July 31, 2019 • 6 mins
Don't check bags if you can avoid it! Here’s how to pull it off.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
This week we're talking travel tips and how to be
efficient and effective on the road. Today's tip is about
how to pack smart, which generally means light so you
(00:26):
don't waste time while traveling. So in my family, we
have a rule that, if at all possible, we don't
check bags. Now, I know it's not always possible, but
I do think it's a good goal, even if you're
traveling for a week or so, and even if you're
traveling with kids. Here's my reasoning. Checking bags means you
(00:48):
need to get to the airport earlier and you need
to wait on the other side of your trip to
retrieve your stuff. And that's if your stuff shows up,
which it doesn't always, particularly you've got a tight connection somewhere.
We've all heard horror stories of people checking bags and
then their stuff not showing up until well into the trip,
if at all. There's actually a store, the Unclaimed Baggage
(01:13):
Center in Alabama, that sells stuff from lost luggage. The
stores ads note that thousands of items arrive in the
store every day, so ponder that the next time you're
thinking of checking bags. When I'm traveling by myself, limiting
myself to carry ons is straightforward enough. I packed my
(01:34):
carry on duffel bag with my work clothes and my
running clothes. I try to wear anything bulky on the plane.
I take my curling iron, but hotels have hair dryers.
I packed my toiletrees in a ziploc bag, even though
I have t s a pre check because sometimes I
fly out of the American Eagle Terminal at Philadelphia, which
doesn't have a pre check lane. I buy travel sized
bottles of toothpaste and contact land solution, and all my
(01:57):
makeup is either under three ounces or isn't really liquid.
Hotels have shampoo and conditioners, so no need to bring
those things. I used my purse as my other carry
on and put my laptop, phone, sunglasses, wallet, and reading
material in there. I recognize that I'm a relatively small person,
but I've seen larger people pack for a week and
similarly sized carry ons. My husband can pack enough business
(02:19):
clothes for a week in his leather duffel bag or
small roll aboard, so he doesn't check bags for business
trips either. At this point, the only reason we check
bags is if we're doing something requiring specialized equipment like skiing,
although I note that the last time we packed to
ski as a family, our luggage got lost and we
wound up getting a knock on our hotel room door
(02:40):
at two am when it was delivered. Anyway, I think
a lot of people assume that when you're traveling with
your family, you have to check bags and you have
to pack a lot. But with some foresight and practice,
I've found that this is not always the case. I
packed for myself in three children for a week in
the UK in two carry ons, my duffel bag and
one small roll aboard, and then my purse and a
(03:02):
small backpack for each child. The kids wore their jackets
to travel, and those were the bulkiest items. We didn't
run out of stuff. The kids rewar clothes on the
play home, but they wore jeans once before that, and
that's about it. What this required was really thinking through
what we'd need and what we wouldn't. We looked at
the weather carefully. We brought enough clothes, but not extra clothes.
(03:27):
I find that a lot of people don't even think
through how many days they'll be gone and what they
will wear each day. They just bring the clothes they
like and figure they'll make wardrobe decisions as they go.
This can waste tons of space. The kids just needed
one pair of shoes each. They could bring a special
small stuffed animal, but not the whole menagerie. We didn't
indulge in fantasies about what we'd need if for some
(03:50):
reason we were invited to dine somewhere fancy. Unlikely with
my kids, we'd go get new clothes. It probably wasn't
worth packing for events that had about a zero percent
chance of happening, but it was great being able to
carry our luggage on buses and trains just fine, and
being able to carry it into our hotel rooms without
feeling like we were unduly burdened. Now, I recognize, of course,
(04:11):
that very small children require a few more items, such
as diapers or bottles if you're using those. However, we've
also found that many places around the world will sell
baby products if you happen to run out. Unless you're
going to the wilderness, you can usually get things. So,
for instance, when we're going on a beach vacation, we'll
bring multiple trial sized bottles of sunscreen to get under
(04:32):
the t s A limit and then buy more at
the beach. When we start running low rental car companies
will rent booster seats for kids who need them, or
I actually managed to squeeze one and to carry on
Duffel once. Like I said, I get into this packing
thing with time management. There's a truism that work expands
to fill the available space. Likewise, I think this is
(04:53):
true of physical space as well. If you tell yourself
that you're only going to bring a small bag, you'll
make it work. If you decide you can check multiple bags, well,
you'll probably fill them as well, and then wind up
dragging them around the whole trip if they show up,
rather than ending up at that lost luggage store in Alabama.
I know not everyone agrees with me. I mean, I've
(05:15):
written about this in the past, and people have told
me that they like their creature comforts, and for them
having a whole bottle of their own shampoo along for
the ride makes travel less daunting, as with much of life,
you do you but in general I think that packing
lighter keeps the focus of travel where it should be,
on experiences, not things you need enough stuff that it
(05:38):
doesn't hinder the experience, but we probably need a lot
less stuff then we think we do. Do you pack light?
I'd love to hear about it. You can let me
know at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart media dot com.
In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and
here's to making the most of our time. Yeah, hey, everybody,
(06:06):
I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod
that's B the number four, then Breakfast p o D.
You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
podcast at i heeart media dot com. That Before Breakfast
(06:28):
is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,
I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is
a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from
my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
This week we're talking travel tips and how to be
efficient and effective on the road. Today's tip is about
how to pack smart, which generally means light so you
(00:26):
don't waste time while traveling. So in my family, we
have a rule that, if at all possible, we don't
check bags. Now, I know it's not always possible, but
I do think it's a good goal, even if you're
traveling for a week or so, and even if you're
traveling with kids. Here's my reasoning. Checking bags means you
(00:48):
need to get to the airport earlier and you need
to wait on the other side of your trip to
retrieve your stuff. And that's if your stuff shows up,
which it doesn't always, particularly you've got a tight connection somewhere.
We've all heard horror stories of people checking bags and
then their stuff not showing up until well into the trip,
if at all. There's actually a store, the Unclaimed Baggage
(01:13):
Center in Alabama, that sells stuff from lost luggage. The
stores ads note that thousands of items arrive in the
store every day, so ponder that the next time you're
thinking of checking bags. When I'm traveling by myself, limiting
myself to carry ons is straightforward enough. I packed my
(01:34):
carry on duffel bag with my work clothes and my
running clothes. I try to wear anything bulky on the plane.
I take my curling iron, but hotels have hair dryers.
I packed my toiletrees in a ziploc bag, even though
I have t s a pre check because sometimes I
fly out of the American Eagle Terminal at Philadelphia, which
doesn't have a pre check lane. I buy travel sized
bottles of toothpaste and contact land solution, and all my
(01:57):
makeup is either under three ounces or isn't really liquid.
Hotels have shampoo and conditioners, so no need to bring
those things. I used my purse as my other carry
on and put my laptop, phone, sunglasses, wallet, and reading
material in there. I recognize that I'm a relatively small person,
but I've seen larger people pack for a week and
similarly sized carry ons. My husband can pack enough business
(02:19):
clothes for a week in his leather duffel bag or
small roll aboard, so he doesn't check bags for business
trips either. At this point, the only reason we check
bags is if we're doing something requiring specialized equipment like skiing,
although I note that the last time we packed to
ski as a family, our luggage got lost and we
wound up getting a knock on our hotel room door
(02:40):
at two am when it was delivered. Anyway, I think
a lot of people assume that when you're traveling with
your family, you have to check bags and you have
to pack a lot. But with some foresight and practice,
I've found that this is not always the case. I
packed for myself in three children for a week in
the UK in two carry ons, my duffel bag and
one small roll aboard, and then my purse and a
(03:02):
small backpack for each child. The kids wore their jackets
to travel, and those were the bulkiest items. We didn't
run out of stuff. The kids rewar clothes on the
play home, but they wore jeans once before that, and
that's about it. What this required was really thinking through
what we'd need and what we wouldn't. We looked at
the weather carefully. We brought enough clothes, but not extra clothes.
(03:27):
I find that a lot of people don't even think
through how many days they'll be gone and what they
will wear each day. They just bring the clothes they
like and figure they'll make wardrobe decisions as they go.
This can waste tons of space. The kids just needed
one pair of shoes each. They could bring a special
small stuffed animal, but not the whole menagerie. We didn't
indulge in fantasies about what we'd need if for some
(03:50):
reason we were invited to dine somewhere fancy. Unlikely with
my kids, we'd go get new clothes. It probably wasn't
worth packing for events that had about a zero percent
chance of happening, but it was great being able to
carry our luggage on buses and trains just fine, and
being able to carry it into our hotel rooms without
feeling like we were unduly burdened. Now, I recognize, of course,
(04:11):
that very small children require a few more items, such
as diapers or bottles if you're using those. However, we've
also found that many places around the world will sell
baby products if you happen to run out. Unless you're
going to the wilderness, you can usually get things. So,
for instance, when we're going on a beach vacation, we'll
bring multiple trial sized bottles of sunscreen to get under
(04:32):
the t s A limit and then buy more at
the beach. When we start running low rental car companies
will rent booster seats for kids who need them, or
I actually managed to squeeze one and to carry on
Duffel once. Like I said, I get into this packing
thing with time management. There's a truism that work expands
to fill the available space. Likewise, I think this is
(04:53):
true of physical space as well. If you tell yourself
that you're only going to bring a small bag, you'll
make it work. If you decide you can check multiple bags, well,
you'll probably fill them as well, and then wind up
dragging them around the whole trip if they show up,
rather than ending up at that lost luggage store in Alabama.
I know not everyone agrees with me. I mean, I've
(05:15):
written about this in the past, and people have told
me that they like their creature comforts, and for them
having a whole bottle of their own shampoo along for
the ride makes travel less daunting, as with much of life,
you do you but in general I think that packing
lighter keeps the focus of travel where it should be,
on experiences, not things you need enough stuff that it
(05:38):
doesn't hinder the experience, but we probably need a lot
less stuff then we think we do. Do you pack light?
I'd love to hear about it. You can let me
know at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart media dot com.
In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and
here's to making the most of our time. Yeah, hey, everybody,
(06:06):
I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod
that's B the number four, then Breakfast p o D.
You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
podcast at i heeart media dot com. That Before Breakfast
(06:28):
is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,
I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is
a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from
my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Before Breakfast News
Host
Laura Vanderkam
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