Packing for a trip in today’s day and age is a complicated matter. If you check luggage onto your flight, it could get lost or delayed (even if it contains a tracking device), leaving you stuck with the few items in your carryon bag. On a recent 11 day cruise to Greece, my cousin’s luggage went missing for 8 ½ days. Here are some tips to make sure this doesn’t happen to you.
Bring a carryon and a backpack. Do not check any luggage! Your backpack should contain items you’ll need on the plane, since it will be placed under the seat in front of you. The carryon can be stored in the overhead bin.
Let’s start with packing your backpack. Here are some essentials:HHHeere
· An empty water bottle that you’ll fill up after going through airport security.
· Non-liquid snacks, such as granola bars, dried fruit, carrots, pretzels, almonds, etc.
· Entertainment – a laptop, book, magazines, movies and music loaded onto your phone or iPad.
· Portable charger and wall chargers for your electronics.
· Headphones for when you might have a screaming baby sitting behind you.
· Chewing gum to alleviate cabin pressure.
· EarPlanes – I discovered these earplugs several years ago when I was having trouble with cabin pressure. They prevent pain, pressure or clogging in the ears during takeoff and landing.
· Your passport (if traveling outside the U.S.).
· A hard copy of your boarding pass.
Packing your carryon.
Deciding what clothing, shoes and toiletries to bring for a week or more in a 22” carryon is a little more complicated. First, plan to handwash some clothes early in your trip so they’ll be dry enough to wear a few days later. Bring a small bottle of liquid soap or shampoo (3.4 ounces or less) for hand washing. Since the maximum liquid size you can bring on a plane is 3.4 ounces, you can buy some clear travel bottles to fill with your lotion, shampoo, conditioner and other liquids. I usually purchase a smaller tube of toothpaste in the dollar store or you can bring the free samples that you get at the dentist. A few Band-Aids, a nail clipper with a nail file attached, bag clips and a few gallon size zip lock bags can also come in handy. We bought several loaves of fresh bread in Portugal and we used the zip lock bags to keep everything fresh.
Here are some tips for what clothing to bring. On a recent trip to Ireland, I stayed in a couple of castles, where people got dressed up – even for breakfast. Leggings, a dressy top with a glittery scarf were perfect for times when you want to look a little more elegant. Scarves take up very little room, too. I brought a fleece zip-up jacket and a long sleeve activewear top that could be worn over my clothes for when it was cool.
Shoes are a conundrum, especially for me. While I’d love to bring three pairs of shoes on every trip, I wear a size 10 and they take up a lot of room. I recommend one pair of extremely comfortable shoes and a second pair that would be fine for going out to a nice dinner (but are comfortable enough to walk several miles). I was able to fit my toiletries, four pairs of leggings, five t-shirts, three scarves, underwear, socks, an extra pair of shoes, and 5 books in my carryon.
It is possible to travel with just a backpack and a carryon. It saves time (no waiting at the baggage claim), money (no need to pay the airline for checked bags) and aggravation if your bags are lost or delayed. But be prepared to handwash or take your clothes to the laundry if you’re on a long trip and traveling light.
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