Whether it is a spur of the moment weekend in Vegas, a romantic getaway, or just a short trip home to see the fam, there are some packing tips and tricks that everyone should commit to memory. So I am excited to talk about some of the obvious (and sometimes not so obvious) tips and tricks I have picked up along the way from even the most seasoned of travelers.
- Roll. Never Fold.
- By rolling your clothes, you eliminate unnecessary wrinkles and make the most efficient use of the space in your bag. Got a big sweater or long sleeve shirt? Fold it in half and then roll it. A vertical crease down the middle is much easier to shake out than wrinkles all over.
- Don’t bother rolling pants and jeans. Simply fold those in half and have them line the bottom of your suitcase or bag.
- Check the Weather.
- It does get cold and rainy at the beach and hot and muggy in the mountains.
- Carry a Fully-Equip Carry On
- Always carry a change of clothes and a few toiletries on the plane.
- Never get on a plane without the following:
- A huge scarf or blanket of some kind: Airplane blankets are disgusting. Period.
- Socks: Cold feet are the worst. Especially on long flights.
- Snacks: Airlines charge for everything these days. Why pay to eat their mediocre snacks when you can bring your own yummy ones?
- Never pack valuables in the luggage you are checking.
- Jewelry – One of the girls in the office packed all of her jewelry in a checked bag, and she had quite the collection, including a number of vintage pieces from her mom, and it all got stolen. Bottom Line, you wouldn’t pack your wallet in your checked luggage, so don’t pack your jewelry. It will “disappear”.
- Pouch Everything.
- All your electronics in one. All your toiletries in another. And so on. It really makes life so much easier when you’re digging through your bag in search of deodorant or a phone charger.
- Leave some room.
- Make sure to leave some space in your bag for things you want to buy on your trip!
So those are just a few tips I thought I would share. See anything I left out??
Happy Friday everyone!
With the rising fees for checking bags on airlines and the fact that my bag seems to get lost so frequently, I carry on my suitcase as often as possible. This isn’t easy with the restrictions on liquids though.
The Target aisles don’t have the greatest selection of hair products, and squeezing liquids into a separate 3 oz container can be a total mess! To the rescue- the website 3 Fl Oz which has an amazing selection of the best hair and beauty products, all under 3 oz!
They also have a great selection of sunscreen which I highly recommend bringing with you. Most hotels sell sunscreen but the prices are usually much higher.
Before you bring your own shampoo and conditioner, check your hotel’s website to see what line they carry. Many luxury hotels already provide really high end lines, and this will free up space for another bikini in your bag!
Your guests are already going to come to your wedding, get you engagement gifts, come to all of your showers and give you a wedding gift. Your guests love to buy gifts for you, but, what if their wedding gift to you was to contribute to your honeymoon? Or your Honeyfund!
A Honeyfund is a gift registry for your honeymoon! It works just like a regular registry, you set up your gift items, you can add airfare, champagne and even non-honeymoon items. It is a great way to ask for cash, without actually asking for it. PayPal’s fees and restrictions apply (usually 2.9% +$.30 USD per transaction), and are taken away before the money is given to you, your guests aren’t charged anything else.
On Traveler’s Joy you can customize a page all about you as a couple and your honeymoon needs – er – wants. Check out the sites of couples that have already used Traveler’s Joy for ways you can use yours! Traveler’s Joy charges a 7.5% fee for use. For example, if your guest gave you $10 towards drinks for your honeymoon you would only actually receive $9.25. Those that give you gifts will never be charged more than they wanted to spend on you!
So, what’s the catch?
Well, you probably have to book your honeymoon on your own dime, since the money only comes in as the gifts do. A lot of people will most likely wait until very close to the wedding to actually purchase your honeymoon gift. So you can either pay yourself back from the honeymoon fund, or you can delay your honeymoon until you have actually received the money.
All of my clients have been really pleasantly surprised by how much money they received from their honeymoon registry, so hopefully you have great luck with it as well!
