Packing in ‘Cubes".

Tomorrow I travel on business for a week. I thought I would post showing you how easy it was to pack in a carry-on for my week long business trip. It certainly helps to have a helper as engaging as our Margarita. I think she is anxious for me to leave so she can have my husband all to herself.

Traveling lean has been a lifelong goal of mine that I have never actually mastered. I’m getting closer to that goal though with each new trip I take. I’ve been keeping track of what I bring each time and noting those things I never even wore or used. The big variable, of course, is weather but on a business trip I end up spending most of the time indoors. My friend Steve’s advice for packing light is to “only bring black”. That way everything will go with everything and everything will be appropriate for anything. Makes sense, huh? I’ve seen Steve utilize a carry on for a full week of international travel so I know he can practice what he preaches. My size 13 shoe, however, takes up one half of a standard wheelie carry on so I need even more strategy than that. First, the extra pair of shoes goes in my duffle and not in the actual suitcase. Then, I using “packing cubes” by Eagle Creek for everything else I bring.
They come in all sorts of sizes and I know that my particular set will fit in my carry on so while I pack, I know I can only pack what fits in the cubes. One cube for socks and underwear, one for tshirts, one for electronics, and even one for my dress shirts (called an “envelope”, it actually helps fold and keep your dress shirts pressed!)

You can get them at Amazon but I’ve seen them at REI and even The Container Store and they last forever.