The time has come to say bon voyage and embark on my travels! And while I managed to pack light for this month-long journey, the bag shown above is not the only one I’ll be taking with me.
I’ve always been a strategic packer. I don’t need weeks to plan what I will bring, but I wouldn’t say I like to start packing at the last minute either. Since I’ll be going on a lengthy trip, I began laying out what I knew I would need a few days in advance, leaving me plenty of time to pick up any items that I was out of.
However, the real dilemma arrived when it came time to decide how many bags I would take. I’ve always traveled with one large bag that I check at the airport and then bring an oversized backpack where I store my everyday bag, laptop, and in-flight essentials, and I put in an extra tote bag, just in case my checked bag is over the weight limit (which, thankfully, hasn’t happened).
This time though, I will be staying over the holidays and bringing gifts, which take up a lot of space in my luggage. But I remained determined to take only one checked bag. While friends and family thought I was crazy (and many swore my packing system wouldn’t work), I remained optimistic (even as my suitcase looked like it wouldn’t close). Thankfully, my oversized backpack came in handy, and I moved some of the bulkier, but lighter-weight, pieces into it to save space in my suitcase. And, voilà, more room was instantly created.
In the end, I had enough space to add a pair of knee-high boots into the bag…plus all of my toiletries. And the best part is that on the return, I’ll have a half-empty suitcase to bring home!
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