NEW YORK - It's time to think of the inside of your carry-on suitcase as real estate: Make the most of what you've got, keep it functional and make neatness count.
Air Canada customers can receive a discount when travelling without checked luggage, and American Airlines plans to start charging for checked baggage.
With this in mind, the carry-on bag could be the solution to some of the summer travel season's likely woes but it also has the potential to cause headaches. You don't want to find a rumpled mess when you arrive at your destination or spend your vacation shivering or sweating because you weren't ready for the weather.
It is possible to pack fashionable clothes in an efficient way. Some tips from the pros:
-CHOOSING A GOOD BAG
Wendy Perrin, consumer news editor for Conde Nast Traveler, uses a standard rectangular-shaped bag with wheels for business trips because clothes are less likely to become wrinkled. For recreational travel, however, she prefers soft-sided duffel bags.
"One way to pack play clothes to fit into space more economically is to roll them and stuff them into a bag like cigarettes into a cigarette box," she says.
Perrin doesn't buy into bags with a lot of compartments, mostly because all those zippers, flaps and folds add unnecessary weight. Instead, she separates undergarments and socks into one zip-top plastic bag, tech gear such as cords and batteries into another, and toiletries all in yet another. (Any liquid needs to be stored in a see-through bag.)
"You want to start with the empty cavern and make your own compartments with smaller packs," agrees travel-gear store Flight 001 founder Brad John.
John says that you might be asked to open carry-on bags during a security check. It will go much more smoothly if items are organized than if everything comes spilling out.
But Deborah Lloyd, co-president and design director for Kate Spade, insists her bag has a roomy outside pocket for easy access to her laptop computer, which is kept in a protective sleeve, and her magazines.
Carry-on bags tend to be treated more gently than checked bags so Lloyd says there is an opportunity to choose more of a fashion-forward bag than basic black. Plus, she adds, a bright colour or graphic print - she's starting to use a black-and-white pattern bag with black patent leather stripes - will make it easy to find your bag in the overcrowded overhead bins.
Also, be mindful of your airline's size limit for carry-on bags.
-WHAT TO PACK
Perrin chooses a neutral colour palette - maybe blue and tan, maybe black and white - and then sticks with it for the trip. By limiting the number of colours and patterns, everything matches and there's no need for that extra sweater to go with the lime green skirt. To keep her wardrobe from being boring, she'll pack colourful scarves, which, she notes, take up very little room in a bag.
Susan Foster, author of "Smart Packing for Today's Traveler," tucks her accessories into her shoes, filling up what would just be wasted space.
And bring things you love: If you're going to wear the same sweater several days in a row, make sure it's one that makes you feel good, says Foster, who also runs www.smartpacking.com.
"If I have my favourite choices, I don't mind wearing them day after day. You can always wear them in different combinations," she says.
