One Bag Travel

[gtalum]

Oh how this has gone from a one carry-on bag to TSA bashing.

 

It's hard not to bash the TSA. They're worse than useless. We actually have to pay to be sexually harassed at the airport, all to appease the ignorant.

[lladybug01]

How do you adress the issue of formal dinners when you are traveling with one bag? You just can't fold a suit into a carry-on. It would take the whole bag and it would look terrible when it was unpacked.

[gtalum]

How do you adress the issue of formal dinners when you are traveling with one bag? You just can't fold a suit into a carry-on. It would take the whole bag and it would look terrible when it was unpacked.

 

I don't wear a suit on vacation.

 

I do pack a sport coat for formal night, but that's the extent to which I'll dress up.

[Tropicalgal2]

Carolla5501 Where did you find the regulations on the web? I did a search but didn't find what I was looking for in the way of their regulations. :confused:

 

"Since I also carry a printout of the regulations I handed those to him and asked for his supervisor."

[cruzisme]

My husband is 5'09" tall, about 170 lbs. and he can pack his suit, shoes, dress shirt etc. plus his regular clothes into his TravelPro carry on. I didn't think it was possible until he showed me his packed bag! And yes, we did 10 days in Italy way back in 2004 and we both did it 'carry on' only. Wore the boots, heavy jacket, etc (it was in March) onto the plane but we did manage our other stuff with our carry ons.

 

And yes, we did have to wash up things at night.:)

[makeda]

i don't do laundry on vacation, i like choices and i dress for dinner in the mdr every night...one bag would never work for me, not even for a short cruise

[muggo11]

One bag is the only way. . . I make a list of outfits to wear each day--doesn't necessarily work out that way but lets me create a good mix and match that provides some variation. Formal nights is a long black velvet skirt with two different tops. Pretty simple really. My goal is to wear everything I pack and pack everything I wear! Black pants and black shorts are KEY. and for cold weather trips. . . Layer as much as you can and wear your heaviest shoes on the plane.

[jnc411]

OK , the one bag thing is a lovely idea , just does not work for us. Just try packing that for my DH , 6'6" big and tall man , size 15 shoes, no way I am going to pack in one suitcase.

I just pack one checked bag and then and one carry on for each of us, plus my purse/tote, and his medicine pack. OP may not ware suits on his vacation, well I don't like doing laundry every other day . So to each his own.

Cori

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Good point. Fortunately it's not hard to comply with the War on Harmless Liquids. :D

 

Cruise lines and hotels supply shampoo and it's easy to find toothpaste in the small sample-sized tubes. We're set!

 

One day I'm going to take a big block of ice through "security theater", just to see what happens. I love to hassle the TSA goons, and that would be a good one.

Thay are just doing there job for you and I

[Twibbs]

Carolla5501 Where did you find the regulations on the web? I did a search but didn't find what I was looking for in the way of their regulations. :confused:

 

"Since I also carry a printout of the regulations I handed those to him and asked for his supervisor."

 

 

I actually just downloaded them...

 

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm

[ISLABONITA]

Staying on topic ... My husband usually packs more than me and he packs all the essential toiletries for both of us so we have one checked bag between us ( depending on the airline charging) and we each have a carry on and personal item ( usually a laptop).:D

[circuitrider]

I've seen people pack more for a 7 night cruise than we did when we moved to Australia (from memory, 2 checked bags and a total of six carry-ons...plus two car seats and a stroller, family of four). I mean...maybe if they were on a repo cruise and were actually moving to the new locale (how I would have LOVED to have taken a cruise ship from the west coast of the US to Australia). Seriously what could two people need so much luggage for?

 

When cruising, I try to figure what we actually would use, and maybe have an extra outfit for the kids. Jeans can be worn more than once between washings. Socks, maybe. Underwear...ok that's gotta change daily. Suit that'll be worn once or twice, not gonna happen (though I plan on perusing the op-shops for a jacket, in case I really want to eat in the MDR on formal nights). Dress...you women get off easy here, my wife's dresses tend to take up very little space and don't wrinkle like a suit would. I don't bring extra shoes (though that may mean I have to buy a new pair if I want to participate in formal night, as the only pair I brought are sneakers), wife probably brings two pairs (total, so one packed); I didn't count water shoes in that figure though, we sometimes have those packed too.

 

We can do a 7 night cruise with a large (checked-size) bag and two carry-ons (regular roller plus a laptop bag). Since we'll likely be flying to the next cruise, I think we'll forego the checked bag and have a few more carry-ons (maybe two roller bags, overnight bag, and laptop bag). Oh, but be prepared to have your carry-ons weighed...this happened to us for the first time in Auckland and they made us check one carry-on bag (which luckily we were allowed a free checked bag each, so no additional fee). If you're not right at your carry-on allowance, I guess you could pack a large shopping bag that takes up half the space of your bag and put that on top...if it's overweight just take out the bag and claim it as a second carry-on?

[Proseknitic]

I've seen people pack more for a 7 night cruise than we did when we moved to Australia (from memory, 2 checked bags and a total of six carry-ons...plus two car seats and a stroller, family of four). I mean...maybe if they were on a repo cruise and were actually moving to the new locale (how I would have LOVED to have taken a cruise ship from the west coast of the US to Australia). Seriously what could two people need so much luggage for?

 

When cruising, I try to figure what we actually would use, and maybe have an extra outfit for the kids. Jeans can be worn more than once between washings. Socks, maybe. Underwear...ok that's gotta change daily. Suit that'll be worn once or twice, not gonna happen (though I plan on perusing the op-shops for a jacket, in case I really want to eat in the MDR on formal nights). Dress...you women get off easy here, my wife's dresses tend to take up very little space and don't wrinkle like a suit would. I don't bring extra shoes (though that may mean I have to buy a new pair if I want to participate in formal night, as the only pair I brought are sneakers), wife probably brings two pairs (total, so one packed); I didn't count water shoes in that figure though, we sometimes have those packed too.

 

 

I am with you, sort of. I normally check one bag (as long as I stay with Star Alliance it is free) and have a carry-on. If I didn't bring along electronics (2 camera bodies, 4 lenses, computer, hard drive and all the chargers and cables) I could probably make due with just the carry-on.

 

It does mean that all of my clothes - from exercise through formal fall into the grey/black range with a bit of red or white thrown in for good measure. Just returned from 4 weeks on the road (Phoenix x 8 days, San Francisco x 6, Alaska Cruise-Tour x14) with the above. Needed to mail home the completed knitting projects and some magazines, but that is nothing new.

 

After 33 years in a military uniform, wearing the same thing over and over is not an issue and cruise wear is a lot lighter than field gear.

[MrsToad]

I don't know how people can pack in just one bag. I use a full size suitcase for just a weekend at the beach, which I do often. For a week long trip, I use three bags just for myself. Maybe if I had to fly to the port I would learn to pack more lean.

 

Since I haven't flew in many years, (since before they started charging for bags) I have no idea how much it costs to check luggage. I'm taking a shot in the dark and guessing $25? If so, it would be worth it to me to have a variety of shoes and clothes.

[Proseknitic]

I don't know how people can pack in just one bag. I use a full size suitcase for just a weekend at the beach, which I do often. For a week long trip, I use three bags just for myself. Maybe if I had to fly to the port I would learn to pack more lean.

 

Since I haven't flew in many years, (since before they started charging for bags) I have no idea how much it costs to check luggage. I'm taking a shot in the dark and guessing $25? If so, it would be worth it to me to have a variety of shoes and clothes.

Depends on the airline.... International it can be $100US per bag (or over weight bag) and inside the US I have seen the range of $25-100 depending on how many bags and the weight.

 

Shoes? (grin) that gene just passed me by. Running shoes, hiking/walking/stumbling around shoes (one pair for all three) and some low heeled dress up type shoes. Wearing the heaviest on the plane leaves me only two pairs to pack.

 

But part of the decision is also factored not just by plane vs car, but how many times I am going to have to move my luggage by myself. There is simply no way I am dealing with more than a backpack and suitcase on buses, train changes and the like.

 

-Holly

[MrsToad]

Depends on the airline.... International it can be $100US per bag (or over weight bag) and inside the US I have seen the range of $25-100 depending on how many bags and the weight.

 

For $100 I may have to get picky. :D

 

I also think frequent travelers are better at not over packing. My sister travels the world for as much as a month at at time and only uses one bag. I have only starting traveling the past couple of years now that all my kids are grown. Guess I haven't gotten good at it yet.

 

Last cruise I had a whole suitcase of shoes but only wore about half of them. I just wanted to keep my options open. Since DH only uses one bag, he deals with moving mine around too. I strap the two rolling ones together with a small one on top those two so it can be moved around by one handle.

 

I forgot about the small one and the shoulder bag on my first post, so I guess technically I use five bags for a week. :eek: Wow, this is starting to get embarrassing! In my defense, on bag held several fans ... one for our cabin and our kids' cabins. None of us can sleep without the noise.

[Bamaman1]

We've traveled all over the world, and NEVER, NEVER take more than one rolling 21" carry on bag. You could travel indefinitely with one bag.

 

Carrying the bag on airlines just makes travel so much easier and efficient--and no more lost luggage.

 

See the following list for a general list of items that'll fit in a 21' roller bag: http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/rick-steves-packing-checklist.pdf It needs fine tuning slightly for cruising, but the list is still applicable.

[Paraveina]

It can definitely be done. My boyfriend and I went to London for 10 days with only a carryon backpack each. That didn't include formal clothes, but you only need one suit for two formal nights anyways. Just check out youtube for tips on how to bundle pack and you won't have many wrinkles.

[Bethwte]

For those of you who are one-bag travelers - what do you do when you run across an airline that has severe restrictions on the weight or size of carry-ons? I was going to try to do the one-bag thing on my upcoming cruise, but Air Canada only allows 10 kg/22lbs per bag if you carry on (some are even worse -Lufthansa is 17.5lbs I think). I would have to check my items anyway, so I decided to just use my regular luggage.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Only men can do that ...

[Paraveina]

For those of you who are one-bag travelers - what do you do when you run across an airline that has severe restrictions on the weight or size of carry-ons? I was going to try to do the one-bag thing on my upcoming cruise, but Air Canada only allows 10 kg/22lbs per bag if you carry on (some are even worse -Lufthansa is 17.5lbs I think). I would have to check my items anyway, so I decided to just use my regular luggage.

 

I lucked out in that my bag was 19 lbs after I filled it. You could also take the largest size purse you're allowed and put your heaviest items in it.

[Proseknitic]

For those of you who are one-bag travelers - what do you do when you run across an airline that has severe restrictions on the weight or size of carry-ons? I was going to try to do the one-bag thing on my upcoming cruise, but Air Canada only allows 10 kg/22lbs per bag if you carry on (some are even worse -Lufthansa is 17.5lbs I think). I would have to check my items anyway, so I decided to just use my regular luggage.

Interesting question. I have usually a backpack or purse+camera bags as carry-on and check one bag. I have never had the airlines even ask about the weight of my carry-ons. I fly Lufthansa 50k miles or more every year. I have even had cabin attendants help me boost the heavier bag into the overheads without a word.

 

I am wondering how dependent the enforcement might be on "how heavy your stuff looks..." If you can lift, tote, and make it look light, no one asks. The trip to the Galapagos this spring will test me as it is a smaller plane and they are very clear about size and weight of luggage.

[iluvsunandsand]

i really want to attempt the one-bag travel thing, but the only issue is with my sunscreen (a particular non-chemical sunscreen) that I use. All the other things like shampoo I have in travel size so will comply with the liquid rules. I have no problem fitting all my vacation clothing in my carry-on Heys luggage. I also carry a purse(larger-sized).

[iluvsunandsand]

i also pack an olive oil bar that works as a body wash and for shaving bc it is so moisturizing- so that eliminates a packing a separate shaving cream and body wash.

[Bethwte]

i really want to attempt the one-bag travel thing, but the only issue is with my sunscreen (a particular non-chemical sunscreen) that I use. All the other things like shampoo I have in travel size so will comply with the liquid rules. I have no problem fitting all my vacation clothing in my carry-on Heys luggage. I also carry a purse(larger-sized).

 

Could you transfer the sun screen into travel-sized bottles? They make a lot of really nice (non-shatter, airtight with pump, etc) ones now that are TSA-approved.