How to pack everything :-D

[Malaga]

I found this great video - how to pack loads of things in a carry on bag:

I fly low budget and the price of an extra bag usually equals the price of one flight. It's crazy! Plus his flat/studio is so tiny once I had a slightly bigger bag we literally had to jump over it to get past.

So I try to have everything fit in a carry on whenever I can. I normally make short trips, 4-5 days, and it's generally not a problem to have everything fit, however I'll be going for 2 weeks in July, and we're attending a wedding so I'll have to bring some extra gear lol. So I think I'm going to give this a try.

[snow_girl]

I have to show this to my mom, when she comes to visit. She packed the same size suit case as I did for my year away for a one week visit to see me.

[Dziubka]

When we went to Budapest, they weighed our carry on luggage. Fitting my stuff into the suitcase wasn't an issue - staying under 10kg was one, though.

My boyfriend put on 3 layers of clothes and we but the heavier stuff (like books) in our pockets. Once the lady had weighed our luggage, we repacked everything.

[lucybelle]

Maybe I'm just a filthy hippie, but I never have a problem packing light. When I went to Spain for 3 months I had one small backpack- 1 pant, 1 short, 1 skirt, 3 shirts, 2 bras, 4 underwear. In fact, when I go for a longer time it's much easier to pack light since you have time to wash clothes (even if it's in a shower or sink. . .)

[kittyo9]

That's a good idea, Dziubka... I had a problem with books being too heavy on my way back from Greece!

I have trouble packing in just a carry on, especially since I bought this awesome 26" bag a few years ago that I love to use, and sometimes airlines are extra-picky about carry-on bags and will fight you about the second backpack-like bag if it's too big. I just pack my regular backpack (which is an exceptionally large backpack-- I've never found one that fits as much!) with emergency clothes, things I absolutely cannot lose (like my laptop), and other things I'd like to bring on the plane with me. Everything else goes into my checked bag, which gives me lots of room for things to bring back from my travels, since it has two layers and I make a point of packing only the bottom layer with clothes. I tend to fill up my bag on my way back... I think I bring so much stuff back with me because I'm the only one who travels in my family, except for my aunts. I love bringing things back for them and for myself as memories.

Usually I use the roll method-- rolling shirts and pants and stuff into like... tubes, I guess. I might try this next time. (:

[Dziubka]

lucybelle, I'm impressed. I wish I could be that minimalistic.
I'm horrible at packing, but my passion for clothes and dressing is legendary, so it's not surprising. I have some pretty universal pieces, that make short periods of time with little clothes bearable. If I have to can make do with only a carry on for some time. The most annoying thing is the no liquid policy. Mostly they're not very strict about that anymore, but... shampoo, conditioner, tonic, contact lenses solution, pefumes (!!!) - you name it, I use it and I don't want to risk any of it getting thrown away :-(

[kirbycat]

The most annoying thing is the no liquid policy. Mostly they're not very strict about that anymore, but... shampoo, conditioner, tonic, contact lenses solution, pefumes (!!!) - you name it, I use it and I don't want to risk any of it getting thrown away :-(

I'm more of a minimalist when it comes to beauty products to begin with, but if I'm really trying to travel light (especially on longer trips), I'll often leave most of my liquids at home, except for the stuff I really need or can't get cheap (special face wash, etc), and then just buy some shampoo, soap, etc. when I get to my destination. Or mooch off of whoever I'm staying with. It saves some hassle going through security too.

[Kristin91]

That's amazing! I'm traveling this weekend, so perfect timing

[lademoiselle]

This is just the sort of guide I need; I wish I'd come across one before!

[Kristin91]

I used this to help me pack all my clothes coming home from college and it worked great! Thanks for sharing

[Off2Spain]

Hahaha such a cool vid! Will come in handy as i'm packing to go abroad for a whole year! thats 4 seasons, and no idea where to start!!

[kirbycat]

I wanted to bump up this video again - I just used this packing method this past week when visiting my SO, and it really did work great! I fit 9 days' worth of clothing, including heavy hiking boots and rain gear, into one carry-on suitcase (a bit larger than the one in the video; I was at the upper end of the carry-on size limit). My SO was very impressed with my super-efficient packing, especially since his own strategy was to just jam all his stuff into a big plastic bin. I'm planning to share this video with him!

[13000km]

I wonder if this will work for a backpack...I will try it when I go to Boston. I'm only going for 10 days but I am also only bringing a backpack.

[kteire]

I'm gonna have to look at this video when I'm home and it'll work haha. I'm trying to pack up as much stuff as possible into my suitcase from my flat to avoid having to make more trips!! I hate packing.

[Romeo s Juliet]

thanks alot for posting this i am in the process of packing to go see my SO and this was such a great help