Hasta La Ideas

Heading out on a summer vacation? Check out these wonderful packing tips from flight attendants in The New York Times’ “Packing Tips from Travel Pros.”

Now that nearly every airline is charging baggage fees, travelers are motivated to pack as efficiently as possible. And who knows more about packing than professional flight crews? In interviews with a dozen flight attendants and pilots, one theme emerged: to pare down and still have everything needed at the destination, think strategically.

Heather Poole, a flight attendant interviewed for the article, can fit more than 40 pieces of clothes and two pairs of shoes into her carry-on bag. She primarily rolls her clothing, but also “wraps” her nice clothes around her rolled casual items (which, are mostly 50-50 cotton-polyester).

Also, don’t miss the 12 image slide show that accompanies the article with step-by-step photographs showing how Heather Poole fits it all in her bag. It shows how-to instructions for even packing clothes you don’t want wrinkled.