Photo by:Özgür Donmaz
Given high fuel prices all round the world, more and more airlines are charging extra to check a second piece of baggage, packing light has become a necessity – well unless you have your own plane.
Many of the international airlines (AirTran, American Airlines, Northwest, Delta, US Airways, United) are now requiring passengers to pay fee of US$25.00 if they can’t cram all their belongings into one bay to check. Those were the days when you could travel with 2-3 pieces of luggage, well it’s still possible but just be prepared to pay the price.
If you’re like me “a poor traveler” and you just hate paying more- well you’re in luck. I found a really great website called onebage.com where this packing expect says it is possible to put all your clothes, shoes, books and hairdryers 🙂 into on bag to check.
Doug Dyment of onebag.com is dedicated to the art of traveling light, and says that the key is to make a list in advance of what to pack and stick with it. He has developed a master list over the years that people can use as a starting point for creating their own.
Dyment motto is – “If it’s not on your list, it shouldn’t be in your bag.”
Many times I’ve traveled with stuff in my bags that I never use or wasn’t needed. I think what happens with people is that they pack before their trip and that packing activity consist of mostly talking to yourself and saying – well I might need this and I might need that and what if I invited to a party? And that’s death to light packing, trust me on that one.
He advises people to think of what their lists look like well before a trip — literally writing it down and then checking off one item at a time.
Two big tricks Dyment outlined for packing a bag correctly: Don’t let any space go unused, and wrap your clothes in bundles.
For example if you’re packing a pair of dress shoes, don’t forget there’s a lot of space inside those shoes that you can use to pack some underwear. When it come to clothing, travelers usually fold their clothes individually, stack them, and force them in the suitcase are making a huge mistake.
As an alternative, he suggests using a technique called bundle wrapping (never heard of it before); apparently it keeps clothes from getting wrinkled and takes up less space. Take a look at the diagram.
Diagram by:Doug Dyment
I know there will always be some wise-ass out there saying – how do you bundle warp shoes. Of course, you can’t bundle wrap shoes, the bulkiest item.
Suggestion:It’s better to just take one pair of shoes. A lot of shoes today are both casual and dressy looking at the same time. For women, may I suggest just taking a pair of dressy sandals and low heels – if you can control yourself? 😀
