Just heard back from Customer Support and Boingo, and they assure me that the details of my plan should work just fine.

I also use my carry-on allotment for my camera gear. I always check my clothes (and my tripod). I keep my checked bag as lightweight and unstuffed as possible. I put a smaller empty collapsible carry on inside also to use for purchases.

If I can only carry on the one bag, I put my clothes in the collapsible carry on and my non-valuable, non-breakable purchases in the regular checked bag. Anything valuable (usually small items) go in my photog vest (yep, the horrible looking one with all the pockets) and I wear it onboard.

So far this has worked well.

Yes, I'm also a carry on type of gal. 61 posts and no list, or did I miss it? Anyway, here's mine and my tips.
I use a 21 inch carryon, that I either put a foldable plaid plastic zipped bag in the bottom, that costs about $1.50 or if we're spending time in a condo with kitchen I check thru an extra (small) duffel filled with cereal, coffee, crackers, etc.. that we either use or leave and fill the duffel with dirty laundry that we check on our return.
I take a jansport regular backpack that holds, my small purse, docs, meds, makeup, blankie & neck rest, foldable cane, rain poncho, entertainment (books, cards, ipod, journal, camera)xtra glasses and sunglasses, alrarm clock, charger and cup and immersion heater and black slippers with removable insoles.
My carryon has enough bras & panties to either last the whole trip or half if I know I can find laundry services easily. I'm not into handwashing. I stuff them into ziplocs and remove the air and it really compresses the size.
I always have 1 pair of nice black slacks, 1 pair of jeans, and a black skirt or dress, that can be worn day or night depending on what I wear with them. Tops are always a black, white and brown cardigan with 2 or 3 white Tees, multicolored shells that go with everything and 2 or 3 shawls. Basically I take 5 to 7 sleeveless tops that I can wear more then once or send out half way thru the trip for washing. The sweaters I just rewear until I get home and then send them to the drycleaners. I usually wear black exercise pants and hooded top on the plane and wear that home again with a clean Tee shirt. My secret tip is no nightgowns or robes. I usually buy a XL cheap Tee wherever we are and that's my nightie for the trip. I pack 1 pair of sandals and the pair I wear on the plane are the other pair! In case of emergency I use the slippers with an insole. If we land at our destination early a.m and can't check into our room until afternoon, I stop in the airport bathroom, brush my teeth, wash my face, take a kind of sink bath, change tops, apply deodorant and change panty liners. It ain't perfect, but I don't feel as grody and I can move around without feeling like such a schlump!

to zwho...how do you get all those clothes into a 21" carry-on? I must not know how to pack because I can't do it. Do you roll everything up or what???

TAW - I didn't think I could pack that much in a 21" either. But then I tried it and realized that if you pack the bag FULL, it works. I always thought I needed air space in the bag, but I don't. I can pack the bag full and it all fits fine and actually doesn't wrinkle as much because things don't shift.

No clothing list yet on this thread yet, zwho, but if you'd care to look at old threads you'll see lists there. If you scroll through posts you'l be able to pick out the lists easily, as they're numbered. I also organize the lists into types of items, separately wet toiletries, dry toiletries, underwear, shoes, etc. as it's easier to sort through things that way.

Very busy weekend (traveling, of course), so I'll get back to this thread later today.

Hi TAW, It's not so many clothes. We're talking 3 cotton cardigans, 6 or 7 lightweight sleeveless Tees or shells, a jersey dress or skirt, 2 pairs of pants, not counting what I wear on the plane. Undies, bras, a couple of pair of socks and sandals. I promise it all fits. I also have my backpack thats stuffed full, and I have been known to take a jacket and just wear it on. But you really can travel indefinitely with this amount as long as you can find laundry services weekly. I've used this basic plan for cruises and just add a bathing suit and wear a hat on the plane. The key is scarves and mix and match!

Finally back on the forum after being away over the weekend. This was a weekend getaway to New York with my 15-year-old daughter. I packed one carry-on (19" in maximum dimension) for the two of us. I won't go into the details of what we packed, but believe me it was way, way more than we needed.

As usual I packed my pillow, and yesterday morning as I was finishing primping in the hotel bathroom (since I had to go directly to work from the airport, dropping my daughter off at school en route) I was issuing last minute orders to my daughter: pack your iPhone, brush your teeth, put on your shoes, etc. One of my commands was "Put my pillow in the suitcase and zip it shut."

So my daughter looks at the suitcase, which appears to already a bit overpacked, with clothes bulging from the opening, and replies, "Um, Mom? There's no way this pillow is going to fit in this suitcase."

To which I answered "Hah!" And then I showed her how to do it, stuffing the corners in and thin zipping it shut while I smashed down on the suitcase. No problem.

Textiles are very, very compressible, and toedtoes' point about tightly packed garments being less prone to wrinkle is an excellent one. I do the least folding possible, and place dry cleaner garment bags between items that are particularly prone to wrinkle as well.

Therese, can you write a bit about your pillow? The kind, why you always take it, and where could one be bought?

Many thanks.

Ah, my pillow.

My pillow (well, pillows, as I use three of them at home, and my husband and children each use two) is natural latex foam. I can't remember the first time I used one of these pillows, as I was presumably still a toddler. I had very bad asthma as a child, so bad that my very first memories are of being in the hospital, under an oxygen tent. In an effort to keep my asthma under control my mother was instructed to keep the household as dust-free as possible, and one of the very specific recommendations was that I use a natural latex pillow. Apparently natural latex pillows don't tend to harbor dust mites to the degree that other types of pillows do.

As it turns out, though, latex pillows have some other advantages. They offer great support while still feeling very soft, and they retain these qualities for a long time (I replace our pillows perhaps once every five years, possibly even less frequently). They're routinely recommended for people with neck and back problems. They also feel cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Unlike memory foam or tempurpedic-type products they don't retain an imprint, but spring back in shape immediately, and they aren't stiff the way eggcrate foam tends to be.

So I am now pretty much addicted to this type of pillow, and although I can certainly sleep with other types I typically end up with a stiff neck (and not infrequently a very stuffy nose from an alleric reaction, though my asthma is now quite mild). My husband had never used one until he met me, and now prefers this type, and my kids will come steal one of mine if they can't find theirs.

I mentioned above that I use three of them when at home, but I don't use all three of them under my head. One is for my head, one is for between my knees (women who've been pregnant will recognize this trick for preventing lower back pain), and one is an extra for reclining when I read in bed. When traveling I just use one, of course. I sleep more soundly, and that's especially helpful when I'm traveling for work, as I wake better rested and prepared for the day ahead.

As for where to find them, I've seen them at stores that specialize in bed linens, and also at stores like Sears. I've never seen them at either Target or Macy's (and I've looked). If you google "natural latex pillow" you'll get lots of hits. Overstock.com has them at the moment for about $30; full price they tend to run about $50 per pillow (or quite a bit more if you buy it from a very fancy place that yatters on and on how about how "natural" they are).

They are very, very compressible. You can either squish the air out (as I did above, while my daughter look on incredulously) or suck all the air out with a vacuum (after placing in a airtight bag, obviously).

So that's the story of my pillow, and a good example of how a person can be high maintenance and still pack light.

I really need to start thinking about what I'm going to take on this trip, and I'm having a bit of "packers block". I leave in a couple of weeks, and have to pack for all three destinations: Tokyo and Paris and Mexico City/Puebla. Tokyo and Paris wardrobes are very similar: winter city wear. But not only will Mexico be warmer (daytime temps look to be in the 60s and 70s, nighttime chilly) but I'll be there with my husband, and so going out a lot in the evening. This calls for some serious flexibility.

Oh, and I'll need a bathing suit. All of my destinations are cities, though, so why would I need a bathing suit?

When confronted with packer's block it helps to go back to basic principles:

1. Pick a base color and stick to it.

2. Layer.

3. Make sure that everything goes with everything else. If an item can't be used in more than one way, leave it behind.

ttt

Bathing Suit?
Well, the easy answer would be hotel pools. But in Japan are you staying in an inn with a traditional Japanese spa?

Yep, an onsen. I'm not staying at a ryokan (traditional inn), but onsens are to be found in other settings in Japan. I'm visiting one in Hakone (a day trip from Tokyo) with an ex-pat friend.

So far as I know there's no pool at my hotel in Paris (and if there were I don't see myself using it in January), but I may be doing something similar to an onsen in Paris: a hammam. Last time I visited one that wasn't associated with a mosque, but this time I'm considered going to the mosque. The restaurant's supposed to be great as well.

Finally, my hotel in Puebla does have a pool, and it's located on the rooftop, adjacent to the bar. So some night swimming might be cool. Mexico also has hot springs, so I may be able to convince my husband to visit one with me. Better make sure he packs his suit.

Peace of cake! We are going on 3 years into an open ended world tour as a family, so have become pros at traveling light.

In late Oct til just a day before Thanksgiving, we flew coach:

euro air Malaga to Madrid
Delta Madrid to NYC

Then after a week

Virgin NYC to SFO

Then a small airline to Utah, another small airline to Denver from Sj and back to SJ via United ( I think) after a week

Virgin SFO to NYC

Then NYC to Paris via Air France

euro air Paris to Malaga

We had 3 small day packs, one for each of us ( my daughters on wheels although it also has straps so can be carried too).

We had 3 seasons of clothes, things for night, day, professional meetings, homeschool supplies,books, swim suits & computer. It was our first time back to the States in over 2 years.

Our only problem was coming back because we bought so much and relatives gave us so many gifts..we had to buy another bag. We bought it on the way to the airport and still did it all as carry on.

We also carry my daughters violin because we do videos of her where ever we go. ( Got a great one at Rock center!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn9rDTZj-m4

It is a lot easier traveling lighter and getting on and off was more challenging with our small pack AND the new carryon.

Because even my young daughter has it down to a science, it was all fairly effortless for us. We wear a lot of black, exofficio type clothes.

It took me about 5 or 10 minutes to pack & we were real pleased with exactly what we had.I never looked up the carry on restrictions, but knew the basics even though we rarely take flights on our world tour ( we prefer slow travel & land or sea).

If there is anything I can add that might help ( as it seems you will have some similar concerns ie weather and airlines), let me know!

http://www.soultravelers3.com

Wow, that's quite a trip, WTnow. Your daughter's getting an early introduction to the world, and from the violin video appears to have collected a pretty extensive wardrobe as well. Do you buy her ensembles at your destinations? Very cute.

Thanks! My daughter does have the most clothes by far ( grin) & yes we do buy some as we go. Luckily, they are small and do not take up much space. Hubs has the least amount of clothes.

When she outgrows them we give them to a friend in Spain who uses what fits for her daughters and passes it on to poor kids in Argentina.

It is probably not as much as it appears in the video as it was taken over an 18 month time frame. She actually wears a lot of layered black as we all do on a daily basis, but we try to have something more colorful for the video days.

Kidlet also has the most books. We primarily travel by small RV or stay in long stay rentals, so we can carry more books & things. We do often go off on jaunts from the RV or rental base for a month or more ( using various transportation & lodging choices)& that is when we have gotten the practice on quick, efficient packing.

Otherwise we have a teeny, tiny drawer each for clothes. We actually find ourselves thriving on this free and most simplified life.

Happy travels!!

Toedtoes has just started a very timely thread on the Travel Tips forum about choosing colors for a travel wardrobe, so here's a link:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35172789

I say timely because I had finally decided which direction to take my color palette for this trip and was getting ready to post it.

And so here it is: purple.

Purple? Seriously? Yes, seriously.

Okay, so I'm not really talking about my true base color, by which I mean my shoes and handbag and so forth. Those are black, and so is my coat, my scottevest, and a whole lot of other stuff that I happen to own. But my accent color this time around is going to be purple.

So in fact it's black + purple.

I'm still trying to decide what I'm going to bring, of course. You might think that my choice of my purple as my accent color would be limiting: just throw some black bottoms and every purple top I own into the suitcase and head on down the road, right? As it turns out, though, I've got quite enough purple in my wardrobe to overpack. Plus I've got to make sure that everything goes with everything else, and that all of my planned activities are covered.

So far planned activities include:

1. museums, concerts, restaurants in Paris: very easy, just the usual nice casual/dressy sort of stuff that I usually wear

2. same activities as above + onsen in Tokyo: again very easy, with the addition of a bathing suit

3. same activities as above + my husband in Mexico: not so easy, as my husband will want to do some hiking sorts of things, and I'll want to go out dancing, so now we're potentially looking at some difficult decisions to make, especially shoe-wise.

So before I choose my clothing items, I'm going to have to make some decisions about footwear.

Next stop, shoes.