The Girl and I never check our luggage when we fly.
One, it is a huge added expense to the cost of flying. Two, I am not very trusting. I don’t want to be the person whose luggage gets lost. It starts any trip off on the wrong foot. Three, I like to just grab my carry-on and beat all the other passengers to the rental car place {yep, that’s how I roll}. The point is, getting an entire week of clothes into one carry-on can be tricky–even if you are packing light.
In order to save space, try rolling your clothes instead of folding them next time you go on a trip.
You will be able to fit waaaay more into the bag, and as an added bonus, they will be far less wrinkly. To roll them, lay them flat and fold them in half {shirt or pants}. Roll them up like you would a sleeping bag. Then, stack the rolls into your suitcase.
Now scoff at the check-in counter as you roll on by… 😉
~Mavis
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Athena says
I just started rolling my clothes on our last trip we took and I only did it with shirts but it saved so much space! I was also able to fit those little rolls in places in my suitcase where traditionally folded clothes wouldn’t have fit. I don’t just roll clothes for packing though. All of my T-shirts are rolled in a drawer and it is so much easier to find what I want than sifting through stacks. This is a GREAT tip!
Mavis says
That’s a great idea to roll them in the drawers at home too.
AlysonRR says
I agree with your “roll-aboard only” philosophy, and also that rolling clothes is the way to go.
I’ve insisted that my kids do the same thing, although it made for a bit of a circus when they were too short to lift their own rolling bags into the overhead bin – me standing in the aisle, blocking traffic, while moving 3 bags up…
My husband works in a different state, so when we go visit him for extended periods of time the packing can be interesting. My favorite packing year was when my son wanted to bring his scooter and we needed two bike helmets – we managed to fit them all in, along with clothes enough to make it through a 7-week (with laundry) visit. The security agent who made us unpack to see the weirdly shaped metal thing was impressed with the packing job, LOL.
When we had a small linen closet I rolled towels, too, to increase the number I could store.
Tara H says
I actually fold and put each one in a ziploc bag. If they check my luggage and go through my stuff, they aren’t actually touching my things. If it’s summer clothing, I can actually pack everything I need for an outfit in one bag and it helps me not forget anything. I’m carryon on all the way! I’ve been doing it ever since I went to Switzerland and my bags went to France. It took about 3 days for it to arrive back at my hotel.
Rosaleen says
My favorite description of luggage goes, “There are three kinds of luggage: lost, damaged, and carry-on.” If at all possible, yes, go with carry-on. Also yes to rolling, and try to put everything into a fndew plastic bags. If you have connecting flights, or a small plane, you may end up “gate checking” your bag. Luggage may not be waterproof. You only need one experience with water in the bottom of your bag to be a believer!