Dear Tammy and Cheri,
Please help! I’m an over packer and I’m hoping you can offer some suggestions of how I can travel with just carry-on luggage? I’m trying to avoid paying extra baggage fees.
Carried Away, Sun Lakes, AZ
Dear Carried Away,
We do have a few tips that might help you. But here are a few of our Cardinal rules of carry ons.
There are no hard and fast standards that can apply to every imaginable trip, but here are a few rules of thumb that have served us well:
Limit yourself to two pairs of shoes and two pairs of pants and wear the heavier items on the plane. (Bonus points if you can pull your trip off with just one).
Don’t pack more than a week’s worth of clothes. For longer trips, you might plan to do laundry along the way.
Pack only garments that can be color-coordinated with everything else in your travel wardrobe. If it doesn’t work in multiple outfits, leave it at home.
Every little bit of space helps. Clean all those old grocery store receipts out of your wallet, swap your pile of paperbacks for an e-reader and forget about those “just in case” items you could easily buy in your destination.
Many travelers swear by compression bags (also known as Space Bags) to help save precious space; but keep in mind that they won’t help you stay within airline weight limits. (Some carriers do weigh carry-ons).
Maximize your personal item. In addition to a carry-on bag, airlines allow you to bring a personal item such as a purse or laptop bag. I generally bring a small backpack which can hold a lot more than a purse but will still fit easily under the seat in front of me. (If I need a purse during my trip, I fold it up inside a larger bag).
Roll your clothes instead of folding them; it minimizes wrinkles and maximizes space.
Good luck and have fun packing!
If you have a travel question or problem you would like to submit, please contact Tammy Sikorski or Cheri Sigurdson at El Sol Travel located at 10325 E. Riggs Road, Suite 105, Sun Lakes, AZ 85242; call directly at 480-895-9362, or email at [email protected] or [email protected]. View our website at www.elsolvacations.net.