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It’stravel time, baby! Yes, time to pack our bags and get out of town. I thought I’d share our carry-on tips. We love flying light and being on the go. Do you? This year, we have had a lot of staycations. Trips to the beach, local backyard adventures, and trips back and forth up north of San Francisco.
But by the end of summer, we were already planning our trips throughout fall and into next spring! We are packing our bags because we have travel plans. We are excited to hit the road, take on new adventures, and fly back East. Do you get excited about planning your trips?
For me, I get the travel bug quite often. With that said, when I don’t get to travel, it feels like it’s the same old, same old. We hit Wits’ End. Do you feel that way when you don’t get to travel?
I don’t mind routines, but it’s nice to shake out the dust and pull out our luggage to pack our bags to get out of town. Even if it’s just an overnighter or a nearby stay. We love planning and taking trips. Both long and short trips.
We like to see cool places and find new things to do… Have you ever been to Nitt Witts Ridge in Cambria? Nitt Witt Ridge is California Historical Landmark No. 939. Just a little local history for you.
It’s just up the road, several miles from where we took this photo. There are a lot of hidden gems in our area to visit. You can see all the trips we have started to chronicle here.
Now, we are both dreaming of that tropical vacation. That’s topping our travel wishlist.
Traveling Light
Where to next? First, we are traveling north past SF to visit the family. My daughter-in-law is having her second baby! It’s a boy. All things blue, blue, blue. Including blue skies while toting our travel carry-on bag! It’s new too. Thanks to Chester luggage for sending this carry-on to us for free to try out for our trips. It was perfect timing.
Since school was starting back, we decided to pack our new bag for a quick trip. Hitting some of our favorite spots on the central coast (California). We tossed a few things for an overnighter into our new carry-on for a mother-daughter trip.
Be sure to catch the end of the video. We spotted a mom and baby sea otter on our adventure. I love traveling to places and seeing new things. Don’t you?
Are you ready for new adventures?
I thought I’d share our favorite travel gear and travel tips. If you are like me, you might like totravel light. (In a hurry? Just scroll down for the tips.)
I hate the extra fees that come with flying today. I also have found that 9 out of 10 times we used to bring too much stuff. We never used it all. Now, we only bring what we need for short trips or pack for a week, and wash clothes for longer trips.
If it’s winter, we don’t pack jackets; we just wear them on the plane and take them off. Makes a nice blanket when you get cold.
Although I travel light, there are times I have had to check our bags. Like the time Sammie had all her High School AP books with her. That backpack was so heavy to lug around. (We could hardly lift it into the overhead bins. Being shorter doesn’t help either.) But, she had to have her books, laptop, and science calculators for studying.
She did a work-study program since we like to travel during the offseason. She had to bring all her stuff to study when we were away to meet her requirements.
On the way back, plans changed I ended up checking her luggageon the way back. I (completely) filled her luggage with those heavy books and stuffed her clothes in her backpack and other stuff in my duffle bag. Just so I didn’t have to deal with a heavy, heavy bag with NO Wheels. Plus, lugging it through the airport!
To boot, our previous luggage didn’t have spinning wheels, which is a pain for going down the plane aisles. Grr. Spinning wheels are an absolute must for narrow airplane aisles!
Key point? Always remember to be flexible. No freaking out about making adjustments, pulling stuff out, packing stuff differently, or dealing with your packing problems and travel plans. Delayed flights… S_IT happens.
Minimize travel mistakes by having the right luggage and packing correctly.
What crazy luggage obstacles or packing issues have you encountered when traveling? Have you ever lost your luggage?
I have a feeling that with our new luggage that this won’t be happening on our next flight for Thanksgiving.
What is the best carry-on luggage?
Carry-on with wheels, a lock, a tag, a side handle, and a flexible zipper area, making it easier to close! TSA approved.
I love our new carry-on luggage, it also doesn’t hurt that you can get this stylish suitcase in several color choices. I have a set of black suitcases, and cloth material, and EVERYONE has black suitcases. lol If you check your bags, you better have a luggage tag or stickers on your suitcase. Someone almost walked off with ours! Can you see us running? Hey, you have my bag! We tied a colored ribbon on it so we knew it was ours.
This time we picked a polycarbonate hard shell carry-on with a light blue color, which is so pretty! (And available in 7 colors) We can pick out, and pick up our luggage easily. It is super lightweight! has a top and side handle!
We are ready to pack our bags. Stay tuned for us to share more new adventures with you.
Chester Travel Suitcases
If you are ready to update your luggage, you might like to check out these suitcases. Bonus, they have lots of travel guides and articles.
Satisfaction Guaranteed: 100-day trial and free returns
Free 2-day shipping and returns
We are loving the carry-on we received from them! Update: We have had this carry-on since Sammie was in high school. She has now graduated from college. And we took a trip to Italy, and our Chester did too! It is sturdy and has stood the test of time! And still looks great! Happy Packing!
Travel Packing Tips
These are our must-have items for packing and traveling.
Remember to check airline rules, but keep essentials with you. (contact lens, travel-sized saline, eyeglasses…).
Bring a comfy sleep mask. (The airline sometimes runs out. We have flown plenty of red-eye flights.)
Bring comfort-fitearbuds and save $ (Yep, we always carry our own, plus they fit better.)
Toss in a tall-sized garbage bag for holding dirty laundry, or use hotel laundry bags (just fold them up and stuff them in a side pocket).
The Chester carry-on came with a laundry bag!
Lay your pants or jeans folded once flat on the bottom, and put other items on top of them.
To save space, roll your clothes, tuck socks and other items in shoes, and use packing organizers.
Purchase a bottle of water after you are through the check-in point (then you don’t have to wait for everything to get settled before they start serving drinks).
Have lip balm or chapstick in your bag or purse (the cabin air dries out your lips).
Pack snacks! Even if you aren’t traveling with kids or teens. (Nix anything with nuts in case someone on the plane has a nut allergy) Having snacks is perfect for traveling with kids, teens, or if you get airplane delays. Toss in a power bar to get you through. I pick ones with no melty coating.
I always carry travel-sizeAdviland migrainemedicinein case I feel a migraine coming on. (The hazards of being a migraine sufferer).
Leave your valuables and extra credit cards at home. Only bring your bank card and 1-2 credit cards. (pre-call to let them know you are traveling *if needed) This makes it so much easier if something does get lost or stolen. (God forbid)
Carry cell phone numbers or important numbers on paper in case you lose, drop your phone in water, or your phone breaks.
Take your itinerary. It helps keep things in order. You can always make adjustments to your plans.
Leave extras at home. Because do you need all that?!
Less stuff equals less stress. If you need something, you can buy it.
The day I am sending Sammie off to college with her carry-on, I might just need a suitcase full of tissues to carry around with me. I am planning a bon voyage girls’ trip for us, though! Shh, more about that later. Hopefully, that trip can hold me over until she can travel back home to travel with me again. At least I have an entire year with her at home before the send-off to college with her carry-on happens.
for studying. 
or stickers
on your suitcase. Someone almost walked off with ours! Can you see us running? Hey, you have my bag! We tied a colored ribbon on it so we knew it was ours. 
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