I am SUCH an over-packer. Always have been, probably always will be. When I travel it’s with everything and the kitchen sink. I don’t end up using a fraction of what I bring and yet…I still pack it all because you just never know.
Packing light has never been something I’ve excelled at (obviously) but a few months ago I made it happen. I went on a trip to Utah where my flight was paid for but I would have had to pay to check my luggage so I decided to pack only in a carry on to save money (and because I’m totally paranoid about my luggage getting lost).
I definitely wouldn’t say I’m a pro by any means and I know that I’ll probably still be an over-packer when I’m traveling with kids but I was proud that I was able to do it successfully at least once!
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Some tips that helped me:
- Watching a TON of YouTube packing videos to see how other people pack
- Using packing cubes (we actually bought these for our big family trip to Salt Lake City in June and loved them for both trips – they really help keep everything organized and compact)
- Not packing things that I knew I could use from the hotel (like a hairdryer)
- Trying as hard as I could to pack only the bare necessities
- Downsizing things like my toiletries into smaller containers to take up less space (see the video below where I shared how contact cases are one of the keys to my success)
Here’s the video I made showing everything that I packed and how I packed it.
And this video shows how I fit all of my liquids (including my essential oils) in my one quart bag.
Products I referenced:
When you fly are you able to pack in a carry on only?
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