If you are a frequent traveller, this tip will be something I’m sure you already practice. But if you are not one to travel often or are heading off on your first long vacation overseas, this tip might come in useful.
When you pack your suitcases, always remember to pack in a spare bag. Get one of those foldable bags or small duffel bags that don’t take up too much space but can fit a lot if they have to.
No matter how much you think you won’t buy anything while on vacation, you will always end up with the inevitable souvenirs. You never know what you will pick up while on holiday and by the time you have to pack for the return trip, you might find that you do not have space in your luggage. If you are unprepared, you will have to run out and buy a new suitcase. If you are prepared, you’d just pack up your spare travel bag!
This is particularly useful when you travel to countries which are shopping havens (Bangkok and Hong Kong come to mind) or if you prefer to travel light, and not check in your luggage on your way to your destination (this minimizes the odds of missing luggage too). I usually pack a foldable duffel bag which can be locked, as well as my Rume All bag because it folds down into practically nothing yet is something I can open up when I need it. I also carry a Regular Rume to hold my shopping wherever I am so I don’t lose things.
These days, I prefer to travel light when I head out of the country (so I don’t waste time waiting for luggage when I arrive), so I try to fit everything into a carry on. In there, I fit a spare duffel bag and a spare lock. When I pack to return, I don’t mind checking in luggage because when you get back, you aren’t rushing for time 🙂
Might this be something you already practice? 🙂
Paris B
I don’t particularly practice this…well…since I’m not much into shopping….bleagh XD But I do carry a duffel bag to bring out with me *imagine bringing that huge suitcase wherever you go* and for some reason or another, it ends up being my mom’s shopping being =P Going to Korea this Dec for 2 weeks…hmm….the luggage is inevitable eh? =P
Hmm… don’t you leave your suitcase in the hotel? I do 🙂 I have a separate handbag – my spare bag is usually just for shopping and I’m sure there’ll be lots to get in Korea – I hear its really fun 🙂
haha, yep. I carry a red-blue-white bag (it’s Pooh Bear picture actually), because it’s foldable and flat, no matter what.
If I know I am really going to be buying a lot, I bring along another large shoulder sling bag, those kind that can be folded inwards into a small pouch kind.
Great ideas! Having a foldable flat bag is always a good thing … just in case 😉
I practice this all the time! 😀 I can never go to and fro with the same amount of bags. Hahaha.
Haha… I tend to sometimes end up with bulky items… or groceries. I have a bad habit of shopping my groceries overseas 😉
I do!! 😀 Especially for bangkok… I’ll be taking at least 2 spare bags there! 😛 😛
Ooh shopping haven! 😉 Though i’ve backpacked there and back – shocking eh?
Great tips. That’s why i love LeSportsac bags – large travel ones and handbags as they fold down to almost nothing and are extremely light. They’re similar to RuMe’s but have extra lining on the interior and many pockets.
I love lesportsac bags too! 😀 They are really fun especially to carry as a spare or as a sling bag. I usually travel with one 🙂
I’m guilty of this- when travelling, I try to fit everyone’s things in one big case and fill the others with spare bags!
hehe… do you end up with a lot of stuff then? 😉
Oh yes. My Padini cloth bag which I bought when I was 14 seems to work great as a little extra bag. LOL. Even used it as a last minute laundry bag once when I was super late! =P
Yeah I sometimes get bummed when the used clothes mix in with the unworn ones and not all hotels give out laundry bags. Especially if you aren’t staying at a hotel
I make sure to pack a spare…(really huge) foldable bag when I travel for shopping 😀
lol at “really huge”
I used to pack a spare bag. However, the more I travel, the less I am run into the “buy too much” problem.
If I travel for leisure, I’ll most likely backpack. So, I can’t carry much. If I travel for business, there isn’t much time for shopping unless its a really long trip.
Moreover, I know better how to pack less and travel light. Once I travel more and more, there isn’t really that many things I NEED to buy overseas. Everything is really just WANT. So, I really think twice I buy stuff.
Stuff I buy include things I can’t find at home, or if they are really super duper cheap. And then again, I hardly buy anything just because they are super duper cheap because they’re all made in China anyway. Same at home, same overseas.
If I want to buy all that much, the stuff better be worth the engergy exerted from me. hehehe… 🙂
In my case its usually because I end up with bulky things from overseas that I need a spare bag (and because I try to fit everything in to a carry on when I go). Oh and there’s always things I “need” from overseas, mostly because sometimes, they are just so much cheaper in the country of origin – relatively speaking 😉
Oh yes, if you don’t wanna check lugguage, its difficult.
I just got back from Paris this morning. Although it was a business trip, I did manage to get some skin care items and clothes from H&M and Promod. Hahaha….but my lugguage is expandable. So its ok.
Not to sound bias/snobby, but I feel safer to check baggage when I travel SQ. When I travel on other airlines to places like Europe, losing/delayed baggage is a real concern. I would do the same as you if I’m on a trip that’s only a couple of days.
Paris! Nice 😀 Any good deals to be found there? 😉
And as for airlines, I trust none. Nope, not even SQ 😛 Actually I think its not the airline itself I don’t trust but the airports. Every airport in the world has its share of pilferage and rogue handlers. *touch wood* things have been ok for me but these days I try not to take chances with check in luggage, unless I can’t help it.
This is definitely one tip I should remember! I’m always buying things while I’m out!
Glad you found it useful! 🙂
After my stint with Bea at Bangkok, I sure learned that tip well. You saw the amount of stuff we bought. We had to buy an extra bag each just to hold our shopping! 😛
Great tip! I carry the RuMe with me everywhere I go too! Helps a lot when you need that extra space – which of course, is always!
I always come back with an extra luggage… hahaha… If I’m travelling alone, I’ll bring one luggage and a foldable bag… When I went to Korea with my sis, we went with 2 luggages and came back with three!! What we did was, we stuffed all of our clothes into a medium sized bag and put THAT bag into a LARGER luggage… We brought along another cabin lugagge too~
When I went to China with my parents, we went with 3 (2 luggages and 1 cabin)… Came back with 5!!! (2 new cabin luggages that we bought in China)… lol… ALWAYS bring a spare, better to have more than less =)
ok…revisiting the RuMe All post..i just placed an order! purple one 😉 too many bags in pink/red shade 😛
I carry my Longchamp Le Pliage with me. 😉
Haha!! Sounds very familiar to me…. But no matter how many extra bags I bring, I will end up having to buy another….. 😉