1 piece of luggage??

[Livelovedance]

We also got these ebags backpacks for our carry ons last year. DH got this one and I got the "Junior" as I am 5'3". These are seriously awesome carry ons especially for European airlines,, but they fit *so* much and organize everything for you. Seriously, watch the video:

https://www.ebags.com/hproduct/ebag...MItNKlxsDJ3AIVw0CGCh1fygzFEAQYAiABEgKFbvD_BwE

Here's the video. It looks like it's not on the item page anymore:

Omg I LOVE that bag! It’s like a mini suitcase! Thank you for sharing, that is a wishlist item for sure!

I did find the video, I had to click on the more details link.

 

[carpenta]

Costco sells a great backpack OGIO Airflow which has a small zippered compartment on the top that can be locked with a travel lock which fits your passport and papers securely. Easy access when in the airport. Great number of zippered compartment with a cushioned compartment for you laptop.

 

[2-pointdoe]

@disneyphx --thanks for the Vivienne Files! I spent an hour reading her blog.

@AquamarineSteph -- AF lost my bag last year for a few days in Scotland. I feel your pain!

@Livelovedance -- we also use packing cubes and take it a bit farther--color code them, split things into two "sets" if it's just DH and me; three if it's DD, DH and I traveling. That way, we are ensuring that each suitcase has a packing cube for each person if a case is lost. Also, I carry several pairs of underwear and an entire set of clothes in my carry on after my Air France bags were lost for 72 hours (okay, not lost, just riding around in a luggage delivery van in Scotland!). Fortunately summer travel means lots of lightweight clothes (I literally packed ALL of my summer clothes and it was evenly split between our two suitcases for our recent Med trip) so don't lose hope

This is exactly what we do also. So no matter what we at least have 1 change of clothes and I also add a swimsuit.

 

[Livelovedance]

Costco sells a great backpack OGIO Airflow which has a small zippered compartment on the top that can be locked with a travel lock which fits your passport and papers securely. Easy access when in the airport. Great number of zippered compartment with a cushioned compartment for you laptop.

Thank you! I’ll look into this as well. A backpack with good compartments seems like a great carryon. I’ve got a lot of research to do!

 

[Livelovedance]

This is exactly what we do also. So no matter what we at least have 1 change of clothes and I also add a swimsuit.

I think we’ll do this too. I’d hate to be without luggage, especially in a new place. I’m sure ABD would work to get it resolved, but while waiting it’d be nice to have necessary items handy. I’m definitely going to pack at least one change of clothes, a toothbrush, and toothpaste in my carryon for this reason.

 

[kristilew]

I think we’ll do this too. I’d hate to be without luggage, especially in a new place. I’m sure ABD would work to get it resolved, but while waiting it’d be nice to have necessary items handy. I’m definitely going to pack at least one change of clothes, a toothbrush, and toothpaste in my carryon for this reason.

Funny story: On my Ecuador/Galapagos ABD, one lady had her bag get tied up in Customs, and although the guides worked tirelessly, it took several days to get it back. The guides supplied her with essentials such as toothbrush, hairbrush, and a bunch of ABD tee shirts. We were all feeling so sorry for her, having to wear oversize tees and leggings each of the first three days of the trip and thinking what a good sport she was being about not having her own clothes. And then, finally, she came bopping into dinner so happy to have been reunited with her bag, and wearing her own clothes.....an oversize tee and leggings! (Point being, I think they would have gotten her anything she wanted/needed to get her through.)

 

[Livelovedance]

Funny story: On my Ecuador/Galapagos ABD, one lady had her bag get tied up in Customs, and although the guides worked tirelessly, it took several days to get it back. The guides supplied her with essentials such as toothbrush, hairbrush, and a bunch of ABD tee shirts. We were all feeling so sorry for her, having to wear oversize tees and leggings each of the first three days of the trip and thinking what a good sport she was being about not having her own clothes. And then, finally, she came bopping into dinner so happy to have been reunited with her bag, and wearing her own clothes.....an oversize tee and leggings! (Point being, I think they would have gotten her anything she wanted/needed to get her through.)

That is hysterical! I guess she was very comfortable those first few days after all lol.

 

[Grammy4Lizzy]

I started rolling my clothes and using packing cubes last year. The best thing is the clothes don't wrinkle like when you fold them.

 

[disneyphx]

More from someone who spends way too much time thinking about packing:
- rolling - you need to roll pretty tight to save space. When DD rolls, things are just as bulky. Also, I keep some things like jeans and shirts flat as rolling doesnt save space
- packing cubes - we have eBags ones that are lasting great. I recently got some cheap ones on Amazon that I sent back - shacke and amazon basics look OK though. Ours a weird colors bought on clearance or Black Friday.....
- packing cubes work great for 'random' things - scarf/hat/gloves for a trip with possible cold; swimsuit/cover-up/cap for a trip with a little beach time; we use one for non-liquid toiletry related things - hair brush, hair ties, tweezers, nail scissors, OTC medicines
- travel toiletries - go-toobs are great; a lot of the bottles from Target etc not so much - beauty boxes like Birchbox/Target/Allure etc can be great to get travel sized items if you are not very brand loyal; and cosmetic gift with purchase can be good if you are - also places that do samples like philosophy, Sephora, Kiehls and Ulta online

 

[Livelovedance]

I started rolling my clothes and using packing cubes last year. The best thing is the clothes don't wrinkle like when you fold them.

That’s a good point! I think I’ll be YouTubing rolling clothes to make sure I’m doing it right lol.

 

[Livelovedance]

More from someone who spends way too much time thinking about packing:
- rolling - you need to roll pretty tight to save space. When DD rolls, things are just as bulky. Also, I keep some things like jeans and shirts flat as rolling doesnt save space
- packing cubes - we have eBags ones that are lasting great. I recently got some cheap ones on Amazon that I sent back - shacke and amazon basics look OK though. Ours a weird colors bought on clearance or Black Friday.....
- packing cubes work great for 'random' things - scarf/hat/gloves for a trip with possible cold; swimsuit/cover-up/cap for a trip with a little beach time; we use one for non-liquid toiletry related things - hair brush, hair ties, tweezers, nail scissors, OTC medicines
- travel toiletries - go-toobs are great; a lot of the bottles from Target etc not so much - beauty boxes like Birchbox/Target/Allure etc can be great to get travel sized items if you are not very brand loyal; and cosmetic gift with purchase can be good if you are - also places that do samples like philosophy, Sephora, Kiehls and Ulta online

- rolling - I think that is the problem I had when I was attempting to roll my clothes the last time. It didn’t seem to save any space at all, so I went back to my way of folding and packing in ziplocs. As silly as it sounds I’ll probably be looking up YouTube videos on rolling luggage (like I mentioned in the previous post) to see what I’m doing wrong. Maybe AdventuresBySarah has one??

- packing cubes - I’m definitely going to check out ebags and amazon for the other two brands. I’ll compare what they have and see what I think will work best. I love amazon because with prime they ship so fast for free. I had never heard of ebags before this thread, but I did find the ebags offer on my AmEx, so it’s worth checking out if I can save a little money! I also like the idea of using them for random things, I usually use ziplocs for those also, but I can probably pack more things in a more compact way with the packing cubes.

- travel toiletries - this will probably be the trickiest part. I have to compare the different bottles and find what works. I’ll check out the go-toobs (never heard of it before). I think I read somewhere that if you cover the top of a bottle that contains liquid with clear wrap before closing it, it helps seal in the liquid. Maybe I’ll try that, plus putting them in ziplocs like I usually do. Either way, if I can get a handle on the travel toiletries my luggage will probably be lighter!

Thanks for the great tips!

 

[2-pointdoe]

- rolling - I think that is the problem I had when I was attempting to roll my clothes the last time. It didn’t seem to save any space at all, so I went back to my way of folding and packing in ziplocs. As silly as it sounds I’ll probably be looking up YouTube videos on rolling luggage (like I mentioned in the previous post) to see what I’m doing wrong. Maybe AdventuresBySarah has one??

- packing cubes - I’m definitely going to check out ebags and amazon for the other two brands. I’ll compare what they have and see what I think will work best. I love amazon because with prime they ship so fast for free. I had never heard of ebags before this thread, but I did find the ebags offer on my AmEx, so it’s worth checking out if I can save a little money! I also like the idea of using them for random things, I usually use ziplocs for those also, but I can probably pack more things in a more compact way with the packing cubes.

- travel toiletries - this will probably be the trickiest part. I have to compare the different bottles and find what works. I’ll check out the go-toobs (never heard of it before). I think I read somewhere that if you cover the top of a bottle that contains liquid with clear wrap before closing it, it helps seal in the liquid. Maybe I’ll try that, plus putting them in ziplocs like I usually do. Either way, if I can get a handle on the travel toiletries my luggage will probably be lighter!

Thanks for the great tips!

I just went back and looked at the brands of packing cubes we use. I purchased them all through amazon and they have been on many trips with no issues. I have PackTidy, TravelWise, & Rusoji (all multiple sizes)

 

[Livelovedance]

I just went back and looked at the brands of packing cubes we use. I purchased them all through amazon and they have been on many trips with no issues. I have PackTidy, TravelWise, & Rusoji (all multiple sizes)

Thank you! I’ll add them to my list to check out!

 

[aggiedog]

I've been watching this thread. I'm always looking for ways to downsize while traveling. After reading so much about packing cubes, I bought these on Amazon and used them for the first time last week. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071D645PT/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 They have the zipper around the edge to compress them more. It was pretty amazing how much I could get into each one. I liked that I could take them, unzip them to decompress, and put them straight into the hotel drawer. I'll be doing a 2 week multi stop trip in September, so I'll give them a better work out then, as we change hotels every few days.

I have to say that I've seriously pared down my toiletries while traveling. Full disclosure, my home beauty regimen is pretty spare to begin with, but I've decided I'm good with not having every product I use with me and I'm good with my hair not being the best it could be. I also have a small trial kit of Arbonne skin products that I've been using forever for travel. It's been empty of it's original product for ages, but is a great little collection of small tubs that are perfect for day and night lotion, cleanser, and such.

 

[OhanaCuz]

I've never really considered using packing cubes but there are some compelling arguments in here!

 

[Livelovedance]

I've been watching this thread. I'm always looking for ways to downsize while traveling. After reading so much about packing cubes, I bought these on Amazon and used them for the first time last week. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071D645PT/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 They have the zipper around the edge to compress them more. It was pretty amazing how much I could get into each one. I liked that I could take them, unzip them to decompress, and put them straight into the hotel drawer. I'll be doing a 2 week multi stop trip in September, so I'll give them a better work out then, as we change hotels every few days.

I have to say that I've seriously pared down my toiletries while traveling. Full disclosure, my home beauty regimen is pretty spare to begin with, but I've decided I'm good with not having every product I use with me and I'm good with my hair not being the best it could be. I also have a small trial kit of Arbonne skin products that I've been using forever for travel. It's been empty of it's original product for ages, but is a great little collection of small tubs that are perfect for day and night lotion, cleanser, and such.

I like how they have zippers to compress them. Another very interesting choice! It’s going to be so hard to choose with so many options lol.

That’s a really great idea to save small containers for travel toiletries. I’m going to start doing that for future travel needs.

Thanks!

 

[KMarston]

Recently my husband and I took a trip to Antigua. For some reason I had a bad feeling. We were with a group and had dinners and parties planned each evening. Sure enough, we arrive and my luggage isn't there. In fact it wasn't returned to me until five days after we returned home. Luckily, I packed half our clothes in each suitcase. A bathing suit in each, shorts and shirts, dresses and dressshirts shoes. It took a while but thankfully I put the effort in to having matching outfits and shoes in each bag! The bad news, we each had half the clothes we packed. The good news was that we each had half the clothes we brought! Was a life saver!

 

[Livelovedance]

Recently my husband and I took a trip to Antigua. For some reason I had a bad feeling. We were with a group and had dinners and parties planned each evening. Sure enough, we arrive and my luggage isn't there. In fact it wasn't returned to me until five days after we returned home. Luckily, I packed half our clothes in each suitcase. A bathing suit in each, shorts and shirts, dresses and dressshirts shoes. It took a while but thankfully I put the effort in to having matching outfits and shoes in each bag! The bad news, we each had half the clothes we packed. The good news was that we each had half the clothes we brought! Was a life saver!

Wowwww that’s crazy! You always know it can happen, but it’s still crazy when it does! I just have to hope that if it does happen I will be calm and roll with it lol. We will definitely need to share luggage space, just in case! Thanks for sharing!

 

[4kids4karen]

I've never really considered using packing cubes but there are some compelling arguments in here!

I am still not convinced to spend over $100 for a few cubes when I know how to pack using spacebags. I love the spacebags as I can toss them around on the bed and see what is in them. I can write on the outside of the bag the kids names (I know some color code the cubes for people). I can reuse the space bags as much as a I want, etc. I don't see how cubes "saves space" when you are not compressing the clothes inside. I know about rolling (retired Veteran, I have rolled and packed a lot). So if you are already rolling items not in space bags, and space bagging the rest... the cubes don't seem to have any advantage other than a more expensive way to organize.

 

[4kids4karen]

I like how they have zippers to compress them. Another very interesting choice! It’s going to be so hard to choose with so many options lol.

That’s a really great idea to save small containers for travel toiletries. I’m going to start doing that for future travel needs.

Thanks!

When you say "compress" do you mean like space bags compression? This I have not heard of about the cubes.