Here is how I avoid those predatory airline baggage fees which can easily cost you $50.00 per bag – EACH way. Follow these suggestions and you will NEVER have to check a bag again. You can easily travel with a small carry-on bag or backpack and do just fine. I am starting off with women but the advice for men is very similar.
First of all, if you are packing in winter, turn your heat down before you start. If it is summer, turn your air conditioner up. Then lay out everything you are thinking about taking with you for your trip. Consider the weather at your destination, whom you’ll be visiting, what kinds of activities you’ll be doing, etc. Then you should probably put half of the things you think you need back in your closet. Traveling these days requires you to be extremely Spartan in what you take with you. Gone are the days of steamer trunks and hat boxes.
The trick is to wear almost everything you are taking for your trip. Begin with your underwear layer, unless you think you might be going swimming. If so, put on your bathing suit first. Next, you can easily wear 5-6 pair of underpants. Start off with your newest, tightest-fitting pairs (such as thongs) and progress to your older, looser-fitting ones. If you are over 50, you can probably skip the thong layer, and you might even want to layer in a pair of Depends if you will be on an exceptionally long flight.
The same thing goes for bras. Put on your barest, strapless ones that go under evening wear, then layer up to your old-lady bras. You can skip this bottom layer if you are going to visit your grand kids. In that case, your daughters-in-law or daughters will be wearing the sexy, strapless evening wear when they go out, while you will be staying home and babysitting the grand kids.
Next add any leggings or panty-hose with feet. These should go over the underpants layers. Choose the sheerest pantyhose first, then move to the heavier footed leggings. If you are taking socks, put these on next. Make sure to smooth out as many sags or wrinkles as you can so you don’t end up looking like one of those elderly eastern-European ladies. As soon as you’ve completed this layer, move on to the pants layer.
Start with any stretch pants. Now add a pair of regular jeans, if you are over 50. If you are under 50, and have ‘skinny’ jeans, you might want to skip taking the heavy leggings. Now you can ease your dressy pants or skirts over these layers. This may require using one of those elastic button extenders, or just leaving them unbuttoned altogether. Elastic waistband apparel is the best travel wear and is much easier to layer. The shirts and blouses layer will hide any waist band issues.
Now assess your blouse situation. Obviously, put on your most form-fitting shirts first like Tees, then add your looser, dressier blouses. You can leave the top buttons open to show a few of the other layers underneath. This is quite stylish and may help off-set the initial shock of the final look of your travel wear. Skip taking sweatshirts, you can always borrow one from whomever you are visiting. If you have a favorite sweater, feel free to add it here – over the shirt/blouse layer.
Depending on the season and your destination, you may need a winter coat, gloves, hats, and boots. These can significantly add to the bulkiness of your outfit, but don’t get discouraged. Add your warm, woolen socks over any thinner or silky socks, leggings, etc. Plan to wear your bulky winter boots on the plane. Often you can skip the boots if you are visiting big-footed friends or relatives, or those with older kids. You can usually borrow an extra pair of winter boots from them, in which case, plan to wear your next bulkiest shoes on the plane. If you absolutely need to take high heels, these will have to go into your small carry-on bag with your essential toiletries, medicines, nightgown, etc. Pick one pair that will go with everything.
The MUST here is to forget about your pride or any sense of style. You will look like a bag person. Accept this, and think about all that money you’ll be saving on baggage fees. Back in the old days, people who traveled by plane were very stylishly dressed and coiffed. Airports were full of these well-healed glitterati. However, you will look more like the people who could only afford to travel by bus or train. These days, its is the opposite. Fellow plane passengers will look refreshingly similar to you, and it is the bus and train passengers who would probably avoid sitting next to someone dressed like you. Also, accept that you will be somewhat uncomfortable wearing all those clothes. Getting too hot – especially in summer, is the major problem. However, you can take off quite a few outer layers, such as winter coats, hats, scarves, etc. and put these in the overhead compartment of the plane with your small carry-on. You can also slip off any bulky winter boots and put them under the seat in front of you. You will be surprisingly comfortable.
There is another upside these days to ‘packing’ by wearing everything you are bringing on your trip. You do not have to fear those intrusive, genital-pawing pat-downs by the TSA agents. You will look like the Michelin Man or the Pillsbury Dough boy. They can pat away to their heart’s content and you won’t ever feel a thing. Your modesty will remain preserved.
Another thing I’ve learned from my flying experiences is that these days, almost all of the flights you take will be totally full. As has happened to me most times, I get to the gate with my carry-on bag, the gate agents look around at all the people with carry-on luggage, and realize that it won’t possibly fit in the overhead bins and under the seats. They announce that if you bring your carry-on bag up to the gate counter, they will check it to your destination for FREE. I then use this opportunity to quickly stuff my bulky items that I’m wearing into my carry-on bag, and eliminate having to deal with putting them into the overhead compartment. The airline puts your bag directly onto your plane, and you get your bag checked for free – which should have happened in the first place. Imagine how steamed you’d be to pay $50.00 to check a bag at the check-in counter, only to find when you get to the gate, they are checking them for free for your fellow passengers!
One other important note to consider. Try to avoid drinking a lot of liquids at least 12 hours before your flight. The same goes for taking any ex-lax, stool softeners, or diuretics. Totally skip the Starbucks kiosks on your way to the plane. Having to use those Lilliputian restrooms on the plane with all those clothes on, is very challenging. You may find yourself having to step back out in the aisle to pull up your pants layer. This can be humiliating. If you find that you absolutely can’t make it the whole flight, choose the restrooms at the back of the plane to lessen the number of fellow passengers who will be treated to your post-restroom floor show. However, if the bathing suit you put on for your first layer is a one-piece, you are completely screwed.
I now look at plane travel as a personal challenge to see just how much of the stuff I am taking that I can either do without, or actually wear on my person. Obviously, you still need to carry a small zip-lock bag with your less-than-three-ounces of liquids like shampoo, toothpaste, mouthwash, breast milk, etc., but with the essentials like your cell phone, your Kindle, or laptop, you’ll be surprisingly free and unburdened by unnecessary ‘stuff’ and unnecessary baggage fees. Part of keeping up with the times is being flexible to make the most of your travel resources. Readjust your expectations and remember to keep laughing.