Learn to Pack Your Luggage and Save!

We all secretly knew the day would come when learning how to most efficiently pack our suitcases would save us money. Well, that day is today! United Airlines and US Airways are now charging fees to bring extra pieces of luggage which used to be included in the price of your ticket. Those aren’t the only two airlines changing their policies either. Due to the increasing price of fuel, airlines have been looking for ways to cut their costs by cutting out services which have previously been free by industry standard, such as in-flight meals. We parents know that it often pays to travel with children, since our baggage restrictions are somewhat looser (ability to bring strollers/carseats for free on certain airlines, etc.). Home Ever After projects that such parent-friendly amenities will also be tightened up or eliminated in the not-to-distant future, all in the name of cutting costs.

While we can understand the airline industry’s desire to cut costs, we can still make an effort to keep our costs of travel from rising. Thankfully, our organizing skills come into play to keep us packed in as few bags as possible with these great packing tips!

Quick Tips for Packing More Efficiently:

Tip #1: Pack Your Samples!
Don’t take full-size products if you don’t have to! If you’re a freebie collector like me, you have tons of trial sizes for your shampoos and conditioners, baby care, pain relievers, etc. They don’t take up much space and they fit into TSA’s rules for flying with liquids. But best of all, after you use them, you can throw away the empty packages and have less items to pack for the trip back home!

Tip #2: Roll Your Clothes
We’ve all heard that rolling the clothing in your suitcase takes less space, and it seems to be true. An added bonus: rolled clothing unpacks at your destination with much less wrinkling and creasing!

Tip #3: Take Clothes that Mix and Match
Instead of taking complete outfits, take tops and bottoms that can coordinate to form several days’ worth of outfits. Solid colored t-shirts, basic jeans, or khaki pants are great outfit builders. Plus, you’ll end up with fewer clothing items in your bags.

Tip #4: Diapers Provide Extra Space
If you’re traveling with a disposable diaper or pull-up wearer, don’t worry about leaving extra space in your luggage to bring back purchases. As the diapers are used up, they provide the space you need! Make sure you calculate your per-day diaper use pretty closely so you don’t end up bring home a lot of extras.

Next, you’ll want to print out our checklist for how to pack a carry on suitcase.

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1. Checklist: How to Pack a Carry On Suitcase