'Tip' for packing, which you probably know: ROLL stuff up, don't fold.

Just found this: http://travelfashiongirl.com/folding-vs-rolling-clothes-for-packing/

BON VOYAGE!!!

p.s. Some day, if we get together (here or over there!) and have a bottle of wine, I'll tell you about how I/we packed, for 4, including 1 3 year old and 1 6 year old, for a month in/around France. Definitely NOT professionally done!

They really do make a difference and it doesn't matter much whether you fold or roll.

I would love to here about your adventures in france. I'm thinking packing for kids would be much more challenging.

Clothes are not big deal, but they need so much other stuff!

and a great adventure! Husband ended up bulking up due to carrying our younger daughter much of the time! (SHE has a 9 month old now! How time flies!)

A great little piece of the story, gone now except in memories: We had a long dresser in master bedroom, for 2 of us and with a big mirror. On the dresser I placed, in advance of packing, all the little things we'd need for the girls, so it was a long line up of small items. Our older daughter did a sketch of the 'decorated' dresser. I SO wish I had that sketch now!

They are 7 and 10 year old boys. there was one very large suitcase just filled with their "stuff". Not clothes, just stuff.

Time does fly, dear ellen. Time to make the most of it!

7 and 10 year old boys, FUN, I'll bet!

We hauled/dragged our very large suitcase through Paris Metro, when we first arrived, to avoid taking a taxi!

ONE of the dumbest decisions my husband ever made! DUMB! And we weren't cheap, ever, not extravagant but not cheap, but there we went, around and around! Allons y, a Bordeaux!!!

hot, irritated, exhausted.

I traveled to Spain with a friend whose bags were so large she couldn't get a cab. Seriously.

I'm please with my decision to use a back pack. Wheels are nice, but they take up unnecessary room and become more of a liability than an asset when moving around places that have very old streets and sidewalks.

so have avoided them. NO WAY I could put it up top in a plane (not that I fly often, these days.)

Airlines are charging for baggage these days. I have a flight to Europe in June. The airfare was amazingly low, but you have to pay if you want to pick a seat, for any checked baggage and for ALL food and drinks. If you do any of those things, the price doesn't look nearly as attractive.

I'm not doing any of them.

I'm just getting back to travel after a long time being "local".

Everything fit with enough room for a laptop and my travel papers capping it all.

Now, it is a real pain not to be able to carry on sufficient supplies of liquid type toiletries if flying multiple locales.. Shampoo and toothpaste, one can often pick up or "borrow" if staying with friends, but when I go through my TSA-restricted "necessities" it becomes quite difficult for me. Not impossible, but a real pain to have to purchase again and again on each leg of the trip.

I love that bag, though.

The bag is genius. I did a lot of research and figured out this was the one for me.

They make them one at a time, so it takes 2 - 3 weeks to get them, but they are really special.

I hope you have some travel in your near future, hithe2b!

It's only a week and I'm travelling solo. So with some planning (duh) it looks doable. Including laptop.

I've done the roller bag and have found it hard to handle in some situations. Or having it loaded on a different flight due to scheduling changes. Last trip, my brother knew I had arrived by seeing my roller bag sitting in front of the customer service station. Last name in big block letters on the tag. He asked where I was and the agent explained that the bag and I went on different planes, but I was in and probably out front on the street.

Carry on, if possible, is it.

And an exceptionally wonderful houseguest.

Check out the links in my post. The first one in particular is just crammed with information.

I found that making a list and sticking to it was the most important thing I did.

Last year my bags got completely lost for hours. After traveling for over 20 hours, that was the last thing I wanted to deal with. Carry on!

Checked out onebag.com. It's a great resource. Especially the emphasis on planning and mobility.

I'm with you on traveling light. I carry a roller bag 21" x 14" x 7" and a computer bag. The computer bag I use fits under a seat and roller bag fits just about all overheads. Those it doesn't are planes that go short jumps usually < 400 miles and the airlines I use will gate check it for free.

When you absolutely must check a bag, at least bring a carry-on with a day's worth of supplies and clothes. If you bring a number of small things like extra cell phone batteries, cords, snacks like bags of nuts, slim jims, string cheese, jerky and a small writing tablet, consider a travel vest with numerous pockets and/or cargo pants.

I generally prefer to drink water so I pack a thermos and, on the way out the door, I fill it 2/3 with ice. (Even TSA agrees ice is not a liquid.) After security I fill it at a fountain.

I use an unpopular tablet, a Blackberry Playbook. It's small with a 7 inch screen so the battery lasts a long time. I can watch a 2 hour movie and have 75% power left. I've left it on standby and found it still with a charge after almost 2 weeks. A hint for battery life on anything (laptop, tablet, phone...) the brighter the screen, the faster it dies. If you're using it on a plane during daylight, shut the window shade to make a lower brightness comfortable.

I often look at http://www.seatguru.com/ before selecting a seat. I'm a larger guy so I avoid the more narrow seats on flights over an hour. Exit and bulkhead seats sometimes have extra legroom but often the tray tables are in the armrest which makes the seat a narrower. Bulkhead seats also generally have no under-seat storage in front of them so anything you have even as small as a purse needs to go in the overhead.

On full flights depending on the plane you may need to gate check a bag if you end up boarding late. Many airlines board by zones. Zone 1 passengers board first and usually find lots of open bin space. Higher zones like 4 or 5 often have very little space and are forced to gate check. If you don't have a 1st class ticket or elite status in the airline's frequent flyer program, you can still get earlier boarding by paying a few bucks for better seats sometimes called "economy plus" or "economy comfort". Delta offers priority boarding by itself for around $15.

I always checkin from home so that I know where I stand. Paying from checked bags, better seats or other options are usually cheaper if done ahead.

If you travel regularly or often enough from very busy airports, it may be worth it to you to signup for TSA-preCheck.
http://www.tsa.gov/tsa-precheck
The lines are often shorter.

IIRC you're a seasoned traveler so I'm not sure if any of this might be already known to you or useful but I thought I'd mention it.

I saw one hilarious video where a guy wore everything he wanted to take and stuffed everything else into the pockets of his vest, jacket and pants.

Most planes have plugs for your devices now, don't they? I've got a GOES pass, which makes everything go smoother when traveling internationally.

Great advice and insights in your post. Really appreciate it.

Domestic flights are a mixed bag.
Notice this 757-200 from American has power in 1st class, most of main cabin extra and rows 23, 26, 28, 31 and 34.
It's an international configuration.

http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/American_Airlines/American_Airlines_Boeing_757-200_MCE_Intl_new.php

...and you're welcome.

backpack.

I remembered this thread, pulled it up, but unfortunately the bag you purchased is no longer linked via photo or text. Can you tell me which one you bought, whether it worked well for you, and whether you'd consider something else now, given your experiences?

Thanks!

She takes a bit of photo equipment, so the zip off daypack can go under seat.

http://shop.highsierra.com/sitewide-promo-inclusion-list/high-sierra-at7-carry-on-wheeled-backpack/570171041.html