we need and pack with only our carry-ons. It took a lot of trial and error but we've finally been able to perfect it and this year alone, it's saved us $200.00 ($25 for a bag X 2 for round trip travel X 4 trips)! Below are our tips to successfully pack a carry-on with everything you need. 1. Don't Overpack Thank you, Captain Obvious! But seriously, the only way you can get through air travel without the baggage fees is by limiting what you take with you. Lay out everything you had planned to pack and see if there's anything you can live without. Style your outfits to re-wear basic pieces like your denim and jackets, take one fancy shoe (yes, just one) and ladies, leave excessive toiletries and your blow dryer at home, the hotel will have those for you. 2. Up Your Packing Skills Stuff and Roll. We stuff our small items -socks, underwear, tanks- into shoes and we roll our thicker items into the center of the carry-on. Then we stuff the remainder of the bag with rolled blouses, under shirts, and belts, kind of like a filler to make the bag void of any dead space. Anything valuable we take in our personal item because sometimes planes will have limited overhead storage and this causes passengers to valet check carry-ons. This is a free service but the bag is out of your possession until you get off the plane. 3. Utilize Your Personal Item This is something we learned late in the game. We used to use our personal items for our camera bag and a purse. We were amateurs! Just from observation, we noticed that other passengers were getting pretty large duffel bags on the plane along with their carry-ons. The flight attendants don't seem to care how big the bag is as long as it fits completely under the seat. So I decided to start packing my Vera Bradley (large size: 22" W x 11 1/2 H x 11 1/2 D) duffel as my "personal item". Dudes, use a backpack or in Chase's words "a tactical duffel." Yes, you will lose some leg room with a large bag under there BUT it's worth the extra packing space. 4. Wear Your Bulkiest Items on the Plane Because there are no restrictions on passenger weight, if you can wear it, you can take it! This is your chance to embrace hobo-ness (but no nap sack on a stick, they frown on that 😉). When we fly from Austin to Indiana for Christmas, I always wear my thickest coat and tall boots. If we plan on packing a hat, instead of leaving room so they won't get smashed, we just wear them. Wearing thick sweaters, heavy denim, and chunky items can free up room in your carry-on. This is a dramatization... wearing three hats, in the very least, might raise some eyebrows! If you have any packing questions or tips, especially for longer than a week (that's the longest we've managed with a carry-on), comment below!
Until Next Time, C + D
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1/9/2023 11:16:26 am
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