When my husband and I were engaged, he bought me an overnight bag from Coach. It was cherry red canvas, with camel-colored leather details. The regal Coach logo was embossed understatedly in the leather. I loved it and asked him where we were headed, assuming he was planning a weekend getaway.
“This is for our honeymoon,” he replied.
I looked at him blankly. Our honeymoon was a few months away. Three weeks, destination unknown, a surprise from him to me. I laughed a nervous laugh. “So… this is my carry-on?” I asked. But I already knew the answer.
So began the next chapter in my life. One that took me to faraway places to experience different cultures. One that cultivated my packing habits, and challenged the way I saw the practical and the luxurious. Who said that the practical things in life can’t be luxurious? Or, that luxury can’t be practical?
There are countless lists of tips, tricks, and hacks when it comes to packing and traveling. What follows are my top five. How did a one-time over-packer become so streamlined? It all began with a honeymoon in Africa when I stuffed a three-week wardrobe into a weekend-sized bag.
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5/Eagle Creek Luggage
We abuse our luggage. Years of planes, trains, and automobiles, prompted me to research ones that would best withstand our relentless mistreatment. A combination of durability, practicality, and yes, style, was in order. Hello, Eagle Creek. Meet your fan for life.
Why I love it: Our Eagle Creek bags, as you might expect, are battered. I imagine their scuffs and scrapes as badges of honor as I watch them tumble down the ramp of the luggage carousel. Once, when my decade-old carry-on’s zipper broke, Eagle Creek picked it up, fixed it, and sent it back to me. No charge. No proof of purchase.
Practical or luxurious? More practical than luxurious, the approachable price point defies any preconceived logic that things must be expensive to endure. (Cue my husband’s laughter here). My bags are waiting on standby for a travel reboot. So am I.
Shop It: Eagle Creek Gear Warrior Luggage
4/Jewelry Pouch
Many Christmases ago, my mother-in-law gave me one of my favorite gifts. A silky-soft jewelry pouch. Three zippered compartments for earrings, necklaces, and bracelets, and a buttoned strap to accommodate rings. Simple, classic, functional—a trifecta of travel tributes.
Why I love it: Since my jewelry is always in my hand luggage, it is important that it takes up as little space as possible, which is why a soft case is essential. I’ve used mine for about 20 years—it is now stained and worn, but still one of my most treasured travel necessities.
Practical or luxurious? Your choice. A quick Google search reveals dozens of jewelry cases from which to choose and at every price point. Suede, or silk. Canvas, or calf-skin leather. One can find handmade examples on Etsy, modest options on Amazon, and classic, elegant finds on Mejuri.
Shop It: Travel Jewelry Pouch
3/Eagle Creek Packing Cubes
No, this post is not a paid sponsorship with Eagle Creek (although I’m open to the possibility). Yet I would be remiss if I didn’t express how their packing cubes have changed my (travel) life.
Why I love it: I can compress ten summer dresses (without fear of wrinkles) in what is essentially the size of a small laptop computer. I can stuff one cube with every bathing suit I own. I can bring extra empty cubes to sort the worn from the unworn, the dirty from the clean. You don’t have to be an organizational fanatic like me to understand the benefits of cube packing.
Practical or luxurious? Practicality at its best. My favorite is the compression cubes. There is something incredibly satisfying about stuffing a cube to capacity and then shrinking it to half its size. Using cubes, especially on those trips where we are packing and unpacking every few days, keeps me organized, but more importantly, sane.
Shop It: Eagle Creek Packing Cubes
2/iPhone Lanyard
While waiting for a bush plane in Uganda a few years ago, I met two women from NYC on a girls’ trip. Each had an iPhone encased in clear plastic dangling from their necks by a simple cord. Why hadn’t I thought of that earlier? Form, function, accessibility. Genius.
Why I love it: Never since have I had to worry about losing my phone on a hike, fumbling for it in my bag, or wrestle it from my pocket on a moment’s notice—only to miss that fleeting shot. I immediately bought one when I arrived home, and haven’t traveled without it since.
Practical or luxurious? One could argue both. The luxury of never losing my phone might be a stretch to some, but at $10 from Amazon, it is arguably the most cost-effective, practical luxury on the list. For those who prefer to be branded by a crossbody version, Prada, Celine, and Smythson will cover you—for a price.
Shop It: Universal iPhone Lanyard
1/Family Passport Holder
A true example of luxury for luxury’s sake came in the form of what is one of the most practical travel gifts I’ve received, a Smythson family passport holder. I tend to get flustered on travel days, regardless of my advanced prep, especially at the dreaded immigration desk.
Why I love it: The family passport holder has been a travel lifeline when I am at my most frazzled. Not only does it organize our family’s mass of passports, but it also has slots for our Global Entry cards, my husband’s green card, local currency, and any other documentation needed for the trip at hand.
Practical or luxurious? Smythson no longer makes the electric blue leather family passport holder that we own, which fell firmly in the luxury category. However, they have others that are equally handsome, and well-made. As always, Google can provide endless choices at a variety of prices, materials, and sizes. One might only discover the true worth of this valuable piece of travel kit, when breezing through check-in and customs, on that next international trip. You’re welcome.
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Ode to the battered and worn
While no doubt wheeled luggage is more efficient, if not easier on the shoulders, I still have space in my heart for that red Coach bag. I still have it, and occasionally I use it—as a carry-on.Kind of boring, but helpful
It’s not rocket science, but here are a few things I do to save, and create space when I pack:Roll it: I roll everything that can be rolled, that is not in a cube. Most times, I roll, it and then put it in a cube. Rolling keeps clothes from wrinkling and takes up less space. It’s sort of an industry standard, as you will see this tip on almost any uber-packer’s list.
Use those shoes: I want to bring all of my shoes. I try to whittle down to the most necessary, which can be a struggle, and then I stuff them with anything that won’t wrinkle. Undergarments, socks, adapters, cords, chargers, or workout clothes. You’d be surprised how many socks fit into a size six running shoe.
Plane clothes: I wear my heaviest, bulkiest items on the flights, which are frigid no matter the destination. That sweater, coat, or boots doesn’t take up space better utilized for that extra pair of shoes. I then plan to wear that same outfit on the way home, so it never has to take up precious luggage space.
Weight issues: I weigh luggage pre-travel with a handheld luggage scale. For roughly $10, it has saved me hundreds in overweight baggage fees.
Literary donations: I still read real books, and tend to pack at least two or three when I travel. Many hotels these days have libraries where I can either donate or swap titles, once I have finished reading. I love leaving my books behind, curious about the person who might pick them up next. At the same time, that donation provides a convenient space for any souvenirs I may have collected on the trip.
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Love this post, Jamie! I’m relatively new to packing cubes but for years, I used those GIANT Ziploc bags when I took long trips. Once packed full, I would sit on the bags and zip them up. Vacuum sealed!
I like the idea of Ziploc being clear so you can see what is in each cube. Maybe you should speak to the marketing department at Eagle Creek? Thanks for the comment, Amy!
I can take very little credit for Jamie’s multiple skill-sets. I can’t draw, can’t take good pictures, can’t write coherently but the Navy taught me to roll my clothes and pack. That may be the one ability I was able to pass along.
I think you can take more than credit for packing! Who went to Egypt without me and inspired my love of Africa?
This is the most useful blog that I have come across. I surely would be trying out some of those, next time I travel. Thanks for sharing!
Wow, thank you! I am really happy you discovered new ideas for packing and travel. Anything I missed? Let me know! -Jamie
Given how beautiful your blog is I think the extra gift of leaving your website and a personal message in each book you leave so the reader can find you would be fun! Hope I find one one day! And.. thanks for the tips!