I went to convention with just two carry-on bags (pretty impressive so far, huh?) I have traveled four times this year so far - Puerto Rico, California, Chicago, and Salt Lake City. I haven't checked a bag in over a year, so it really was no big deal to get to SLC with just my two carry-on bags. However, what was really impressive was that I CAME HOME with just those same two carry-on bags!!!! I had to cheat a tiny bit, and have my friend Jessica throw my purse in her bigger carry-on bag (they wouldn't let me take "3" bags onto the place) and I could have taken things out of it and made it fit, but I would have had to take the whole thing apart, so she just threw it in her bag and I went on with my two. Here is just SOME of the ADDITIONAL stuff I brought home that I didn't take with me.

- 8 stamp sets
- Simply Sent Kit
- Roll of Ribbon
- 8 mini catalogs
- Make & takes (I think there were like 7)
- Workshop in a Bag
- My Digital Studio CD
and then there was:
- Convention bag
- Catalog Binder
- swaps (okay I went with some, but I seemed to come back with more)
And yes, I managed to cram it all into a backpack and a carry-on suitcase.
So, my tip(s) today is about packing for Convention - or any other relatively short trip.
- Plan your wardrobe so you know EXACTLY what you will wear each day.
- Plan to wear pants more than once
- Pack underwear and socks for as many days as you are there, plus 2 (just in case!)
- Buy everything in travel size
- If you can't get it in travel size, leave it at home and buy it when you get there. (For example, my face wash is $6.99. If I packed it I'd have to pay (roughly) $25 each way to check my bag. Or I can spend $7 when I get there and buy a new one that I leave in the hotel room.)
- Wear your "biggest" clothes & shoes on your way there and your way home. For example, bring a sweatshirt, but wear it or tie it around your waist. Bring sneakers, but wear them and pack your flip flops. (Yes, I know security is a pain, but it only takes 3 extra minutes to untie and retie your shoes.) That leaves you lots of extra room in your suitcase!
- Airlines typically allow you to bring on 2 carry-ons PLUS any food you bought in the airport, so if you want to bring your own food (which I always do since airlines aren't kind to us gluten-free people), bring it in a white grocery bag and make it look like you bought it there. It saves room in your bags for other things.
- Don't pack every book and magazine you haven't read. Just bring one, and if you are going to convention, you might not even look at that, but it can't hurt to have one. Any more than that is overkill!!!
- If you are going to Convention, be careful what you buy in Memento Mall!!!! :)
That should get you off to a good start, and it should at least get you one way without having to pay those ridiculous baggage fees!! Oh, and if you decide not to pack a book or a magazine (I can't believe it took me this long to figure this out), use My Digital Studio on the plane. Duh!!! We can't take scissors, but we can scrapbook digitally!!! I realized this about 2 hours into my flight yesterday, so I played around, and here is what I created.
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