End of summer found me with a jammed pack travel itinerary. Only having just arrived in our new home location in NJ, I had to hit the road for 3 weeks of travel that would take me to Memphis, TN, Queensland, Australia, and Charlotte, NC. With the relocation and the divorce I found myself with out my large purple bag that had become my standard companion for my Australia trips. I decided I would order myself my own new gold bag with the convenience of 4 swivel wheels along with some ebags.
As luck would have it, the gold suitcase did not arrive in time for my travels and I was left with my one black, carry-on size suitcase to fit 3 weeks of travel in.
Fortunately, my new green ebags (green is my favorite color) arrived and I was excited to give them a shot and see if they made a long haul trip any easier to manage in the packing department. I had heard from other professionals in the travel industry how much they enjoyed how these bags worked for keeping all your stuff organized through the unpacking and packing that happens when out on tour. So here I was, the day before the trip with my black suitcase (pictured above) and my ebags. The challenge was to fit enough clothes for all the events into this one bag. Here’s the thing… I needed to have business casual, evening dress, tour wear, and exercise wear as part of the mix given the different locations and itineraries. And guess what folks, I did it. When I returned, I actually had pieces that I didn’t end up wearing and even added a few new items that I had purchased in Australia into the bag. I AMAZED myself!
How did I do it? What did I pack?
First, I planned on wearing most things at least twice. I knew I would have at least two occasions to do wash. I planned around a color theme (black) which meant I could mix and match and bring less shoes. I used the ebags to pack my items by category to keep everything organized.
Here is what ended up in that black suitcase of mine…..
Flip flops, low black sandal, medium black heel, tennis shoes
Night shirt and a lounge outfit
3 swimsuits and a cover up
Bras
Underwear
Socks
2 long sleeve knit tops
8 short sleeve
2 shorts
2 nylon Capri
2 black dress pants
2 jeans
2 dresses
1 dressy jumpsuit
3 yoga pant, 3 exercise tops, 2 sports bras
2 sleeveless dress tops
1 3/4 sleeve dress top
1 long sleeve blouse
1 knit cardigan
I packed all that plus the outfit I was wearing as well.
I think that’s it.
Wait! Of course, I put my personal bag with my toiletries in there too. Who knew you could put so much into one bag? The best part was that this bag weighed only 33lbs. I was allowed 50lbs for the trip to Australia, but I like to have a little to spare for those items I purchase. When I got back from Australia and had to head to Charlotte, I was so used to traveling light that I pulled only the few things I needed for the trip and traveled with only a backpack to my conference. At the end of the day, less is more and nobody cares what you are wearing. Travel light my friends.
Lisa Rossmeissl is the owner of Boomerang Escapes, a home-based agency located in Old Bridge, New Jersey with agents in TN, MS, and WI.
She has been a professional travel consultant since 2008 and specializes in Australia and the South Pacific. Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Fiji, and Cook Islands are among the specialist certificates she holds. Her agency’s focus is on creating custom itineraries with their client’s wants, desires, and budgets in mind. She and her planners believe in getting to know the traveler to ensure they have a vacation to remember. With each planner specializing in a different market area, Boomerang Escapes can offer a wide variety of leisure vacation planning.
