In this modern day of worldwide independent travel, trunks are long gone and carry-on luggage has become the preferred baggage of the frequent traveler. By carrying your luggage with you on the plane, you save valuable travel time, and you never need to worry about the airline losing your luggage or having it miss the plane. Just have this happen to you once when you’re in a hurry and you’ll be a carry-on traveler for life. Here are some helpful tips on how to choose the right bag, what to bring with you and how to pack it.

When looking for carry-on luggage, make sure you get something that will fit under the seat in front of you. In general, try to select a bag with dimensions not exceeding 14″ x 9″ x 22″, including all straps and wheels. Policies may vary, so always check with the airline for its limits on the size, weight or number of carry-on pieces. If you are using more than one airline, you might want to call ahead to find out all baggage requirements.

Good quality, softsided carry-on bags are lightweight, sturdy and washable, and they absorb shock better than hardsided luggage. Look for durable, waterproof nylon with a high-density weave, strong double zippers that can be locked, and comfortable handles and shoulder straps. It’s good to have a removable shoulder strap in case you do need to check the bag so it won’t get caught in the luggage carousel. A great bet are carry-ons with two or three separate compartments and three-quarter zippers that allow you to open the bag up and lay it flat like a suitcase.

We highly recommend the carry-ons with wheels and retractable luggage handles which will save you from having to carry your luggage long distances in airports. There are also some convertible backpacks on the market which are quite good, particularly if you expect to do a lot of walking with your luggage or are traveling by train through Europe. If you’re not using a rolling carry-on or convertible backpack and plan on walking a lot with your luggage, consider a luggage cart.

Remember, you’re going to be carrying your own bag through airports, train stations and looking for hotels. Make sure you can carry it comfortably for at least a mile. If you’re still don’t know what to bring and what not to then take the luggage hike test. Go for a mile-long walk with your bag. When you get back it will be a lot easier to decide what you don’t need!

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This method of packing is a favorite of many travelers. It’s difficult to explain. You need luggage that opens up and lays flat to do this. You will also need a flat, soft, pouch-like rectangular “core” with dimensions that are at least 1/2 to 3/4 the size of your luggage compartment. This can be a pouch filled with underwear or something similar.

Start with your sports jacket or the longest, most wrinkle-prone item you have. With the collar or waistband flat, place it against the bottom edge of the bag and drape the rest of the garment over the opposite side of the bag. Take another garment and place it in the opposite direction, flattening and smoothing out both garments in the bag and draping the remainder over the side. If you have trousers or other narrow items, do the same with them in the narrow direction of the bag. Keep alternating your items, ending up with the most wrinkle-resistant clothes you have.

When you finish, place your “core” in the middle. Now you’re going to start folding the garments over the core and each other in the reverse order you put them in. If you fold something over and there’s excess draping over the sides of the bag, tuck it underneath the bundle you are creating.

What you will end up with is a bundle of all of your clothes that looks like a pillow. You can pick it up in one piece. It’s compactly packed and doesn’t waste an available space in your luggage. Plus, because of the way things are folded, your clothes will wrinkle less.

To find something in the bundle, lay it flat and unwrap until you reach the layer you want. Take the item out and refold the remainder. If done properly each layer should result in a self contained bundle at each layer.

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When packing your clothes, you don’t want to neatly fold them individually as you would in a dresser. If you do, they will crease when compressed. Here are a couple of alternatives:

Rolling Your Clothes
Backpackers swear by this method. Rolling works well with pants, skirts and sports shirts. Lay the item face down, fold back the sleeves and then roll from the bottom up.

Fold Clothes Together
Take two or more garments, for example trousers, and lay half of one pair on top of the other. Fold the one on the bottom over the pair on the top. Then take the other and fold it on the top. This gives each pair some cushion where you’ve folded it so it’s less likely to crease or wrinkle in the folds.

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When you are on a trip you don’t want to spend your time ironing your clothes. Here’s some ways to avoid wrinkles while traveling.

• Don’t over pack your bags.
• Travel with clothing that is less likely to wrinkle.
• Roll up T-shirts or underwear.
• Take the proper size luggage for your trip. Too big a bag will allow your items to move around and make damage and wrinkles more likely.
• Button the buttons on shirts so items will hang properly.
• Use plastic dry cleaner bags between items. Make sure the dry cleaner bags do not have any advertising printed on them. The ink can rub off and end up on your clothes.
• Unpack as soon as possible.
• And the best one - Hang wrinkled items in the bathroom while you shower to help steam out the wrinkles.

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The following are the items that you would need to pack in your carry-on luggage:

• Passport for all travel outside the US
• Wallet
• Driver’s License and/or other proper photo identification required for domestic travel.
• Medical insurance cards and automobile insurance card if driving where you’re going
• Credit cards
• Travelers checks
• Airline, Cruise or Train tickets
• Itinerary with confirmation numbers and addresses and phone numbers of where you’ll be staying
• Travel brochures and maps
• A small amount of local currency for immediate use to hold you over until you can
  make it to a currency exchange, if you’re planning foreign travel.

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