Saturday, July 21, 2012

Traveling Light...

This summer I am taking a trip to Texas for our Mary Kay Seminar. I am checking one piece of luggage (which is shared with my daughter), but I wanted to pack as much as I could into my carry-on to avoid having to check a second bag, and to make sure that I had all my essentials, in case my baggage got lost. What I found is that I could fit much more than I expected into my little carry-on bag!!

Here is my bag, in the seat of a small recliner, with a remote added for scale. Not a large carry-on at all!
From Travel Tips
Here's what it looks like when you open it up...
From Travel Tips
Under the folded jacket, you see what REALLY makes up the inside of the suitcase...
From Travel Tips
Under the jeans I have several pairs of shoes packed tightly, with the spaces between them stuffed with underwear.
From Travel Tips
For the first time ever, I utilized the Travel Space Bags I have. I used two in this suitcase. They are nice because you don't need a vacuum to remove the air; you just roll them up to press out all the air and when you unroll them they are vacuum packed. It's pretty amazing!
From Travel Tips
Even more amazing is how much I was able to fit in each Space Bag. I rolled my clothes first, then put them into the Space Bag to maximize space and minimize wrinkles. It worked surprisingly well!
From Travel Tips
The first bag included a sweater and long skirt...
From Travel Tips
Knee length dress and two slips...
From Travel Tips
Skinny jeans and black yoga pants...
From Travel Tips
And 6 tops...
From Travel Tips
Here's what the bag looked like after I removed the first Space Bag:
From Travel Tips
The second Space Bag included several more items of clothing...
From Travel Tips
An after 5 dress...
From Travel Tips
A beaded after 5 dress along with a velvet bolero jacket...
From Travel Tips
A long formal gown...
From Travel Tips
Two business skirts...
From Travel Tips
3 tops...
From Travel Tips
A cardigan sweater and a swimsuit...
From Travel Tips
There was also a pair of shorts stuffed along the side of the Space Bags, that I tucked in as an afterthought. Here is what the carry-on looked like without the clothing items:
From Travel Tips
After going through security, I also tucked my ziplock of liquids into the top of the bag, so I had shampoo and conditioner, lipstick, mascara, mascara primer, hand lotion, hand sanitizer, and a couple finger nail polishes with me as well.
From Travel Tips
As for my shoes, I managed to pack 4 pairs of shoes in my carry-on as well. If my luggage got lost, I could survive with these 4 pair (plus the pair I was wearing) without too many problems. There's a pair of black walking flats, black business wedges, navy sandals, and gold dress wedges. Remember, I'm headed to a business conference with 3 semi-formal events and lots of walking, so I had to be judicious about what were in my "essentials" list!
From Travel Tips
I also had some accessories tucked away in my carry-on. I had 2 belts (one narrow, one wide), a flat iron, and a bag that could double as a clutch if needed.
From Travel Tips
Then there was my jewelry... Some people just have a couple accessories that will do for them, but I love my bling!! Here's my jewelry case and headband...
From Travel Tips
Now, I'm sure I could have packed my jewelry in a smaller space if I'd been willing to, but I like my jewelry organizer, even if it is a bit on the bulky side. It has clear zippered "pages" that flip so I can see everything and organize it however I want for the trip. No worries of jewelry getting tangled!
From Travel Tips
From Travel Tips
So... It turns out I can fit a LOT into my little suitcase!! I have enough clothing for 2 weeks, and even when my checked bag didn't come out with the rest of our flight's luggage, I wasn't worried. Thankfully, the reason it didn't come out with the rest is because it arrived on an earlier flight, but still... it felt great to be prepared!