PACK WITH ME: CARRY ON

All my life I was a dedicated ‘checked bag’ girl- its how I traveled every time my parents and I took a vacation. I guess you could say I inherited that from my Mom- I always appreciated having lots of outfit options, full size skincare products and realistically a lot of ‘“stuff” lol.

We all know what happened in 2020 so I won’t go down that rabbit hole….

Unfortunately that changed the travel industry, at least as we’re seeing in Canada (Toronto), immensely. The travel experience as a whole is just not the same and the luggage experience is an absolute shit show!

Needless to say, I have become a VERY committed ‘carry on girl’ over this past year. Over the last 365 days, I’ve successfully enjoyed trips to Portugal, Winnipeg, Mexico, Arizona and California with carry on and its such a WIN! It’s like a really exhilarating game of tetris, trying to make everything fit, I love the challenge.

I recently started working with Heys Luggage and I’m slightly obsessed with my new Earth Tones 21” carry on luggage. It rolls smoothly, has the extender option if you need to, tidy pockets and the handle is a comfortable height. I’ve also recently started using packing cubes- this was new to me! They are super light weight zipper pouches that fit into the suitcase compartments, allowing you to maximize the space in the packing cube.

My packing technique is a combination of laying clothes flat AND rolling, depending on the product material.

For example:

Dresses - lay flat

Leggings - roll

Jeans - lay flat

Blazers - lay flat (or better yet, wear it on the plane)

Tees/tanks - roll

I will also stuff things into every shoe that I pack, that’s some valuable space you don’t want to waste!

For example:

Running shoes - put a pair of sunglasses in 1 shoe, vitamins in the other shoe

High heels - bodysuits or underwear would fit well

Strappy pumps - small socks could easily be tucked amidst the straps

For my most recent trip to Scottsdale, Arizona, these were the items in my Heys carry on:

1 pair running shoes

1 pair strappy pumps

1 pair pumps

1 pair espadrilles

2 small handbags

2 belts

2 bodysuits

2 dresses

3 workout outfits

Flat iron

Makeup bag

Small toiletry bag

Hoodie

Dress pants

Blazer

Jeans

Button down shirt

Under garments

Bikini

PJs

My plane outfit consisted of a one piece bodysuit, blazer + combat boots- those would be rather aggressive to pack, so it was most definitely the footwear choice for my travel day!

Over the last year, I’ve become more focused on efficiency, in many areas of my life.

I love and very much appreciate the efficiency of traveling with carry on luggage because it directly reflects the amount of time you can spend at home or your travel destination, it eliminates any stress about where you baggage is or if its lost and it also keeps you accountable to not shop too much when you’re away! (I’ve grown into appreciating this one haha)

Are you team CARRY ON or team CHECKED BAG

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