Packing Smart—Ethically Beating Airline Baggage Fees

I hate paying for luggage. I can’t explain it—I just hate it. I also hate waiting at baggage claim. So I do everything possible to avoid checking a bag or at least minimize the need for luggage when I fly. I realize this is an unusual trait, but now that Southwest Airlines is ending its free checked bag policy, the need to pack efficiently is more relevant than ever. So, let’s talk about packing smart to (ethically) beat those airline baggage fees.

What I’m recommending here isn’t a one-size-fits-all process. It may not work as well for families with small children who need extra gear, or for people with medical equipment, but it works for my family.

To lend a little credibility to this DIY packing post: I regularly pack four people for an 8–9 day trip abroad using only personal items.

With that said, here are the caveats:

• We’re usually going to tropical or warm climates. This method is less effective for ski trips or cold destinations where layers are necessary.
• My kids are older, so we don’t need as many care items.
• I have finally accepted that I’m not going to magically become a glossier version of myself on vacation. I may think I’ll wear heels, but in reality, they just take up valuable space.
• I’ve just entered the stage of parenting a tween/almost-teen girl, and we are currently negotiating space for her critical skincare and makeup needs–so this process is flexible and adaptable.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way—let’s get packing.

I use personal-item-sized luggage that meets Spirit and Frontier requirements. These are smaller bags, but they’re still larger than the personal-item limits for United and JetBlue. We’re flying United this week, so I’ll be using our soft personal item bags instead of our hard-sided ones. I only own two softshell personal items, so I’ll use my work bag as the third, and since we’re traveling for a soccer tournament, the fourth “personal item” will be my daughter’s soccer bag. And yes—it will absolutely hold more than just soccer gear. It’s fully incorporated into the family packing plan.

I start by having everyone gather the outfits they actually want to bring. We plan based on the number of days and necessary outfit changes. This particular trip won’t require much changing, but on beach vacations, what you wore all day usually isn’t what you want to wear to dinner. The only exception to our “strategic packing” is underwear—we always pack extra.

Wear your bulkiest items on travel day.
Sneakers or boots, jeans, sweaters/sweatshirts, and jackets should all go on your body, not in your bag. I’m always cold on planes, so this works for me, but if you run warm, you can remove layers once you board. Since TSA ended the “shoes off” requirement, laced shoes aren’t a hassle anymore. This one small trick frees up a surprising amount of space.

For packing other shoes, only bring what you’re actually going to use. I’ve packed for enough trips to know what “vacation me” will truly wear. In soft-sided bags, I use shoes to create a firm base at the bottom, which gives the bag structure. In hard-sided bags, I lay them on one side. I have Calpak Lukas bags, which include a shoe compartment, but I usually use that space for toiletries instead. I still put all liquids in a plastic bag in case of leaks, but the compartment adds an extra layer of spill protection.

Clothes are where most people struggle—and where the easiest fix lives.
Instead of laying clothes flat, pack them vertically, stacked on their sides. This creates a tall, narrow system that fits far more than traditional folding. Once the main section is filled, you’ll have space at the top. That’s where I put bathing suits, underwear, socks, accessories, or miscellaneous travel items. This is also a good point to slip in a laptop or tablet on the outer edge of the bag for structure and easy TSA access. (We have Global Entry–blog post coming soon, so we aren’t required to remove electronics, but keeping them accessible still helps.)

If you’re packing hair tools like a curling iron or wand, tuck them vertically into the corners.

Packing for the return trip is a completely different story.
I only fold the clean clothes. The “to be washed” items go into separate bags. If I need to mix things together, I use the hotel’s laundry bag to separate the dirty clothes and put the folded clean items on top. I also often buy a bag during the trip to bring home anything extra we pick up. At that point, yes, I usually have to pay for a carry-on, but because I’m strategic on the way out, I avoid paying for the round-trip cost.

I regret that I didn’t take pictures during this packing process, but I have another trip coming up soon and I’ll add photos then.

Until then, I hope this helped—safe travels and happy packing!