With airlines now charging for checked baggage, packing light can save big bucks when you travel.
We've taken a look at the Web sites of some travel enthusiasts, Lani Teshima's Travelite FAQ and Doug Dyment's Compleat Carry-On Traveler, and talked to our own frequent travelers to offer 10 easy tips to keep your baggage to a minimum to save money on your next flight:
1) Have a good packing list — and use it. "Don't try to do it from memory," Dyment advises, "or make it up as you go along." Otherwise, you'll end up hauling more than you need.
2) Acquire a bag that has been designed for efficient and reliable travel, not to appeal to the "gimmick of the month" mentality. At the top of Dyment's gimmickry list: wheeled bags, which Dyment argues are heavier, less roomy, unreliable and less able to fit in available storage spaces.
3) Base your wardrobe on a basic neutral color — black, brown, navy or tan — and make sure each item coordinates into at least two wardrobes, using secondary colors for accent purposes. "Never pack clothing that serves only one purpose," Teshima notes, "except for your main outerwear (such as an overcoat)."
4) Learn to layer that wardrobe to create a handful of separate garments into multiple outfits.
5) Learn how to fold clothes so they don't wrinkle. Dyment suggests the "bundle folding" method, which entails the layering of clothing around a soft core, like an organizer pouch filled with small items like socks and underwear.
More specifically, clothing is smoothed out and layered in a specific order — jacket, skirts and dresses, long-sleeved shirts, short-sleeved shirts, slacks, sweaters and knits, and shorts — with the collar and waistband ends alternating, and the dresses and pants laid out lengthwise. These layers are then wrapped around the core. The resulting bundle is then tied up — though not tightly — and placed in the bag.
6) Be flexible. "Feel free to buy a local garment on your trip," Dyment suggests, "but feel comfortable enough to mail it home if you don't plan wear it outside of that one European country."
7) Keep regular-sized toiletries at home and transfer items such as shampoo into travel-sized containers. "Unless you are visiting the Australian Outback, you should have no trouble finding replacements should you need them," Teshima says. The TSA's 3-1-1 rule allows liquids and gels in 3 oz. containers or less — all packed in a one-quart, clear plastic zip-top bag.
Limit the number of shoes you pack and wear the bulkiest pair during the flights, so they don't take up room in your bag.
9) Avoid lugging heavy travel books. "Tear out the sections relevant to your destination, or photocopy them and toss them as you go," Teshima suggests. "If you can't bear to do this, mail them home while you're on the road."
10) Know the rules. Airlines have strict size and weight limits for carry-on luggage, so check with your carrier. Also, make sure you don't pack anything on the TSA's list of prohibited items.
Related Orbitz resources:
