They say you can’t take it with you, but we disagree. And, even if we do say it ourselves, we are extraordinarily good packers. We will do anything to avoid paying baggage fees and we want to help you pack more efficiently too. Planes are the trickiest, as they are the most restrictive. But all of our packing tips are useful for cars and trains and boats as well – and even more useful if you are backpacking and carrying everything yourself. So, let’s get to it!
Preparing
- Find out how much luggage is allowed in terms of pieces and weight. Do not go over that amount or they will charge you a lot of money and your bargain ticket will not be such a bargain any more. This is how they get you. We’ve invested in a (light!) luggage scale in order to make sure we do this right (see below), and we try to fly with a limited number of airlines to maximise our status (which sometimes gives you additional baggage allowance).
- Keep a list. We used to have a permanent list, with subcategories for business travel, adventure travel, and very long trips. Now we just pack everything we own, which makes it a bit easier. But you probably don’t want to pack everything you own, so you should have a list. (See our minimalist wardrobe post for a clothing template.)
- We have a lot to say about what you should pack. For now, we’ll say that nearly all of our clothes are hand-washable and dry fairly quickly, and that we love things that do double-duty: shampoo + conditioner? Yes please! Trousers that zip into shorts? Absolutely!
- Think too about how you are packing. Heavy stuff on the bottom, of course. But also, imagine for a moment that you work in airport security: what, if anything, would catch your eye in a not-good way? Put that stuff near the top in case it needs to be taken out and examined.
Checked Luggage
Once upon a time, we never checked luggage. Even for trips of over a month. Now we are like the turtle, carrying everything on our backs, so we usually do check suitcases. We like TUMI (UK address): their stuff is nearly indestructible and takes a beating, plus it’s well-designed on the inside. They have soft-sided carry-on bags too, which have lasted us for years.
First of all, roll things tightly instead of folding. If you will be living out of a suitcase (rather than unpacking), roll together either whole outfits or whole categories (i.e. all t-shirts together). Rolling takes up less space and decreases wrinkles. Not that you should be travelling with clothes that need ironing anyway!
Some people use packing cubes or envelopes or vacuum bags. We don’t, but you might find that they help you to organise things. We do separate socks, underwear, and other small things into bags, most of which were presents from various airlines. There is much to be said on both sides in the age-old debate about things in shoes vs. no things in shoes. We are stuffers – every inch counts! – but do keep in mind that we’re talking about shoes and sometimes, you know, they don’t smell so great.
Put (most) liquids in your checked luggage; it makes things infinitely easier. And think creatively about what is a liquid: in some countries, gels and aerosols (and even certain foods) count as liquids, so you may get held up if those are over the 3 oz. limit.
Carry-on Luggage
In go the things you don’t want in your luggage. If the airline doesn’t weigh carry-on luggage and you’re worried about how much stuff you have, put the heavy things in here. We also put our tech and chargers, a change of clothes, snacks, water bottles, and any medicines or prescriptions required for the next few days.
‘Personal Item’
This is your secret weapon if you use it right! Choose a laptop bag, backpack, or tote over anything smaller. A purse, if you carry one, could and should fit inside this bag, leaving room for sandwiches and books and all kinds of other stuff. Laurel’s personal item is a lot like Hermione’s bag with its Undetectable Extension Charm. Anything, or rather, everything, goes in there, and it squishes down to fit into whatever shape is needed. In fact, there may well be a family of badgers living in there; we’ll never know. Finding things inside is tricky because of the black lining, but it’s still the single best travel bag she has ever owned. If you have things you really do need at hand at all times, put them here too, in case you end up having to check your carry-on item: money, passports, credit cards, etc.
Pockets
These are your secretest of secret weapons. They don’t weigh you on airlines (yet!). So if you wear things with lots of pockets you can get so much additional stuff on board. How much? (Evil villain laugh here… A LOT!) We’ve been fans of ScotteVest for years. They are so clever at hiding things that you could own one of their items for months before you discover all its pockets. The jackets and hoodies are superb (buy a larger size to put more in the pockets), but we’re also fans of their trousers, skirts, and tops. The only downside is the weight on your neck once you are fully stocked. Still, bulk up your trapezoids for this in the weeks before a trip and you’ll be fine. Our advice is to carry stuff on your person whenever you can. If you are not into fancy travel clothing, wear a regular jacket with pockets and put things in the pockets. In desperate times, we have worn two jackets, one over the other. And we have taken weekend trips without any luggage at all using our multiple pockets.
What are your best packing tips?
