WEBVTT - Save time by packing smart

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>This week we're talking travel tips and how to be

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<v Speaker 1>efficient and effective on the road. Today's tip is about

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<v Speaker 1>how to pack smart, which generally means light so you

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<v Speaker 1>don't waste time while traveling. So in my family, we

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<v Speaker 1>have a rule that, if at all possible, we don't

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<v Speaker 1>check bags. Now, I know it's not always possible, but

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<v Speaker 1>I do think it's a good goal, even if you're

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<v Speaker 1>traveling for a week or so, and even if you're

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<v Speaker 1>traveling with kids. Here's my reasoning. Checking bags means you

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<v Speaker 1>need to get to the airport earlier and you need

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<v Speaker 1>to wait on the other side of your trip to

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<v Speaker 1>retrieve your stuff. And that's if your stuff shows up,

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<v Speaker 1>which it doesn't always, particularly you've got a tight connection somewhere.

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<v Speaker 1>We've all heard horror stories of people checking bags and

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<v Speaker 1>then their stuff not showing up until well into the trip,

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<v Speaker 1>if at all. There's actually a store, the Unclaimed Baggage

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<v Speaker 1>Center in Alabama, that sells stuff from lost luggage. The

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<v Speaker 1>stores ads note that thousands of items arrive in the

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<v Speaker 1>store every day, so ponder that the next time you're

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<v Speaker 1>thinking of checking bags. When I'm traveling by myself, limiting

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<v Speaker 1>myself to carry ons is straightforward enough. I packed my

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<v Speaker 1>carry on duffel bag with my work clothes and my

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<v Speaker 1>running clothes. I try to wear anything bulky on the plane.

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<v Speaker 1>I take my curling iron, but hotels have hair dryers.

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<v Speaker 1>I packed my toiletrees in a ziploc bag, even though

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<v Speaker 1>I have t s a pre check because sometimes I

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<v Speaker 1>fly out of the American Eagle Terminal at Philadelphia, which

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't have a pre check lane. I buy travel sized

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<v Speaker 1>bottles of toothpaste and contact land solution, and all my

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<v Speaker 1>makeup is either under three ounces or isn't really liquid.

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<v Speaker 1>Hotels have shampoo and conditioners, so no need to bring

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<v Speaker 1>those things. I used my purse as my other carry

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<v Speaker 1>on and put my laptop, phone, sunglasses, wallet, and reading

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<v Speaker 1>material in there. I recognize that I'm a relatively small person,

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<v Speaker 1>but I've seen larger people pack for a week and

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<v Speaker 1>similarly sized carry ons. My husband can pack enough business

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<v Speaker 1>clothes for a week in his leather duffel bag or

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<v Speaker 1>small roll aboard, so he doesn't check bags for business

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<v Speaker 1>trips either. At this point, the only reason we check

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<v Speaker 1>bags is if we're doing something requiring specialized equipment like skiing,

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<v Speaker 1>although I note that the last time we packed to

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<v Speaker 1>ski as a family, our luggage got lost and we

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<v Speaker 1>wound up getting a knock on our hotel room door

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<v Speaker 1>at two am when it was delivered. Anyway, I think

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of people assume that when you're traveling with

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<v Speaker 1>your family, you have to check bags and you have

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<v Speaker 1>to pack a lot. But with some foresight and practice,

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<v Speaker 1>I've found that this is not always the case. I

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<v Speaker 1>packed for myself in three children for a week in

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<v Speaker 1>the UK in two carry ons, my duffel bag and

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<v Speaker 1>one small roll aboard, and then my purse and a

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<v Speaker 1>small backpack for each child. The kids wore their jackets

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<v Speaker 1>to travel, and those were the bulkiest items. We didn't

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<v Speaker 1>run out of stuff. The kids rewar clothes on the

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<v Speaker 1>play home, but they wore jeans once before that, and

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<v Speaker 1>that's about it. What this required was really thinking through

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<v Speaker 1>what we'd need and what we wouldn't. We looked at

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<v Speaker 1>the weather carefully. We brought enough clothes, but not extra clothes.

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<v Speaker 1>I find that a lot of people don't even think

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<v Speaker 1>through how many days they'll be gone and what they

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<v Speaker 1>will wear each day. They just bring the clothes they

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<v Speaker 1>like and figure they'll make wardrobe decisions as they go.

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<v Speaker 1>This can waste tons of space. The kids just needed

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<v Speaker 1>one pair of shoes each. They could bring a special

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<v Speaker 1>small stuffed animal, but not the whole menagerie. We didn't

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<v Speaker 1>indulge in fantasies about what we'd need if for some

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<v Speaker 1>reason we were invited to dine somewhere fancy. Unlikely with

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<v Speaker 1>my kids, we'd go get new clothes. It probably wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>worth packing for events that had about a zero percent

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<v Speaker 1>chance of happening, but it was great being able to

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<v Speaker 1>carry our luggage on buses and trains just fine, and

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<v Speaker 1>being able to carry it into our hotel rooms without

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<v Speaker 1>feeling like we were unduly burdened. Now, I recognize, of course,

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<v Speaker 1>that very small children require a few more items, such

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<v Speaker 1>as diapers or bottles if you're using those. However, we've

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<v Speaker 1>also found that many places around the world will sell

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<v Speaker 1>baby products if you happen to run out. Unless you're

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<v Speaker 1>going to the wilderness, you can usually get things. So,

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<v Speaker 1>for instance, when we're going on a beach vacation, we'll

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<v Speaker 1>bring multiple trial sized bottles of sunscreen to get under

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<v Speaker 1>the t s A limit and then buy more at

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<v Speaker 1>the beach. When we start running low rental car companies

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<v Speaker 1>will rent booster seats for kids who need them, or

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<v Speaker 1>I actually managed to squeeze one and to carry on

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<v Speaker 1>Duffel once. Like I said, I get into this packing

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<v Speaker 1>thing with time management. There's a truism that work expands

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<v Speaker 1>to fill the available space. Likewise, I think this is

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<v Speaker 1>true of physical space as well. If you tell yourself

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<v Speaker 1>that you're only going to bring a small bag, you'll

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<v Speaker 1>make it work. If you decide you can check multiple bags, well,

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<v Speaker 1>you'll probably fill them as well, and then wind up

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<v Speaker 1>dragging them around the whole trip if they show up,

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<v Speaker 1>rather than ending up at that lost luggage store in Alabama.

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<v Speaker 1>I know not everyone agrees with me. I mean, I've

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<v Speaker 1>written about this in the past, and people have told

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<v Speaker 1>me that they like their creature comforts, and for them

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<v Speaker 1>having a whole bottle of their own shampoo along for

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<v Speaker 1>the ride makes travel less daunting, as with much of life,

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<v Speaker 1>you do you but in general I think that packing

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<v Speaker 1>lighter keeps the focus of travel where it should be,

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<v Speaker 1>on experiences, not things you need enough stuff that it

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't hinder the experience, but we probably need a lot

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<v Speaker 1>less stuff then we think we do. Do you pack light?

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear about it. You can let me

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<v Speaker 1>know at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart media dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and

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<v Speaker 1>here's to making the most of our time. Yeah, hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod

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<v Speaker 1>that's B the number four, then Breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>podcast at i heeart media dot com. That Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,

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<v Speaker 1>I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is

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<v Speaker 1>a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from

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<v Speaker 1>my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.