How I Pack...And New Luggage

      I have learned over the years to pack light whenever possible. In part, because it’s no fun to drag tons of luggage, and also because the airlines have lost my luggage too many times. One time I flew to Pisa, Italy and my luggage got stuck in Paris, France. I didn’t see it for FOUR days! I was even more upset when they lost it again on the flight home. Let's just say I had a not so nice conversation with the airline. 
     Now, if I’m only going on a casual trip for just a few days, I usually just take a carry-on bag and a purse. This works well for me.
     It also works if I’m going on a trip to Europe, if I’m staying in the same place for the entire trip. If that’s the case, I usually rent a short-term apartment with a washing machine, which means I don’t need to bring many clothes. The only problem is that I tend to do a lot of shopping in Europe, so I need to buy a cheap piece of luggage to get everything home. This isn’t a big deal because I can always find something decent for about 20-25 euro, and on most international flights the first checked bag is free. It’s a lot cheaper than shipping charges and it gets home at the same I do. Afterward, I can donate the cheap luggage to the Salvation Army.
     The only time I plan to check luggage is if I’m going on a trip where I need formal clothing or a long trip where I’ll be in a hotel (or cruise) without a washing machine. In the last few months I purchased a few new luggage items for this purpose. I have plenty of pieces, but I really wanted to try the 4-wheeled luggage. I’ve been watching people glide effortlessly through the airports with this luggage. They are standing straight and don’t seem to be carrying any of the weight of their luggage. What a GREAT idea! I need to get in on this!

     I did some research and finally purchased two pieces of TravelPro Crew 9. I bought a 25” Spinner and a Rolling Tote. They are lightweight, have ergonomic handles, and are one of the very few brands to have replacement wheels. There is a newer Crew 10 model, but I chose the Crew 9 because I saw few differences, I liked the suit carrier better on the Crew 9, and it came with a nice discount because it’s no longer the new model.

 

     I’m looking forward to using the Rolling Tote. It’s a little smaller than a regular carry-on, so I doubt I’ll be asked to have it gate-checked, but it seems to be very roomy. The top has zipper/snap hinges, so I don’t have to completely open it unless necessary. The top has a padded compartment for my iPad mini and the outside has two zipped compartments. One for easy access to any paper documents and/or magazines and the other for reading glasses, pens, snacks, or any other kind of small carry-on item that tends to get lost just when you need it most. It also fits right on top of the larger piece, so I'll really only be rolling one piece of luggage. Sounds like a WINNER to me!

 

     These are my rules for packing and my newest luggage pieces. I certainly don’t know everything, and I’m always looking for great ideas. How do you pack and what do you pack it in? I’d love to hear about it.

We’re Home from Paris

     Our trip to Paris has ended and we’re back at home. We had another great adventure that I'll be sharing in the days to come.

     I had posted earlier that I was only taking one carryon bag, since we were renting and apartment with a washing machine. That idea worked out well, until I started shopping. In the end I had to buy a piece of cheap (20 euro) luggage to check, so I could get everything home. 

     We stayed at this apartment in Montmartre and it was WONDERFUL! I highly recommend staying here.

 

     The rain came down most days we were there, but we didn’t let it slow us down.

     It’s springtime in Paris…and it was fabulous!

The Perfect Travel Purse

     When traveling, I like to carry a lightweight purse so I'm not bogged down. It needs to be a crossbody bag, so I can throw it on and forget about it. A crossbody bag feels secure...if a theif wants to snatch it from me he/she will have to really work for it. I just purchased a Coach legacy signature swingpack.

 

      I have one of these in tan and red, so I know it's the perfect travel bag for me. It has an adjustable strap, so I can choose whether or not to wear it as a crossbody bag. This bag measures 7 1/2" X 8 1/2" and has two outside pockets. It's the perfect size to carry my wallet, lipgloss, comb, iPhone and a few other small things such as a camera. Everything is zipped and secure. The two outside pockets are great for carrying maps and museum pamphlets.

 

What do you carry when you travel?



Have Luggage Will Travel

I love to travel! The more opportunities I get to travel, the more I dislike dragging around luggage. I used to travel with a large wheeled suitcase, carry-on and purse. It was very cumbersome, but I thought I needed to pack everything but the kitchen sink.
Next came the wheeled carry-on, so I traveled with a large wheeled suitcase, wheeled carry-on and a purse. This was a bit easier to maneuver, but I was still packing a lot of stuff.
Then disaster struck. My luggage was lost in Paris, France while my plane went on to Pisa, Italy. I had NO luggage for several days.
On my next trip I decided I wasn't going to give the airline a chance to lose my luggage, so I bought a large backpack. I was forced to re-evaluate how much I was going to pack. What did I really need? It turns out I don't need a different pair of pants for every day. I also don't need a blow dryer, curling iron and flat iron, among other things. That was very liberating! Who knew? I spent almost 3 weeks in Europe with just a backpack. I had an apartment with a washing maching in one of the places I visited, so I was able to wash my clothes. By the time I was ready to come home I had purchased much more than I could pack in the backpack, so I purchased a cheap piece of luggage for about 25 euro. I packed all my dirty clothes in the luggage and checked it. Since I was on an international flight it was my one free piece of checked luggage. Then I packed all the nice things I had purchased in my backpack, so I'd be sure nothing would get broken. It was much cheaper than shipping my purchases home and they got home at the same time I did. I also have a cheap piece of luggage that I can give away to someone that may need it.
This time I'm going to try something new. I purchased this piece from the Coach store.

My next trip is in May, when I'll be spending two weeks in Paris. Since I'll be renting an apartment with a washing machine, I should be able to bring a minimal amount of clothing. I'll try to pack smart and only carry this piece and a purse. Can it be done? Sure it can, because I'm on a mission. Will I like it? I don't know. What do you think? Do you pack light?