Carry On Travelers - Carry-On

 

There's something to be said about minimizing stress when you travel. 

If you've ever flown during the holidays or Spring Break season, you know it's kind of like a Black Friday shopping experience...only you're 30 thousand feet above ground, everyone's cranky and no one got a deal. 

 

I'm here with a few tips on how to get you through the impending chaos should you be heading south for bluer waters and greener...everything. 

 

It starts at home. With your suitcase. 

 

Full disclosure, I'm a former overpacker. 

When I went on trips, it was hard to determine if I was vacationing for a week,  a month or permanently immigrating. 

I once brought 11 pairs of shoes to Africa. ELEVEN. 

 

Those days I'd wait forever for the baggage carousel to spit out my luggage. Not one, not two,  but often three suitcases. Plus my carry-on. It is funny to look back and think about my Uber drivers faces when I'd say i was only in town a few days "but I liked to be prepared".

 

The epiphany came on a trip where my friend and travel buddy told me I had no choice except a single carry on. We were on a tight schedule, we couldn't afford for our bags not to make the connecting flight and, frankly, she bet me I couldn't do it. Get four days worth of clothes into a single bag that fit in an overhead compartment. 

 

Challenge accepted. And I never looked back.

 

 

So here's what changed me from a pack rat to an elite carry-on flyer, able to go on multi day trips without reusing a single pair of socks. 

 

#1 Packing Cubes. 

How anyone lives without these little space saving wormholes is beyond me. How it took me until my mid-30s to discover them is an even greater mystery. 

I won't even go to a weekend at the lake without them. Everything has a place and the crushability is phenomenal. That's what steamers are for. You will more than triple the amount of stuff you can get your carry-on using them and bonus you'll actually know where things are. 

 

Marie Kondo has inspired many people to minimize their closets and toss out what doesn't "Spark Joy"

The day i learned to fold my clothes so they could stand up all by themselves like little envelopes, my joy was super sparked! I could get my whole life into those little cubes and into that tiny little suitcase and not feel like I left anything behind. It also minimizes wrinkles, which is great because I despise ironing. 

 

Think about where you're going. 

What events, meetings, dinners, activities will require a change of clothes? Will different shoes be required? Can you get away with your travel day Nikes under an evening gown? If the answer is no, then it's got to fit or something has to go to make room. Prioritize and triage your packing list in order to minimize excess and maximize pieces that can be used multiple ways. 

I'm a neutral colors kind of girl, so three staple pieces are always with me. Solid colored tank tops, a black or taupe blazer (that never wrinkles) and dark denim. I can dress it up or down and always feel put together.  Between the tank top color combinations and a quick change of low top tennis shoes to heels, plus adding some jewelry that takes up minimal room, I'm set for a work meeting,  a business casual dinner or a chilly airplane ride home. 

 

Find your 3 core style pieces and build your travel wardrobe around them. 

 

I used to think I needed every hair tool I owned to journey with me. I also wanted a full size of everything in my bathroom, you know,  just in case they stopped selling toothpaste while I was gone.

 

Now I leave 97% of my bathroom in my house and I'm down to a crucial getting ready arsenal. I've got everything liquid transferred into tiny bottles,  so it all fits into the quart size bag TSA requires.

Who knew you didn't need an entire bottle of foundation for 3 days? Turns out a few drops in a shallow container works just as well and I don't have to worry about it breaking in my luggage and ruining everything I own. Again 🙄.

 

 

I used to be in the tech world, so I traveled with every cord imaginable, just in case. 

I find that habit hardest to break because they aren't always easy to get your hands on if you need one. 

I now keep all my cords, chargers, flash drives and anything else that blinks in a neat little neoprene bag that keeps everything from getting tangled. I purchased a second set of everything I normally need and keep the bag at the ready. I just pop it in my laptop bag and I'm ready to roll. 

 

If you're looking to pick up any of these handy dandy items, drop me a DM @Alicia Weigel 

and I'll share the deets

 

Give these tricks a try and see if you can't turn your Spring Break customs line into a quick passport stamp and then it's straight to the beach!