I have a rule: Pretend you're going on a trip for two weeks, and pull what you'd wear on that two-week trip, and get rid of everything else.
Pack lightly. If I'm anywhere a week or less, I carry on. I can fit everything I need in one small bag! And I pack small, mini liquids so TSA doesn't make me throw anything out.
I don't carry little purses. I carry big duffels, always.
I had a great dislike to the annoyances entailed by baggage; and it was always with some feeling of elation that I cut myself free from everything but what I could carry about me. Like children, portmanteaus and trunks are hostages to fortune.
I'm basically for the whole year just traveling with three suitcases.
When it comes to luggage, I am an underpacker.
I can go all over the world with just three outfits: a blue blazer and gray flannel pants, a gray flannel suit, and black tie.
I'm a very light packer. I don't like checking in luggage. I only like hand luggage.
I get ideas about what's essential when packing my suitcase.
I travel as light as possible and usually pack in less than a minute. If I'm going somewhere hot, I throw in some flip-flops, T-shirts and shorts - but I still pack clothes that I never use.
In general, I pack really simply. Every shirt that I pack is going to work with every pant that I pack and every sweater that I pack. So, I can mix and match easily.
I used to pack a giant bag to check with every possible outfit I could think of, but now I have slimmed down my travel wardrobe.
I'm an over-packer 100 percent. I can't do it; I physically can't under-pack.
I've always wanted to tackle the casual part of dressing. Knits to me are always just easy. I've fantasized about packing a suitcase of only knits: You just throw them in, roll them in a ball, pull them out and they still look fabulous.
Don't overpack your carry-on. You're never going to read that second book or that fourth magazine.
For me, it's about taking things that do not take a lot of space. Don't take a lot of shoes. I tend to pack a lot of dresses, for instance, because they take up less space.
