There’s No Art to Packing for a Trip; Less is Better

Amid the socks and T-shirts and blouses and slacks, maybe the most important item to include in the suitcase, packing for a trip, is your itinerary. Right on top.

To keep your bag from ending up in Scottsboro, Alabama, it is a simple but smart thing to include an itinerary inside your luggage. Tags get torn off. Labels can be misread or distorted. A bag can quickly become nameless and destination-free. But putting a copy of your itinerary in the suitcase gives you one last shot of having the thing returned or catch up to you on the road.

Facing outrageous new fees and weight allowances, travelers are wise to take a very hard look at their suitcases. Packing that extra sweater can tip the weight balance and mean a fee the price of the sweater itself. Take care. (Sometime you’re just not going to win, though. A few years ago, packing for a trip, I said, “Why are you bringing that huge sweater? We’re going to the Sahara Desert!!” She just smiled that, “Well, you never know” smile. Of course it got nippy cold one night in the Sahara Desert!! and she alone was warm and toasty. That has since justified and enabled carrying along suits of armor, anvils, snowshoes and all manner of things.)

There are so many personal approaches to packing that no one suitcase fits all. Over time I have talked to veteran travelers and flight attendants and the message is always the same, pure & simple: Less is more. You do not need all you think you need.

More, the smart travelers know to pack in advance; never put it off to the last moment. The sage counsel is: Lay out on the bed everything you absolutely need to bring on your trip. Go get a cup of coffee and read the paper for a while. Then come back and put half of the stuff back in the closets and bureaus.

People have their own tips. Many folks talk about rolling clothes to save space and reduce wrinkling. I must be doing it wrong because I find it wrinkles everything even more. I’m a big fan of ziplock bags, compartmentalizing socks, underwear, etc. The Transportation Security Agency has its own guidelines on packing to minimize delays as the agents look through selected bags. We may not like it but we’d be crazy to ignore it.

Since there are web pages for everything, there are web pages for packing. Among other things, travelsense.org says: jam it in, put things in shoes to save space, etc. Smartertravel.com recommends considering buying things at your destination rather than hauling them along with you. Make lists and stick to them says backpackeurope.com and most others. Know where you’re going and pack accordingly, says Anne McAlpin. Obvious? Sure, until you hit the check-in counter and discover that the extra gear in the bag triggers a bundle for the airline and a sore back for you.

But when it comes down to it, the strongest advice is: Pack less. You won’t need your entire wardrobe for a weekend in Vegas.

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