Suitcase packing tip for those who fly

[LaurenT]

I check everything (and I used to be a flight attendant). I just prefer not lugging stuff around. And if my bags are delayed, destroyed or lost, I look at it as permission to go shopping!
Of course, if I had special clothes I needed for a marathon or wedding or something, I'd carry those on.

[Herfnerd]

Originally Posted by LSUfan4444

I know, I was there with my three year old, which is how I know I could not have packed her (or probably my wife) in a carry one for an 8 day trip in a manner which would have been beneficial to us.

I don't wear jeans to a nice dinner, I wear slacks. And I don't go straight from the parks. We take our time and dress as we feel appropriately, which means we don't look like we just stepped off Main Street when we sit down for some dinners.

Also, a ten year old boy and a three year old girl are not in the same ballpark when it comes to what they need to have packed. Heck, they're not even in the same sport.



I have no doubts you believe that to be true. Of course you believe your preference to be smarter, regardless of whether it works for someone else or not. I sincerely believe that's how you think.

Problem is, I think packing lighter is only smarter for some people in some instances, not all the time. When it causes me to spend more on food and do more laundry, alot of the time, it is not smarter.

All this is irrelevant and doesn't address the main point that packing things in different bags no matter how many bags you have or how you fly with them is probably a good idea for most people.

Originally Posted by LSUfan4444

I feel like I entered a thread on the Restaurant board asking for the "Best Steak at WDW" and I'm reading form vegetarians telling the OP that their diet is deficient.

Never said my way of packing was better than any others, and yes, I do know that my way is best - for me. But since you titled this thread Packing Tips for those that Fly, I only added my tips - never once inferred that your way was "deficient".

As one who has traveled more than my share around the world, was simply adding my 2 cents. One way you could avoid that situation is by having everything with you. And yes, my packing method does include a suit

[atp]

Thank you for the tip, OP and I'm sorry your clothes and garment bag got ruined! I would be so upset.

I'll make sure to only use a sturdy bag to protect my stuff better since you never know what will happen to the bag. I have never used garment bags but have used other similar bags that would not survive what happened to your garment bag either. I guess a sturdier bag would be able to handle almost anything.

[KrazeeK120]

DH and I did a 4-night trip last March and a 3-day trip this past weekend on 1 checked bag (for the two of us) and each had a "personal item." This past weekend, we flew on Allegiant, so we wanted to be as efficient as possible so as to avoid baggage fees!

I agree with those that said to pack a change of clothes in your carry on/personal item. Also, I buy travel-size EVERYTHING. Shampoo, face wash, hair spray, sunscreen, lotion, etc. It really helps free up space in the bag, and a lot of it I can fit into my 1-quart bag and just carry it on. Also, I will wear the same PJs more than once. That also helps save room. Actually, I will occasionally wear jeans more than once unless they get really dirty (which I've never had happen). I figure I won't die from wearing the same pants twice. I do take a new shirt for every day.

We shove as much as we can into our personal items. It's surprising sometimes what you can fit in there!

I also wore a sweatshirt onto the plane and carried on a heavy jacket. You can carry on a coat for free. That way, I essentially had 2 layers that didn't even have to be packed. It was helpful because the day we were at MK was very chilly in the morning and I appreciated having the heavier jacket.

[ttintagel]

Originally Posted by la79al

Getting offended when someone else feels that packing less is smarter isn't really necessary.

Because everybody loves being called dumber.

[beansmom]

Originally Posted by ttintagel

Because everybody loves being called dumber.

i really don't take packing a suitcase so personal.

[ZoZo]

Originally Posted by LSUfan4444

In any event, regardless of whether you travel one with one or four bags, check or carry on...if you are traveling with someone else who has at least one bag, you might want to consider splitting up how some of the items are packed in the event a bag is lost, destroyed or stolen.

Great advice! Thanks - I bet most people don't even think about doing this.

[DakotaRose]

Yes, OP, that is good advice, and something we have done for years from lessons learned the hard way. One travel tote has one change of undies, a swimsuit, and a toothbrush for each of us, plus a phone charger. The other tote has snacks, decks of cards, magazines, etc. Our latest learning experience was 8 hours in Colorado Springs airport. Just after the shops and eateries closed for the evening, flights were cancelled due to severe weather. Flight attendants ended up going onto the grounded planes to gather pretzels and water for the crowd. People were sharing newspapers and cell phone chargers. I had brought along granola bars and cheese sticks, and we had a dinner picnic on the floor while playing canasta with our kids.

[momof2gr8kids]

Thanks for the reminder. My friend told me this a while ago, as they do this since they had a piece of luggage go missing on a trip.

I'm starting to pack our clothes tomorrow, so I will be sure to mix it up!

[Lizard Valley]

OP has a good point, and I learned this the hard way...I had a piece of luggage go "permanently missing" after bringing my newborn son back home for his first visit to family and friends. They "lost" all the expensive baby clothes and gifts, plus the only clothes that fit me post-delivery. I was also bringing home a huge stack of my childhood children's books, and had bought a duffle bag to fit them into...I was so worried that the duffle bag would get lost, that I split the books between the suitcase and the duffle bag. The duffle bag made it home; the suitcase didn't . I was grateful not to have lost all of my books, but I haven't checked a bag since.

That being said, I'm a flight attendant, and I know how to pack. I travel often with my 3 kids, and just got back from an 18 day trip to Mexico with one rollerboard and one backpack each.

I'm already packed for my 12-day Disney trip in a month (I never unpacked after Mexico - it's not like they'll be wearing shorts here anytime soon - minus 40 here today...).

In each rollerboard we have:

4 shorts
4 s/s t-shirts
1 l/s t-shirts
1 polo shirt (for dressier occasions)
4 underwear
4 socks
1 bathing suit
1 pair jeans
1 set of PJ's
comfortable sandals that look dressier (for me).
crocs for the pool area

(This only takes up about 2/3 of the rollerboard, leaving lots of room for souvenirs. Last year we brought home EIGHT Lego sets in our rollerboards and still had room to spare).

In the backpack:

1 each of t-shirt, shorts, socks, underwear, another bathing suit. I carry all my travel-sized liquids (shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, toothpaste, basic make-up, deodorant, toothbrushes for all). I bring a ziplock baggie with a few Purex 3-in-1 laundry sheets, and a stack of extra-extra large ziplock bags for lego sets and wet bathing suits.

We wear:

l/s t-shirt, hoodie, pants (not jeans so those are our dressier pants for dining out), all weather coat, running shoes. Hat, scarves, mitts go in outside pocket of suitcase when we arrive at the airport.

I plan one laundry day half-way through the trip; at the values, the laundry facilities are next to the pool, so it's no bother getting it done while we swim. We're DVC now, so we have laundry facilities in our room.

The reality is that we don't need to wear something different every day, we have everything we need to handle all kinds of weather, and never have to wait for our luggage at destination.

Packing for a cruise is a whole different ballgame though

[Badamon]

[QUOTE=Lorilais_mommie;47296649]You should look up packinglightdotcom!!


I checked this site out....thanks for the tip! I'm going to give this packing method a try starting tomorrow!

[cruisingkat]

I usually tend to bring a lot - but we are usually gone from two weeks to over a month and I hate to spend time washing clothes while I am seeing and doing new things. We always cross pack. I stack up everything we are bringing on the bed, keeping like items together (my underwear, his underwear, my shirts, his shirts, etc). When packing the suitcases, I divide each individual stack by the number of suitcases we are bringing and put each mini stack in a suitcase.
I put the hanging clothes (if we are bringing any) on an over-the-door rack - since our rolling suitcases have mini garment bags inside, I can divide those up too so they don't all have to go in the garment bag - although I have a Travel Pro garment bag that when folded and zipped is like a suitcase.
This way if one bag gets lost, at least we have something for each of us for all occasions.

[ThreeBeans]

Oh man, you poor thing Is the airline compensating you fairly?


( )




When we fly, well, there are six of us, so one checked bag a piece. If one got lost, someone's gonna be naked for a week

[comedyclaire]

Family trip to WDW - four suitcases, four people. Everyone has 25% space in all four cases so if one case goes missing we all still have clothes. ;-)

[lajspeech]

Originally Posted by Herfnerd

Actually, the Paris trip was with my young son at the time - a father/son trip. He was 10. And the weather last week varied between 40's at night and upper 70's during the day so we did have to pack accordingly

I don't call it traveling lighter but traveling smarter. I was simply posting another tip regarding those who fly - I may be in the minority but its just as valid as yours, ;-)

I agree with you FWIW. I packed myself, my husband, and our (at the time) 18mo old DD in 1 suitcase and 1 under seat carry on TOTAL for 15 days in Croatia this summer. (Also brought an umbrella stroller and a car seat). We were ALWAYS appropriately dressed and dont look like we're wearing the same outfit in every picture. Ya gotta know WHAT to bring, how to make it versatile.

Luggage for 2 adults and 1 child for 15 days in Croatia:


Out carseat/stroller arrangement: