Never Check Your Luggage In Again

One of the golden rules of savvy travel is to “Never check in luggage if you can help it.” Checking in luggage is a big weight that holds you down during the life of your trip. You may think you need all that stuff for your big trip, but you really don’t! 

These days, it pays to travel smart, and this means no more checking in bags! Packing light can seem like a herculean challenge for those who like to bring all of their daily items along. But there’s a better way. Not only can you breeze past the luggage belt and on to your adventure, but your load will be a lot less heavy for those long treks from the airport terminal to your final destination. You can also chase down that train, ferry, or subway with ease.

And with a lot less stuff to keep track of, you are much less likely to lose anything. 

Unnecessary Stress

When you stop to think about it, having luggage that needs to be checked in creates several “stress points” during your air travels. Consider the following:

You need to arrive at least one hour before departure to meet the checked luggage cut-off, then waste additional time waiting at baggage claim for your luggage at your arrival destination.

You have less flexibility; making last-minute changes if your flight(s) is delayed or canceled is more complicated when you have to also retrieve or reroute your luggage.

If you have close connecting flights, you run the risk of your luggage not making the next flight, which causes more delays for you. Delayed or missing luggage has a great potential to ruin your trip.

You can make your connecting flight in less time by leveraging your priority status and Global Entry/CLEAR memberships. Many connections are only possible when you do not bring checked luggage. You can choose to connect when holding separate tickets or between airlines that do not have baggage agreements.  This greatly expands your flight options and allows you to take advantage more effective schedules and maybe even save money

Unless you are enrolled in an airline’s frequent flyer program with their credit card or fly premium status, you will likely have to pay extra for checked luggage.

Bottom line – not having checked luggage gives you much more freedom in your travels.

The Best Way to Pack Light for Any Trip

The secret of course to all of this is to know how to pack light, even for longer trips. 

Packing light for your future trips doesn’t have to be a challenge if you approach it with the right mindset. With a little ingenuity, you can pack for a week or more and still fit everything you need into your small roller suitcase or weekender duffle bag. 

The key is efficiency. You only need to take the bare-bones necessities. Before we get started, keep in mind these benefits of packing light:

If you are traveling for business or are flying internationally, many airlines will allow you to carry on additional bags as long as they fit in the overhead compartments.

Shipping bags to your destination ahead of time is so easy nowadays. Use FedEx/UPS/DHL and if you are traveling on business, your company may have corporate discounts on these services. Services such as Luggage Free can also do this for you.

Here are some tips on how to pack light:

• Don’t pack by going through all of your things – start with a packing list of essentials (and stick to it).
• Use vacuum bags or roll your clothes tightly to save space. Use every inch of packing space. 
• Don’t take laundry items with you. When you wash your clothes, buy supplies at your destination, or take advantage of hotel cleaning services.
• Get a small toiletry bag and pack only the essentials. Get travel sizes of everything. You can buy TSA-approved travel containers to store your shampoo, etc. 
• Only take essential medications, like prescriptions. Ditch any items in the ‘just in case I need it’ category; you can generally get these at your destination if you need them.
• Jewelry is not your friend while traveling. Unless you are attending some fancy ball or social event, don’t wear jewelry at all. Wear a set of ‘everyday’ jewelry to the airport.
• Don’t take books, take a Kindle or similar e-reader. They are thin, light, and hold hundreds of books! 

Packing Your Clothing

Choose clothes that are as wrinkle-free as possible, and only pack the following:

• For trips longer than 3-4 days, you still only need to bring 3-4 outfits. Make sure they all coordinate and mix/match them throughout your trip.
• 3 pairs of socks and underwear.
• Only pack 1 or 2 pairs of shoes (remember you will be wearing one pair to the airport.)
• Don’t pack thick or heavy clothing – opt instead for lightweight or technical winter clothing for those colder trips. 
• Jeans are not your travel friend. They generally do not pack well. Only pack one pair, if necessary.
• One pair of pajamas.
• A lightweight jacket. Wear this to the airport, if possible.

Pro Tip:  If your clothes take up more than 1/2 of your bag, you are bringing too much.

You can do laundry on the road! Most accommodations will have either laundry facilities at the site or nearby.

Pack shoes at the bottom, heal to toe, along with other heavier items. Look at the weather report and pack accordingly. Plan outfits and bring only those items that you can mix and match with other items. By doing this, you can essentially turn four outfits into eight!

For toiletries, use TSA-approved travel-size bottles for ALL of your shampoos/lotions/makeup. If you can get any toiletry at your destination, there’s no need to pack it. For your electronics: the most you should take is your phone, camera, and ONE other device such as an iPad or laptop. Pack them safely away from your toiletries in case of leakage. 

Rule of thumb: The ‘what if’ game will get you in trouble. As you pack, if you are asking yourself, “but what if I’ll need this?” Trust me, you won’t. If you have to ask yourself this question, it is not an essential item. Leave it at home. On the off-chance you do need it, you can buy it or borrow it when you get there.