Tips for packing light - What one thing should I leave at home?

Leave most electronics. It’s just 7 days. You can get by without them.

Leave any article of clothing that you would be disappointed if lost.

Leave all jewellery. Again, it’s only 7 days.

Since retiring, the way we travel, the duration, and where/how we travel have served to move us to carry on only. A week or nine weeks, Land travel, sometimes with cruises interspersed. Travelling in this manner has become a physical imperative for us because we do not go from home- airport-hotel-cruise ship.

The first thing we did was start with a smaller suitcase. Whether you go carry on or not this may be a good place to start. It immediately places a restriction on how much you take.

Second thing we do is that we shop for travel clothes. They need to be light weight, wrinkle free, and colour fo-ordinated. We dress in layers if the weather is changeable which it often is for us.

Third thing, we do not bother with the just in case stuff, loads of beauty products, or electronics. No duct tape, shoe holders, decorations, etc.

When we unpack from a trip we make a mental note of what we really did not use and what we missed. We make the adjustment on the next trip. Shoes are a biggie. We take the pair on our feet, a pair of lightweight Teva sandals. DW takes an extra pair of what she calls flats. It was challenging at first, especially for DW. Now she would not have it any other way. Good luck no matter what size of suitcase you end up with.

Another way to pack light is get an "IT" brand suitcase which is only 6#. Why take up a good chunk of your luggage allowance with just the luggage itself.

Ditch any shoes you can’t walk a mile in. Leave the whole jewelry box at home and pick selected pieces. Leave the bulky heavy jeans. They are not cruise nor Caribbean wear.

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Absolutely.

In our recent luggage shopping experience just because it says 'light' on the tag does NOT mean that it is light. Checjk out the actual weight. We switched to duflle type roller bad. We findd th much better than our old hard side/soft lid bags.

I promised DH I wouldn't pack "everything but the kitchen sink" this time. We're doing a 7 day Caribbean. Looking for tips to pack light - what is the one thing I should leave at home?

 

..Go! :D

I'm serious now. Leave your (full) suitcase home. Passport, Credit Card, boarding pass, personal medicines, glasses and 2 changes of clothes and swimsuit in a backpack should do it. Ships have laundries. Shop til you drop once you get aboard or to the islands if you must, as the entire world is full of 'stuff' now.

I am a serious overpacker. I don’t worry about it. My rule is if I can handle getting the suitcases to the airport and then ship, then I can take whatever I want. I will say I have never taken laundry hampers and over the door shoe holders, plug strips etc. My over packing is from shoes and clothes. I work from home so I don’t get many chances to dress up and cruises are my time to enjoy doing that! One tip for packing is definitely get the packing cubes. They really help condense everything.

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Nothing wrong with packing lots if you can handle it. We cannot so we adjust accordingly.

Leave most electronics. It’s just 7 days. You can get by without them.

 

Leave any article of clothing that you would be disappointed if lost.

 

Leave all jewellery. Again, it’s only 7 days.

That's a huge assumption. Not all cruises nor trips are "only 7 days".

We came to the conclusion a long time ago that it was impossible for us to pack for 4,5,6........ 20 weeks.

So we called it a day and now only pack for six or seven days. Then we use the laundry or do it ourselves. So our suitcase is the same size for a week as it is on a two month vacation. The only exception is when we are on a driving vacation from home. We can bing things in the cat and not have to carry them into hotels, etc.

Jeans: Bulky (and heavy to pack), uncomfortable layered, limited versatility, and time consuming to wash and dry. Additionally, for those ladies off to exotic locations, difficult to get up, down, and out of the way for hurried stops at sometimes strange and unfamiliar "restrooms".

That's a huge assumption. Not all cruises nor trips are "only 7 days".

The op said in their first post that their cruise is 7 days. In the OP's case it's not a huge assumption.

Nothing wrong with packing lots if you can handle it. We cannot so we adjust accordingly.

Exactly. Most of my cruises are in Europe and are a combination of land travel (including trains) and cruising. As a solo woman, I have to be able to easily handle my own luggage. Often there is no other option. At other times there may be options -- but ones that are exorbitantly costly.

I found since I started traveling 'lighter' that it is unexpectedly nice to spend less time packing and unpacking and also less time thinking about putting together outfits or 'what to wear' -- as those decisions have all been thought through before my trip starts.

Hi all!!

Well from my last post about the missing wine items we left at home 😞guess what?? Found it packed deep in our bag this am when we were watching The Maasdam come into port!!!

Happy 💃 Dance!!

Now our rule is pack it on top last item! Or my DH said he’ll get a case with a wrist lock to keep it close! LOL

I did pack too many shoes.😕

Denise:)

Yay! Happy cruising. :)

Hi all!!

Well from my last post about the missing wine items we left at home 😞guess what?? Found it packed deep in our bag this am when we were watching The Maasdam come into port!!!

Happy 💃 Dance!!

Now our rule is pack it on top last item! Or my DH said he’ll get a case with a wrist lock to keep it close! LOL

I did pack too many shoes.😕

Denise:)

Good news Denise :) You're all set now!

Have a WONDERFUL cruise.

Leave the big bag at home. If you take the big bag, you will fill it up.

We only take one four wheel standup roller carry on size bag per person for a seven day Caribbean.

Lay out what you think you'll need. Put items in the bag. When the bag is full, stop packing. If you want to add something, you have to take something out to make room.

Leave the big bag at home. If you take the big bag, you will fill it up.

 

We only take one four wheel standup roller carry on size bag per person for a seven day Caribbean.

 

Lay out what you think you'll need. Put items in the bag. When the bag is full, stop packing. If you want to add something, you have to take something out to make room.

Thanks for letting me know! I think I will challenge myself to that!

The one thing to always leave behind is a less than positive attitude.

Have a great cruise

as noted, pack only half of the clothes you think you need.........no one else cares what you look like and there are laundry options if you need it. Don't pack a lot of shoes and assessories and toiletries. After only 9 cruises I can already say just relax and enjoy it!!

There’s packing light, or packing compactly. I rely on packing cubes to organize and compact my clothes down and maximize the available space. As mentioned, wear your bulkiest items on the plane or things you don’t want squished. HAL laundry is money well spent — you can have everything that is wrinkled re-laundered and pressed. You’ll have it the next day and you will look marvellous!

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I lay out all the outfits I think I'd wear. Then I eliminate a third to a half of them. I accomplish this by choosing my favourites and putting the rest of them away. With shoes I decide which ones go with the most outfits and put the rest away. I also eliminate clothes that weigh a lot. If I find I really need something while I'm traveling I will buy it. But first I ask myself if I really need it or do I just really want it. That usually helps me walk away. lol

Oh I wish I was as good as you. My suitcase usually weighs in at around 47 pounds. Doesn't leave much room for items bought. I'll try to do better this August:D

Coordinate your clothing/shoes. I went to a packing seminar in which the presenter packed a carry on suitcase with enough clothing/shoes for 14 days. Basically, for every bottom (pants, skirts, etc), have 3 - 5 tops. Use packing folders and cubes. Scarves are lightweight and can be used to dress up a casual outfit or just change the look. Wear your heaviest shoes and clothing on your travel days. And, yes, don't take all the shoes. You really only need two to three pairs: walking, dress and sandals.

I've been using Heys packing cubes since they came out. I could never pack with out them. I also like to bring a pair of black Crocs - they're good around the pool, in the shower, at the beach, going up to the Spa, on shore in rainy days and if it's cool outside I'll put a pair of socks on.

There are two keys to packing light.

First, make decisions. None of this, "well, I might want to wear this or that". Decide before you pack.

Second, don't try to impress people. You'll never see the people on your cruise again in your life so why does it matter if they think you've worn the same outfit twice?

The kitchen sink😉