How to pack for your cruise or weekend getaway: Tips from frequent travelers
Cathy Collins, of Huntington, packs for a long weekend trip by layering and rolling her clothes in a travel case. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Most travelers have serious opinions about packing. For some, checking a suitcase is to be avoided at all costs. Others want what they want on vacation and have no problem starting their trip at baggage claim. Wherever they stand on the issue, Long Island's frequent travelers share advice on how to tackle the job. Whether they’re taking a cruise, or are off on a long weekend or a week in the tropics, here are travelers' hacks that are sure to be helpful next time you’re going away.
Packing for a cruise
“I pack the same for a weekend or a cruise,” says Sheryl Wiener, 62, a veteran cruiser. The Smithtown resident says she sticks to a monochromatic color scheme — black, white, gray. “I keep it simple,” she says, “that way I don’t have to worry about it. Everything goes with everything. My goal is to not think too much.”
Wiener also keeps a bag of toiletries packed and ready to go. It saves a lot of time, she says, “I don’t have to constantly wonder what I need.” She also keeps ready a bag of electronic accessories with chargers, cables and the like.
Consider using packing cubes to organize your suitcase. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Joe Kassner, who cruises often with his family, says he has one major tip. “It sometimes takes quite a while for your bags to get delivered to your room,” says the Greenlawn resident. With that in mind, he advises packing bathing suits, cover-ups, sandals and sunscreen in your carry-on so you can hit the pool as soon as you board.
Cruise lines have relaxed their dress codes in recent years, so formal nights have morphed into “evening chic” or “resort casual.” Shorts, torn jeans, tank tops and flip-flops are discouraged during such events (and sometimes not allowed), but beyond that, anything goes. Kassner says he and his husband like the idea of dressing up on formal nights, so they’ll occasionally wear a tux or a suit.
But most people, Wiener says, keep it more basic — she’ll wear a pretty dress, or pants/blouse combo. Since she no longer can manage high heels, she solves the shoe problem by wearing white leather Keds at night. “I’m usually in something long,” she says, “so my shoes hardly even show.”
Packing for a long weekend
“I’m a very good packer,” says Cathy Collins, unapologetically on team carry-on — though always the largest carry-on allowed, she notes. She also brings a tote bag, one large enough for her purse and anything she might need to reach on the plane.
Collins, 65, of Huntington, and her husband are fans of weekend trips, whether to places like Nantucket, Tucson to visit family or the Caribbean in winter. She has perfected a technique she calls the roll method, which involves rolling her clothes into a plastic dry cleaning bag. She lays everything down flat on the plastic bag, with things that wrinkle the most on the bottom. Any sleeves are tucked in neatly, the two sides of the bag are folded in, then it’s rolled tight. There’s plenty of room left for shoes, socks, etc. Collins says rolling works. “I travel with natural fibers all the time,” she says, “and I rarely have to iron anything.”
Cathy Collins, of Huntington, considers herself a "very good packer." Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
“I try to make whatever I pack as versatile as possible,” she says. She sticks to basic colors, usually bringing a pair of jeans, black leggings, and several tops that can be worn with either. She adds, “I always make sure the black pant that I bring can be worn with a sneaker or a high heel.”
When traveling to someplace warm during the winter, Collins has the perfect solution — a puffer coat that can be rolled and tucked into a pouch in the collar that becomes a neck pillow for the plane (Pillow Pac Puffer Jacket, $135). “My husband and I both have one,” she says, “you can wear them anywhere.”
For the toiletries, Collins adds she shrinks wraps anything that might leak, using inexpensive bags she gets on Amazon that can be sealed using a hair dryer. “I just used it with my purple shampoo which will stain anything,” she says, “and it’s a good thing. The bottle opened up during the flight.”
Packing for a week in the tropics
It takes Jade Yerganian, 68, of Centerport, at least a week to pack. “I love to pack,” she says, “I’m meticulous about the way things are done.”
Jade Yerganian, of Centerport, demonstrates how modular packing makes travel easier. Credit: Jeff Bachner
Yerganian makes no pretense about traveling light. “I know there are people who travel for a week with just a good carry-on. They’re good with repeating an outfit or using one blouse for three skirts,” she says. “That’s not me.”
Packing cubes make it so much easier, says Yerganian, who travels with her husband three to four times a year, usually for a week to “someplace warm.” Packing cubes are perfect for someone like me she says, meaning “someone who tends to overpack.” She puts an entire outfit into each cube, which she says is a major time saver. “Once I’m on vacation,” she says, “I want to spend most of my time at the pool.” When it’s time for dinner, she just grabs a cube, “and I’m ready to go in five minutes.”
Jewelry, good shoes and handbags go in a carry-on, says Yerganian, because those things are hard to replace. If luggage gets lost, she says, it’s easier to replace shorts and tees. She always uses packing cubes with handles, which allows her to slip them over hangers and store in the closet.