travel tips: how to properly pack a carry-on by rolling your clothes

how-to-pack-a-carry-on-by-rolling-clothes

in my last post, i wrote about how to choose the minimal amount of clothes for a two-week city/safari vacation in the winter (we just returned from south africa last month). all of the clothes in that post are included here for packing purposes, with the exception of the clothes i wore on the flight (which included my bulkier shoes and jacket). it seemed daunting given the number of clothes i had to bring to south africa, but it worked perfectly!  this week: how to fit all of those clothes into a carry-on duffle bag.  a few notes on the duffle:

  1. we were told to bring soft-sided duffles because many safaris do not accept “rollies.”  i did not find this to be true because we saw rollies at both of our lodges.  if you get similar information, you may want to check first before buying a new bag.
  2. that being said, it was very freeing to have the duffle because they are so much lighter and easier to maneuver.  plus, they’re cheap.  i got mine at REI for around $30 (currently only available in stores, and not online).
  3. you, like my husband, may think i am misspelling “duffle,” and that it should be “duffel.”  both are accepted.  despite previous posts, duffle will continue to be used exclusively on jaunt.
my husband with his carry-on duffle after passing through "security" at the hoedspruit airport.

my husband with his carry-on duffle after passing through “security” at the hoedspruit airport.

so how many of you roll your clothes when packing (i.e. roll the actual articles of clothing, not pack them in a rollie)?  this is something i had read about many times (travel bloggers just looooove to talk about rolling clothes), and i kind of thought it was a bunch of nonsense.  how can any packing method save more space than folding clothes flat?!  well, this is why i’m no engineer.  turns out that rolling clothes saves much more space, and i have the photos to prove it.

the clothes after traditional folding - looking tall!

the clothes after traditional folding – looking tall!

to start the experiment, i folded my clothes like i would normally – simply laying them flat and folding in half (or thirds if a long tunic).  the clothes were bulky (remember, packing for winter with sweaters and pants), and stacked very tall in the duffle, while leaving empty, unused space on the sides.

the packed bag with folded clothes

the packed bag with folded clothes – not bad! everything fits, but not much room for any purchases bought on the trip.

so then i tried the rolling.  i folded my clothes in half (hot dog, not hamburger), and then folded the arms across, as well, and then literally rolled into a little cylinder (see photo at top of this post).  it was shocking how much more room i had in my bag! magical!

the packed bag with rolled clothes

the packed bag with rolled clothes – so much more room! tons of space for toiletries, gifts purchased on the trip, and more.

an added perk was that it was extremely easy to pack and unpack at the lodges.  i would just grab the rolled clothes and leave them rolled until i wore them.  i think it prevented wrinkles this way, as well.

all rolled up and ready to go - with room to spare!

all rolled up and ready to go – with room to spare!

do you have a preferred way to pack?  would you recommend rolling clothes?

travel tips: safari + cape town + 2 weeks = carry-on!

how-to-pack-for-south-africa-safari-carry-on

i recently returned from a two-week trip to south africa (patience, grasshopper, for the full details), and what a fantastic travel experience that was.  five days in cape town were followed by six days spent safariing, with a few days of travel on either end (turns out it takes a really, really long time to get to south africa from dallas…somewhere in the middle we spent 12 hours in london).

how-to-pack-for-south-africawhen talking to our travel agent, she nonchalantly mentioned that we should pack light, and “oh by the way, don’t pack your rollies!”  excuse me?  “roller bags.”  oh.  in other words, good luck packing for two weeks with winter clothes (yes, winter in the southern hemisphere between june and august) in one duffel bag (apparently, certain safari lodges prefer the duffels for ease of transfer…not sure it would have made a difference, as we saw plenty of rollies while on safari).  i could have packed two duffel bags, but after lufthansa lost my bag on our honeymoon in 100-degree athens, my carry-ons have been getting a lot more love.

how-to-pack-for-a-safari

so, where to begin with packing?  i’m not going to lie: it seemed daunting, even for me, a self-proclaimed packing guru.  especially since being more of a city girl, i had zero “active/camping” clothes for these so-called bush drives.  turns out, it was much easier than expected.  the clothes i packed (with the exception of one safari shirt that i decided was useles) are all shown above.  let’s start with what you’ll need for six days of safari (12 safari drives, two per day):

  • 2-3 pairs of light weight safari pants (#13 and #14).  i bought two pairs of pranna pants, and they were my favorite purchase for the trip.  they were light enough for the warm days, rolled up into capri pants for the hot afternoons, and were warm enough for the cool evenings.  they were also quick to dry in case i needed to wash them, and were very small when rolled up for packing.
  • 1 pair of leggings or long underwear (#24, rolled).  if you go in the winter like i did (note: this is the best time to go in south africa because it is easier to see the animals), the weather can get extremely cold when the sun goes down.  we started our drives before sunrise, and i appreciated that extra layer (sometimes the temperature was in the mid- to low 30s when we started the drives!).  you may not need this if traveling in the summer months, or if traveling to safaris in warmer locations.
stopped for coffee and muffins on our south african safari

stopped for coffee and muffins on our south african safari; staying warm with north face jacket layered over tee and sweater (#4 and #10), safari pants (#14), and fleece headband (#20).

  • 5-6 t-shirts (long or short sleeves) (#1 – #5) – rather than buying shirts specifically made for safaris, i brought my standard target/h&m long sleeved shirts that i would wear at home.  i made sure the colors were neutral (so you don’t scare the animals away), and found these to be perfect for the drives.  i regretted buying a  more expensive safari-specific shirt that i will probably never wear again.  i also packed one short sleeved shirt, which proved useful on one warm afternoon.
  • 2 pairs of jeans/slacks (#15 and #16) – i brought one pair of dark skinny jeans and one pair of black pants to wear during the day (between drives) and in the evenings for dinner.  this was plenty as no one dresses up much for meals, even at the more luxurious lodges.
  • 2 colorful scarves (#6 and #12) – i bought two at target right before i left, and they became my go-to accessories for the entire trip!  perfect for the evening meals and added a much-needed pop of color to my otherwise neutral outfits.
just taking a selfie with some elephants.

just taking a selfie with some elephants. notice my nice sweater outfit (#5 and #11) while my husband is safari’d out.

  • 1 pair of comfortable tennis shoes (#19) – you do not need to buy a new pair of walking shoes for your safari as you will be doing very little walking (if you exit the vehicle, a lion may eat you).  i brought a pair of running shoes, which was just fine and didn’t require me to spend any additional money.  they also kept my feet warm in the cold mornings.
  • 1 pair of nice flats (#25) – to wear during the day and in the evenings
  • 1 hat or fleece headband, gloves, & scarf (#20 and #21) – as mentioned above, it gets extremely cold when the sun goes down, so you will want something to keep you warm,  this only applies to the winter months in countries that get an actual winter (e.g., june – august in south africa).
  • 3 sweaters (#9, #10, and #11)- for layering with the long sleeved shirts on especially cold days, and also for wearing around the lodge.
  • minimal jewelry – i wore a simple gold bracelet, watch, and earrings (that i purchased  in cape town) on safari, and that was plenty.  i also did not bring my engagement ring, but just wore my band for the extent of the trip.
  • 1 jacket (see photo above) – this will be your most important purchase, because you want something versatile enough to move around in, but warm enough for cold drives.  i chose a north face zip up in heathered grey, which was perfect and didn’t require a scarf due to the high neck.  other guests wore fitted puffy jackets that seemed to do the trick just as well.
a lovely day at babylonstoren farms

a lovely day at babylonstoren farms, wearing a sweater (#8) over a tee (#2) with a colorful scarf (#6).

since we explored cape town for five days prior to the safari, i also needed city clothes. in addition to the clothes i mentioned above, i brought the following:

  • 2 additional sweaters for layering over the shirts during the day (#7 and #8)
  • 1 additional pair of jeans (#7)
  • 1 additional short-sleeved shirt for the travel days (worn with the north face jacket) (not separately pictured, see photo above)
  • 1 additional pair of leggings for the travel days (#18)
  • 1 additional pair of comfortable flats for exploring the city (#22)
  • 2 pairs of chandelier earrings to dress up outfits at night (not pictured)
exploring the winelands of stellenbosch (outside of cape town) on a cool day.

exploring the winelands of stellenbosch (outside of cape town) on a cool day. staying warm in a large sweater (#9) layered over a long-sleeved tee (#3) and skinny jeans (#15).

with the cooler weather, you can re-wear each shirt twice (or wash it, if you so desire).  all of this – safari and city gear – fit into one carry-on sized duffel bag – stay tuned for next week’s post on how to roll these clothes into the duffel – with photos!  to make it all work, i wore my largest items (running shoes and north face jacket) on the travel days, and packed my travel sized toiletries in my tote bag that fit under my seat.

dress comfortably for a long day(s) of travel

on our last day in south africa (sad), and about to embark on a 48-hour trip home. dressed comfortably in north face jacket, scarf (#12), leggings (#18), and tennis shoes (#19).

do you have any suggestions for packing light on an urban/safari mix vacation?

 

travel tips: how to pack for fall style

traveling in the fall or winter can be difficult due to the size and quantity of the clothes required to pack (e.g. those boots needed for cooler weather probably take up a little more room than summer’s teeny weeny bikini and t-strap sandals).  so, what to do?

  • wear your bulkiest clothes on the flight, including your boots, coat, and tote
  • try to bring only one jacket that works for both day and night
  • stick to one color scheme, or bring prints that all work together (note below the gold, browns, and black tones all work together due to the combos in the bags and jacket)
  • remember to keep your clothes appropriate for your travel – if you will be doing a lot of walking (like i do), then pack comfortable shoes.  perhaps replace heeled boots for evening with wedge boots or a flat that is dressed up with a lot of hardware.
  • pack accessories that can dress clothes up a bit so you don’t have to have costume changes throughout the day

see below for some of my fall favorites.  do you have any tips for packing for autumn adventures?

fall-travel-style

1. merona crewneck pullover with bird print from target, $19.99  2. banana republic regalia drop earrings, $39.50  3. burberry leather trim blanket wrap jacket, $995  4. alice & olivia bauery boatneck bell sleeve dress, $237.60  5. clare vivier re bonjour clutch, $143  6. kate spade montreal boots, $398  7. coach legacy turnlock tote in mirror metallic metal, $348  8. the french knot pointy skimmer in suede from madewell, $98  9. j.crew stretch skinny herringbone cargo pant, $98