I am seeking advice not admonishment. I learned much on this recent trip to improve my packing skills. I am sure with the help of flyertalkers and more travel for myself I will get proficient at this.
My winter coat alone weighs about 10-12#, sweater I wore was about 5#, luggage weighs about 10# by itself.
A few jeans were 3 pairs, which I figure I could do with one or two. I packed only three shirts which I alternated. Blazers were the heaviest which I mentioned I could have done with just one, two tops. I think keeping the basic color to one as I stated would be a big help as well.
The freebies and samples were needed for a presentation and also to try out the new new products in a clinical setting as well as updates on new guidelines for nursing that were just mandated. I was prepared for this by packing an extra bag to transport which was indeed very lightweight. The paperwork alone was more than 10#. My total added for the return trip was 19# which wasn't so bad considering what I brought back. Souvenirs were three tshirts and three shot glasses as well as one coffee mug. I knew in advance I would have this extra baggage on way home and planned accordingly. This is not what I was refering to when asking for tips about packing lighter. Since I had a 2 bag limit I opted to save the money it would have cost to ship items back.
I have kinky curly hair naturally. If I use the hairdryers that hotels supply I end up looking like Gilda Radner doing her Rosanna skit, no lie. I have to use a diffuser as well as several products to keep it tame. Luck of the gene pool I guess but now that I know how to keep it in control, I love it. I will be looking for a travel dryer or a universl diffuser I could use with hotel dryers.
I was there for a week and did indeed re-wear outfits. I wore slacks three times each during the conferences I attended as well as the shoes. Meetings were over all the days I was there. The jeans were worn after conferences for some of the dinners, and some of the social things which included amusement park visits.
Some of my makeup is liquid. I have three products of hair tmer stuff plus shampoo, conditioner, hairspray, makeup (liquid), coverup, mascara, facepowder, eyeliner, eyeshadow (one shade) and a tiny blush. My makeup was checked on the return flight and someone actually stuck a fingernail in my brand new coverup when it was searched (ewwww). All this did not weigh much and was just the basics for professional meetings. I buy hair products in large sizes to save $ and transfer them for travel into the little containershre for travel but can't seem to get to the just three limits for carryons. I find the hotel products too harsh for my already dry and brittle hair.
Of course I checked the weather and climate out there, but the climate in Anaheim in Late March to early April is a very wide range of temps from day to day and very cool nights. There were days I needed that sweater and definately needed it in the evenings. One day I got away with just wearing a dressy tank top but most days were unseasonably cold while I was there and a jacket was needed. Conferences began at 0630 each day so I had to be prepared with cool temps (low 40s) before sunup, wind, etc.
I guess I still have a lot to learn and experience should help. I hated having to lug that suitcase and that is why I am looking to downsize.
Originally Posted by
travelmad478
I cannot imagine hauling around 50 pounds of luggage and, like
l'etoile, have trouble thinking of what on earth people with those monstrous bags are putting in them. The laptop and chargers are the heaviest things you need to carry--and that wasn't even part of the 50 pounds??!
Pretty easy to see what the weather is going to be at your destination:
Weather Underground
If you want to travel light, stop buying stuff and collecting freebies. Or squish a simple empty light duffel bag into your other bag for use on the return trip.
"A few"? How does this add up to 50 pounds of clothing? Just plan your outfits in advance and you can re-use pretty much everything. For a work trip that involves 5 days of meetings, plan to recycle your work outfits at least once each, and your evening outfits at least twice. No one you're going to see will care (or notice!) if you show up in the same clothes twice.
Hotels have hair dryers!!!
Make-up is not liquid, and even if it is, it shouldn't come in a bottle that is more than 3 ounces. The only thing that would is shampoo, moisturizer, etc., and as I mentioned before, hotels stock this stuff for you, and you can also pack travel sizes that are acceptable for carry-ons.