Packing for travel can be stressful for many. As airlines increase checked
baggage and more and more passengers choose to travel with carry on, the
task of taking what you need on a flight can be daunting … but easy to
sort out.

For carry on packing there are some basics that can reduce stress and
increase packability, if followed in a few easy steps

1) Determine your bag options, one bag or two? If you are taking two
bags, remember one is a carry on; the other is a ‘personal item.’
Remember that when selecting a carry on bag … you need to carry it on.

2) If you are traveling with a roll-a-board bag and shoulder bag, look for
a bag with a handle slot on the back. A handle slot allows for the
retractable handle of a roll aboard bag to slide nearly through your
‘personal item’, so it sits on top of the roll aboard, without fear of it
falling off, adding strain to your hand to hold the bags together, and
taking the weight off your shoulders … which is handy on long walks
through terminals after long flights.

3) When selecting what to bring on a trip, be realistic. Do you really
need three suit jackets for four day trip? Weekend on in The Islands?
You probably don’t need two formal dresses. Be realistic. Yes, plan for
contingencies, such as weather or maybe an extra day, but that need not
add a significant amount to what is going in your bag.

4) You can save space by rolling bulky items, such as pants and long
sleeve shirts. Rolling bulky items allows for bulky items to become the
base of a bag, especially when packing in a messenger bag or backpack.

5) Packing dress shirts or dress pants? Pack them in a packing sleeve if
you have more than one. Packing sleeves both save space and reduce
wrinkles allowing you to show up unrumpled.

6) Quick trip for a wedding? Have your shirts dry cleaned, and folded,
then place these shirts (or pants) in a bag’s flat laptop sleeve.
Slipping the shirts (or pants) into a laptop sleeve will keep the clothing
neat, folded and usually wrangle free, while providing your laptop a
little extra padding

7) Liquids are a problem at airport security around the world, so make
sure you are traveling with no liquid container with a volume of 100ml,
and all your liquids and gels fit nearly into a single 1-quart bag that is
easy to access.

8- With all the technology we travel with today, keep your cords in one
place, neatly coiled up and held together with binder clips. Coiling up
cords can seem tedious, but coiled cords kept shut with binder clips
declutters any traveler’s bag, makes finding the cord you want easier and
makes finding everything else in the pocket shared with the cords far
easier. If you travel with more than three or four cords, pack your cords
in their own bag. There are many cable-keeper bags, but often a ZipLock
bag works just fine.

9) As your bag is filling up, pack bulky clothing, such as a sweater or
sweatshirt, neatly folded over the rolled clothing on the bottom of the
bag. Placing neatly folded items over rolled items privets small items
or dropped items from becoming lost in the bag. This extra layer is also
helpful for protecting cameras or laptops from impact should the bag be
dropped.

10) If you have a small laptop, or tablet, don’t waste the space in a
large laptop slot in many bags. Laptop slots, in addition to being great
for keeping clothing neat and wrinkle free, allow for easy access to
newspapers and magazines when the bag is placed under the seat in front of
you.

What are your top tips for carry on packing? Let us know!

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Happy Flying!

@flyingwithfish