HOW TO GET PACKED

  The question  of  what to pack comes up  before  every trip and, as a rule, is  followed  by  another question: what  to pack  it into. People, women  in particular, always feel  that they don’t  have  enough suitcases.  Anyway, we normally  content  ourselves  with  one or two suitcases, preferring  that  they  are not only  trendy  but also convenient  to carry.

  The  variety  of  suitcases offered by  various  vendors  today  may  confuse  even  the most  discriminating customers.

                                                                                   Suitcases  should  stand  out  not

                                                                                   only  for their  stylish  looks  but 

                                                                                      also  for their  convenience.

Each suitcase has  its  specific “mission”

  Some  suitcases are  good  for  traveling  on a train,  others  are convenient  for  short trips,  and  some suitcases are able  to  withstand  the stress of baggage  handling  on a plane.

  For longer trips,  especially  where  additional  landings  and boarding’s  are involved,  preference  should  be  given  to  hard-sided suitcases with  wheels  and a lot  of compartments  and  side pockets. For executive  travelers,  hold-alls are quite  suitable  for  carrying  suits  and shirts  alike. 

  When  purchasing  a suitcase, take  your  time  to  check  it for  sturdiness and  make  sure  the handles  are  comfortable  and  the locks  are secure. Try  to choose  one that  is sure to serve  you for  more  than a year. Everyone  wants to economize,  but  we do not recommend  that  you  save  on  suitcases, unless  you  are  willing  to buy  a new  one  before  each  trip. You know  what  people  say: a niggard  pays twice.

   For  air travels, roller-bladed

  suitcases  are  very practical, 

  especially  when  you  cannot

    cut down  your  luggage. 

Size  does  matter…

  For  a single  traveler an  ideal solution would  be a middle-sized  suitcase  combined  with a travel bag. If you are traveling  alone, try  to  stay away from  giant  suitcases, keeping  in  mind  that you will have  to lift  and carry  them many  times during your  trip, for instance  on  elevators. For  air travels,  roller-bladed  suitcases  are  very  practical,  especially  when  you cannot  cut  down  your  luggage. 

  However, if  your  suitcases  refuses  to  accommodate  your  fifth  pair of shoes  and  won't  close, you should  not  swear at  it or jump  on it trying  to close it  with your body weight. Otherwise  you will face  the trouble  of  withdrawing  broken  or  crumpled  things  out of it. You  just  need  to learn  how to pack  right( we will teach you that in our next issue).

Try to be  conspicuous…

  You enter a store  intending  to  buy  an upscale  brand suitcase, which  should certainly be  black.  But  wait  a second… Clearly, black is  elegant  and  impressive, but it will not stand  out. And who knows  what you will have to face during  your  travel. So, you might want to reconsider your  option  of back.

  Be audacious, stand out against the  crowd, pick a vivid  color because  not  only  are bright  colors  in style, they  are  also  easily  identifiable  among all other  baggage  and you  will not  confuse  your bag with others.  If, however,  you  choose  a black  suitcase, then  you  should  add some  distinctive  accessory  like, for instance, a  dangler. Another  option  would  be  placing  a name tag  with  your  address and  telephone  number in  the  pocket.

  For  your information, suitcases  and  bags  of  light  tones  would  be  good  to  have  packed  in  protective  cellophane  wrap. It will cost  you a little, but  otherwise  chances  are  slim  that  your  suitcase will return  to  you clean  and  tidy.

Read more...

WHEN THE SUITCASE WON’T CLOSE

    Traveling again and a headache with packing… As a rule, we tend to open the wardrobe and throw everything we see on the bed, presuming that we will be needing all those things. But wait a minute… you won’t be able to wear all those clothes anyway. 

  In order not to lose your head when choosing what to pack, we recommend that you employ the method to be quite effective in the past, believe me.

 Well, you have finally decided what to pack and have separated the items of primary necessity, so there is nothing else left to   “exclude”. But your suitcase refuses to contain all that stuff!  No need to get mad or jump on the suitcase trying to close it with your body weight. Otherwise you will later face the trouble of withdrawing broken or crumpled things out of it. All you need is just to learn how to pack right.  

  You are just a few steps away from having a neatly packed suitcase!

*Firs of all, you need to pack your skirts, pants and jeans. But do not fold them too tightly; place them loosely at the bottom of the suitcase and leave the ends free so that you can put other clothes upon them. At the end, fold the loose ends over the remaining clothes and cover them all.

*Jerseys, light blouses and sportswear may be rolled like a tube and placed in the bag in a row.

*Some  suitcases are equipped with special inner pockets for shoes, but if you don’t  have such pockets, then you should place your footwear in a separate bag, preferably a cloth one so that  it can be washed, if needed. Those who would like to avoid additional labors can use disposable plastic bags.

*Boots can be used to fit rolled socks, belts or travel clocks. Shoes should be placed along the edges of the suitcase.

*It is advisable to wrap high heels in a cloth and then only tuck them, so that they do not damage the suitcase or any items in it.

 Remember, you should not travel with your shoes in their boxes, but if you are afraid that they may get crumpled and spoiled, there is an easy solution: to preserve the from of the shoes, just tuck in a few pairs of socks.

*Lingerie and bathing suits are never unnecessary. It seems that they occupy the least space. The question of their necessity can hardly be disputed but if you do not pack those items right they will take up a lot of space. Bras should be neatly folded in advance (I am sure ladies will know how), and silk or satin underpants should be packed in a separate bag and placed in-between the clothes.

* Accessories: jewelry and sunglasses, as well as items of personal hygiene and makeup, would be good to put in small bags and then only pack with the rest of your stuff. This way you will make it easier to unpack and then pack again when you return.

*To avoid crumpling your hats and caps, employ the method of a “matryoshka doll” , i. e. smaller ones in bigger ones.

*To transport photo or video cameras, it would be advisable to use special cases. That might require taking an additional suitcase, but at least that way you will be sure that your equipment reaches the destination point safe and sound.

If you have new personal acquisitions and intend to take them with you, do not spare the cardboard wrapper: tear the box open and pack the contents without the fancy wrapping. You will be discarding it at your destination point anyway, the frilly packaging that seemed so perfect to your eye a few hours ago. If you don’t you will be carrying needless boxes and packages from  country to country. Is that really what you need?

An alternate packing option:

The items that are dearer to you, i. e. innerwear, favorite beverage, etc., should be placed in the center of the suitcase. Other items like sweaters, sweatpants, and pullovers, in other words clothes that do not tend to rumple, should be placed around them. On top you may put books, notebooks or CDs. After that, the other clothing may be packed that crumples, e. g. shirts and suits. Spare the borders for solid and non fragile things like shoes.

 Last of all you should pack the items that you may need as soon as you arrive at the airport. That way you will not be compelled to turn the whole suitcase over to find something.

  While packing you may put plastic bags in between your clothing : doing so will make them slide and will prevent them from wrinkling.

                                               AND FINALLY…

Be optimistic. Even if none of the above turns out to be useful during your packing, do not get anxious. If the worst comes to the worst, you can always take a second suitcase.