Flying to visit family for the holidays? Or maybe home from an overseas vacation?  There are some times that you end up packing home more stuff than you left with. How do you fit it all in?

Now if you tend to over pack like I do, this can be tricky. But it is not impossible! These three packing tricks will get you packing juuuuust right to bring all the fun stuff home with you – like wine, beer, and Christmas presents!

Packing Trick #1 – Pack smart to begin with

I know many people say that the best way to fly efficiently is with just carry-on luggage. I agree. It’s quicker, cheaper, and you don’t have to worry about the airline losing your bag. BUT, if you want to bring home some treasures (especially liquid) then you’re gonna need to check a bag. Don’t worry, it’s not the end of the world. You can still be streamlined, you just need to get really efficient with your packing.

Pick the right bags

First, you need to streamline your travel baggage down to: one checked bag, and one smaller carry-on item. For maximum protection, I recommend a durable hard sided “clam shell” suitcase, like this one for your checked bag.

Your carry-on bag should be small, and not just a smaller version of your checked bag. No rolly carry-on bag here. This is important. Your carry-on needs to be something smaller and easily portable, like a backpack, shoulder bag, purse or laptop bag. Something that can be stowed under the seat in front of you – and not in the overhead bin. I’ll explain why this is important later.

Get choosy

Next, lay out everything you think you will need or want to pack – then get rid of 25-30% of it. Get rid of multiples of similar items and items that are bulky – like extra pairs of shoes (but keep the extra pairs of underwear and socks, you never know when you will need those). Be ruthless here. Chances are you won’t even miss the extra items that didn’t make the cut.

Roll it, cube it

Lastly, pack your remaining items super efficiently. I like to use packing cubes, and roll most of my clothes.  Rolling not only prevents wrinkles, it generally takes up less space in your suitcase. Although, some items when rolled do tend to take up more space, like jeans. It may be better to fold those super flat and pile the rest on top.

The best place I’ve found to find good quality packing cubes (without a hefty price tag) is Marshall’s, TJ Maxx and Ross stores in their travel section. Lots of great deals to be had there! On hard-sided suitcases too. Otherwise you can get some packing cubes like these on Amazon, but they will be a tad more expensive.

Packing Trick #2 – Bring a packable duffel bag

This is a great trick, and also isn’t a big space sucker. So if you end up not using it, then it didn’t unnecessarily take up too much room in your suitcase. A foldable lightweight duffel bag can be a huge lifesaver for freeing up some space in a checked bag.

Here’s what you do:

When you are packing your luggage to come home, whip out your packable duffel bag and stuff it full of clothes or bulky (non-liquid) items. Next, use that extra space in your suitcase to add all the fun stuff you want to bring home. Keep in mind, if any of the items you are bringing back are fragile, you might want to keep some of those clothes in your checked bag for padding and fill the duffel bag with things like shoes.

Most airlines allow you one carry-on bag, and one personal item. Remember that smallish carry-on item I was mentioning earlier? That one will count as your personal item, and go under the seat in front of you. The packable duffel bag then becomes your new carry-on bag. Chuck that baby in the overhead bin and you’re all set!

Extra tips:

• Be sure to get a packable duffel bag that has a packing capacity of 40 L or less, like this one. Otherwise you run the risk of it being too large to fit in an overhead bin.
• Do not pack anything in your duffel bag that is not airport security friendly, especially liquids. Or ordinary items that may look suspicious. We happened to put several heavy bags of Slovenian sea salt in ours and oh boy, we spent some time in security while they checked that out.

Packing Trick #3 – Wrap it up tight

Did you know you are allowed to bring home liquids in your checked bag? Soooo your wine can come home with you…. Fantastic! But how? It is not a problem if you get yourself some of these inexpensive padded bags. When I discovered these, it was a game changer for what I could bring home! These portable bags are disposable, reusable, resealable, and padded. They will also absorb up to 750 ml of liquid – equivalent to a bottle of wine. This is super handy feature in case the airport crew gets a little too rough with your bags and breaks some shit. It happens. For that very reason, you don’t want to bring home a bottle of wine just wrapped up in your sweaters…. That red wine will look like a bloodbath when you open your suitcase, if one of those bottles were to get broken.

These sleeves are great for holding all sorts of other things too! Beer bottles (we’ve managed to stuff 3 bottles in one), fragile glass items, perfume, and any other small items that could potentially break and get all over your stuff.

Don’t forget to watch your weight

Adding bottles of alcohol to your checked bag can add some major weight. The weight limit on (most) checked bags without having to pay the overweight luggage fee is 50 lbs (23 kg). This may vary though, so be sure double check the weight limits with the airline you are flying.

How do you know if you are overweight? For me, 50 lbs is a little difficult for me to pick up comfortably. If I can’t pick up my suitcase, it’s probably too heavy. But a more sure-fire way to weigh your luggage (rather than my super duper technical way) get yourself a lightweight packable luggage scale like this one. This way you can weigh your luggage before you get to the airport. Also, some airports will have a weighing station in which you can pay a fee to weigh your luggage before you get to the ticketing counter.

Tip: If you are worried that you are really close on weight and don’t have a luggage scale with you, get yourself prepared in case you have to do some shuffling. Pick some items that have some weight to them and have them ready to go at the top of your suitcase. That way, in case you are overweight and have to move some stuff, it’s just a quick grab – instead of an embarrassing all-out bag reorganization in public.

Bonus Packing Tip:

When flying domestically, fly with Southwest Airlines. They offer two free checked bags on every flight. So bring a packable bag, or get/ borrow another bag from a family member to go home with you. Check those extra bags and bring home some extra stuff!

**Note: I do NOT receive any compensation for endorsing any products or companies mentioned in this blog post. They are just my personal opinions and recommendations. 🙂