About two weeks before we left for the Solar Eclipse Cruise '09, a coworker of mine asked me if I was finished packing yet. "Finished?" I replied, "I don't start until the day before. I'm a professional packer."
It's true, I don't start packing until a day (or two at the most) before a long trip. I have a standard packing checklist that I use, and note anything special on the bottom so I don't forget it.
This exchange made me think about why it takes some people a week to pack, and I have it down to about 2 hours (at most). Here are some tried & true tips from our years of traveling the world:
1. Limit yourself to 1 large + 1 carry-on per person. Choose a sturdy suitcase with various pockets in it, and be sure to weigh it before you leave home. Airlines are now serious about charging for overweight bags. Frank's bag was 8 pound over the 50 pound limit, but Alex & I were each 10 pounds under, so they let it slide. The United Airlines Gate Agent said that they would have charged him $150 for the extra weight if he had been traveling alone. Also, luggage carts and cute luggage handlers are not always readily available, so try to take only what you can carry yourself, and if your child is old enough, make sure he or she can manage wheeling a bag and their carry-on. If you have an infant or toddler who can't help out, try to make sure that you can handle the bags yourself. Otherwise, save up for a personal sherpa.
2. Use (and reuse) plastic zipper bags: I have thought of writing an entire post dedicated to my love of Zip-loc bags, especially when traveling with kids. When Alex was a baby, I would pack an outfit-a-day in a plastic bag.
This time, I tried Space Bags To Go. I saw these at the OCD Holy Land aka The Container Store, and bought a set. The ones I've seen on TV required a vacuum cleaner, but who carries a vacuum on vacation? The solution is Travel Space Bags, which do not require a vacuum. You roll the bags until the air escapes out of a bottom air vent, specifically designed to not let air back in. Your clothes look like they've been run through a Foodsaver machine, but they take up about half the space as normal and make it easier to zip your luggage. I posted Twitter that I was trying these out. A Twitter friend, @gilajenn, tweeted me back saying that about 50% of them failed after one use, so I should be forewarned. Based on her advice, I packed some extras. As it turned out, I only blew up one of them, and the rest worked fine on the return journey. Better safe than sorry, so pack a few empties for the return trip.
Next time, I plan to pack one outfit per day, including underwear, socks, and accessories in one bag, so I can just pull out a bag and leave the rest packed. They make good laundry bags, too, so you can repack as they fill up. I tried to use regular ziplock bags, and they worked fairly well for small items if you squeeze the air out before resealing them. They don't work as well as the Space Bags, but are a less expensive alternative. You can also blow up plastic bags using a drinking straw to create air pillows to place around breakable items.
3. Keep your toiletries always packed. I have a toiletries kit that always has a travel toothbrush, travel-sized toothpaste, shampoo and bodywash, that never gets unpacked. If you have the basics always packed, even if you only use them once a year, you will cut down on running around the house or going to Walgreen's in a panic looking for a small tube of toothpaste the night before your trip. If you want to take them in your carry-on, remember to put them in a clear plastic bag for airport inspection. Add your meds, tampons, fancy face creams, sunblock, and other items specific to the trip right before you leave.
4. Pack a spare nylon duffel bag for all the junk you acquire. If you're going to a far-off exotic land, you will be inclined to snag as many tourist trinkets as you can possibly carry back to the folks back home. If you are going to visit your mother in Des Moines, she will likely want to load you down with sweaters she's been knitting for the kids, or some of her blue ribbon winning jams and preserves (or we should all be so lucky). Either way, your carefully packed and organized suitcase was not meant to take on any of this delightful stuff. So, just in case you go nuts, pack a light-weight nylon duffel bag in case you need it. On international trips, you can normally check 2 bags, so even if you only check one on the way out, you can check the second one on the way back. On domestic flights, you may have to pay for checked luggage, but it will still be cheaper than shipping it home.
5. Pack no more than 3 pairs of shoes. I once read that a woman should only travel with 3 pairs of shoes: 1 pair of white sneakers, 1 pair of black flats and 1 pair of red high heels. I've long ago abandoned the red high heels for the practicality of either hiking boots (for snow excursions) or Teva Sandals (for summer/beach excursions). Shoes are heavy, bulky and take up a lot of precious space in your suitcase. Unless you are going to a shoe design conference or BlogHer, leave the Manolos at home and go with the comfortable Keds. Your feet will thank you after you've traipsed all over the Louvre. Besides, no one will be looking at your feet unless they have some kind of fetish, and then well, eww.
