Thanks to readers

Thanks to everyone who reads this blog for making it a success. We just passed 75,000 hits!

How to pack a travel toiletry bag to carry on an airplane

Breeze through airport security with carry on luggage this holiday season with a properly packed travel toiletry bag. This means following TSA rules on liquids and strategizing to maximize space. In this post, I’ll show you how to make the most of travel toiletries in a quart size bag.

Choose Your Bag Wisely

Not all plastic quart size bags are created equal. You may know them as ziploc bags or ziplock bags, but there are many brands available. There are two characteristics of a plastic bag for toiletries that could make or break your trip.

#1 Bag Strength

Some quart bags are thin and easy to puncture. Others are thicker plastic and withstand stretching. Unless you plan to change bags during your trip, find one that is strong and can stretch out without tearing. Stretch strength becomes especially important later in your trip when you find yourself stuffing it to the max, and then it rips. Ziploc (or ziplock, depending on how well you spell) and Hefty make a strong quart size plastic bag that meets TSA rules for liquids. Whichever you choose, always have an extra quart bag in your luggage.

#2 Closure

Most “zip top” plastic bags seal when you press two plastic seams together. Some even change color when the bag is sealed properly. This is fine for tonight’s leftovers, but for air travel it’s less than ideal. When you’re rushing to the airport at 4 AM it’s so easy to miss the seal, and colors don’t help in a dark hotel room. You end up later with a goopy mixture of lotion and toothpaste smeared into your luggage. Don’t get me wrong, this type of bag will work, especially if you’re careful to tighten all the lids inside and carefully seal the bag well. It’s just not my favorite.

I prefer the quart size bag with an actual zipper seal. These seal every time, and it’s obvious when they’re not closed. They’re also strong and stretch beautifully to accomodate that last-minute hand cream you just can’t travel without. As a bonus, TSA makes these bags available for free at many airports.

For instance, I found a pile of Hefty OneZip bags just before the security ticket/ID check at Portland International (PDX). I grabbed a handful to get me through the next year of flying. And I leave one or two empty bags in my luggage for the inevitable moment when the plastic bag rips and all my toiletries spill out into my carry luggage.

This zip top quart size plastic bag cinches and stretches to accomodate liquids according to TSA rules. Even better, I got it for free at Portland International Airport.

Pack Your Bag

Now that you’ve selected a plastic quart size bag that meets TSA rules for carry on liquids, it’s time to pack it. Let’s face it, you’re probably going to have more to pack than space allows so you’ll need to eliminate some items. But defining what’s an essential toiletry is entirely a personal decision. Further, women tend to need more than men, and parents of young children need the most. So I’ll offer some strategies on how to make decisions about what stays and what goes. I’ll also tell you what’s in my bag.

Strategy #1 — Does it meet TSA rules for liquids?

TSA rules determine what must go in this plastic bag, rather than in your carry on or checked luggage. TSA specifies “liquids, creams and gels” in a quantity no larger than 3 ounces or 100 mL. They must all fit into a quart size plastic bag, and the bag must close.

For example, you could pack your zip top bag with four 3 ounce bottles of your favorite shampoo, if that’s all you need. You just can’t bring the 12 ounce bottle, even if it fits into the quart bag. I can’t tell you how many despondent faces I’ve seen when TSA takes away a beloved full-size bottle of perfume or lotion because it’s larger than 3 ounces.

TSA allows solids of any size (as long as they meet the other security rules). So it’s important to make a distinction between toiletries that are solids, such as stick deodorants, and those that are not, such as gel deodorants. Consider traveling with a deodorant that says “solid” on the package to save space in your plastic bag.

Another way to save space is to avoid putting toiletry accessories,  like floss and nail scissors, into your bag, even though you may use these items with the liquids. TSA does not require that these go in the plastic bag.

Summary: Don’t waste precious space with solids, including solid deodorants, and accessories. Instead, pack these into your carry on bag.

Strategy #2 — Is that toiletry hard to find later?

Look at all the liquids, creams and gels that you want to bring. Now ask yourself which of those items are the most difficult to replace on the road. Pack only the items that are impossible or difficult to find later, or that you’re going to need immediately in flight.

For instance, if you’re staying a hotel, it will offer shampoo, conditioner and lotion. If you’re staying with friends, they will have toothpaste and contact solution. If you’re bouncing between hotels and friends, you might be able to score extra travel shampoo and conditioner first, but not toothpaste. Neither is likely to have that special eye cream that you can’t live without.

In my bag, I pack: face cleanser to wash off road grime; hand and eye cream for in-flight dry skin relief; a tiny toothpaste for in-flight brushing; and a tube of eye gel for those red eye flights. These are my must-haves that I don’t leave home without. Everything else is optional, depending on where I’m going and for how long.

Essentials in my toiletry bag that meet TSA carry on rules for liquids

Some people use special products to treat specific conditions, such as special shampoo for colored or receding hair. Specialty or prescription products are not easy to find on the road, and for those types of toiletries, you’ll want to bring them along in 3 ounce containers.

The bottom line at that instead of carrying your entire bathroom cabinet with you, I encourage you to think strategically about what will be available where you are going: What items are a must-have and which items are easily replaced.

Summary: Eliminate all the items that you don’t need in flight and will find easily later.

Strategy #3 — Remember Tetris?

If you’ve ever played the game Tetris, you’re in luck. The skills you acquired to pack all those shapes together neatly into a box will serve you well in packing your toiletry bag. The most important part of maximizing what’s in your toiletry bag is to choose 3 ounce containers that pack tightly together. From the photo above, you can see that I use round, thin containers. The benefit of these is that they pack flat, and I can stack them two deep when needed.

Many containers that you can buy for travel are cylinder shapes. Walmart, CVS and Long’s typically sell these in the travel size toiletry section of the store. These generally work fine. However, I have moved away from using them because they’re slightly bulky and don’t pack tightly.

These flat cynlinder liquid containers from Aveda pack tightly together in a travel toiletry bag

Instead, I opt for containers that are either long, skinny cylinders or rectangular shapes. These pack tighter, and it’s easier to get the zipper around them on the fly.

My personal favorite shape is the flat cylinder, such as the Aveda travel toiletry containers. These pack flat and tight. I recently scored these at a hotel and have reused them for months. It’s easy to refill them with your own supplies and then pack tightly into one bag everything you might need: shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, face lotion, hand lotion, cleanser and toothpaste.

Summary: Choose 3 ounce containers that pack together flat and tight.

Hard times in Kihei and Wailea, Maui

It’s a sign that wealthier people in South Maui are spending less on disposable items, such as fancy dinners out: Roy’s restaurant in Kihei papered over its windows, removed the marquee and closed its doors for good last month. Roy’s was located in the Pi’ikea Shopping Center, served mainly visitors and wealthy residents of the nearby resort zone that includes the Grand Wailea Resort, the Four Seasons, Wailea beach villas and Kihei condos.

While news of recession is no longer news, Roy’s closing marks an important shift in the progression of financial pain.  To understand why, you need to understand how Roy built his restaurant empire.

Empire of “Pacific Rim Cuisine”
Roy Yamaguchi opened his first so-named restaurant in Hawaii Kai in 1992. Slowly over the next 9 years he expanded throughout Hawaii, opening new eateries on each major island. They were all a smashing successes. He deployed a franchise business model and continued expanding to a few key locations in California and Japan. Then in 2001, he formed a joint venture partnership with the parent company of Outback steakhouse, and that’s when new joints started popping up all over the country earning hundreds of millions of dollars a year. In 2008, there were more than 30 Roy’s worldwide.

If you look at a map of all Roy’s locations, all the spots share one common trait: they are in wealthy areas that are flush with disposable income. We’re not talking about traditionally rich areas of the US, like Southwestern Connecticut or the Hamptons in New York. We’re talking about places with golf courses, resorts, Lexsus dealers and new money itching to be spent. Kihei and Wailea fit Roy’s criteria perfectly, until now.

Full disclosure: I worked as a waitress for two years at Roy’s Hawaii Kai store back when I was in graduate school. It was then that I learned about the painstaking research Roy and his team put into scouting new locations. It was also when I realized that buying houses in those same areas would be profitable, and it was for many of his staff that moved to work his new eateries in places farflung from Hawaii, such as Orlando, Tampa and Scottsville. Roy’s proved to be an economic indicator of disposable wealth.

Unsustainable Economy

That’s why seeing the Kihei store close means more than just another empty retail space during a bad economy full of empty retail spaces. Roy’s Kihei closing signals at least a temporary decline of people’s disposable income on Maui. And that’s a problem for this island economy built around people peeling off greenbacks. This closure signals deeper trouble–deeper than not being able to dine on those famous ribs, crab cakes or chocolate soufflés. But for those in the area who are going to miss his daily changing menu, my palette goes out to you.

The upside is that bargains can be found for vacationers in South Maui, where room rates have dropped over 20% in the last two years and just about everything, from tours to food, is on sale.

How to choose carry on luggage

This question about carry on luggage comes from reader Stephanie Sachs:

I’m going to start traveling with carry on luggage only because baggage fees are getting to expensive. What’s the best luggage to carry on?

First, the Rules

First, TSA has rules about carry on luggage. Each airline also has its own rules for carry on luggage. You need to be familiar with both. TSA’s rules for carry on luggage mean that you cannot bring any liquid or gel in greater amount than 3 ounces (100 mL), and those 3 ounce bottles must fit into one quart size plastic bag. You also cannot have anything sharp, like scissors or knives. If you have a large bottle of lotion, perfume or anything sharp, you have to check you bag — even if it will fit into the overhead bin.

To find out what the size limitations are for each airline, check with the airline directly. However, the general rule is that a bag cannot exceed 45 linear inches, according to the FAA. That means that if you add up the length, height and width, the total inches cannot be more than 45. Make sense?

When you carry on, you save money and keep your stuff with you, no chance of it getting lost. I am always at “home” on the road with my Eagle Creek Tarmac 22″ luggage.

 

Next the Luggage Makers

Let’s narrow the field down to companies that really stand behind their luggage. Three brands of luggage offer the best warranty service, including guarantees against damage done by the airlines: Eagle Creek, Patagonia and Tumi. I have successfully used all three.

Other companies, such as TravelPro, Hartmann, Victorinox, Swiss Army and  Samsonite, sell solid luggage sets with good warranties. I have traveled with all of these brands as well. However, these don’t guarantee against damage done to your luggage by the airline. Only Eagle Creek and Patagonia offer this type of warranty. And let’s face facts, most of wear and tear on luggage comes from the airlines’ luggage handlers and sorters.

(Note, I do not own stock in any of these companies or stand to gain financially in any way from recommending them.)

Construction
The most important consideration when you invest in good luggage is bag construction. These are some questions to ask when evaluating a piece of luggage:

• Is it lightweight luggage, meaning is it light when empty?
• Are the wheels high quality off-road inline skate wheels?
• Is the handle strong and durable?
• Do the zippers stretch to allow for stuffing without busting?
• Is the fabric strong enough to pass through a luggage sorter (if you have to gate check the bag) without shredding?

All three brands described here pass these tests with a resounding, “Yes!”

Packing Style
Which bag design you choose is a matter of personal style. Do you throw things in or pack neatly? If you throw things in, consider the duffle. This design is also great if you carry an oversized gear, like a camera tripod or large hiking boots. Some larger items just don’t fit into compartmentalized bags.

My travel partner does something in between stuffing and cubing, which is why a wheeled bag with one zippered compartment and one main compartment works for him.

I packed neatly using packing cubes, and prefer to find something within one or two moves. So I prefer a wheeled bag with two internal zippered compartments and one main compartment.

Strategy
As you know from reading this blog I spend a lot time with my luggage. I used to buy cheap crappy luggage from discount retailers and change when they failed. But I grew tired of figuring out how to pack a new bag all the time. Plus, it’s a wasteful strategy at a time when landfill space is becoming dearer.

So now I have one bag that I know how to pack to the max in my sleep, and it’s perfect for everywhere I go. I spent more money up front (about $200) for much less hassle in the long run.

Best in Show

Eagle Creek

I’ll admit my strong preference for Eagle Creek’s construction. I’ve use their luggage for 4 years now exclusively. I can honestly say that it’s the best luggage I’ve ever carried.

• My “must-have” bag is the Tarmac 22″ (http://www.eaglecreek.com/bags_luggage/wheeled_luggage/Tarmac-22-20201/ ). You’ll laugh, but I consider this bag “home”.

• My travel partner, however, likes the bag with the detachable backpack, the SwitchbackMax 22″ (http://www.eaglecreek.com/bags_luggage/wheeled_luggage/Switchback-Max-22-20217/ ). The backpack comes in handy on day trips.

• I also own a 25″ SwitchbackMax, but it doesn’t fit in the overhead bin. So I rarely use it these days, except when I know I will have to check luggage.

Their newest bag, the Hovercraft 22″ looks very durable, especially in wet conditions, since it’s made out of a hybrid neoprene-like material (http://www.eaglecreek.com/bags_luggage/wheeled_luggage/HC2-Hovercraft-Upright-22-20236/ ).

Patagonia

Patagonia is a brand worth considering seriously. Patagonia makes a well-built wheeled duffle bag that has backpack-like carrying straps–great if ever you have to bound up subway stairs (http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/product/mlc-maximum-legal-carry-on-wheelie-bag?p=49112-0-687 ). It also fits the max legal carry-on size.

I have also used Patagonia’s large wheeled, duffle bag. It was shredded almost beyond recognition by the airline on my return flight home  (serious bummer at the end of my trip to Chile). Patagonia sent me a brand new bag, no hassle of any kind. It was amazing.

Tumi
Tumi’s reputation as one the premier luggage companies is well earned, even if they are a bit pricey. But dropping $200 seems a bargain if you think about owning on a single piece of luggage that you will haul around the world for life. Tumi makes a lot of carry-on bags (http://intl.tumi.com/travel-and-luggage/carry-ons/ ). With so many to choose from, your personal taste and style should prevail.

But overall, their bags tend to be heavier empty than Eagle Creek or Patagonia and more business-looking. Many frequent travelers carry Tumi, a testament to its durability and classic style. But this may be the brand’s single drawback: When many bags look alike, it’s easy to grab the wrong bag.

Tips for Traveling with Carry On Luggage Only
I wrote a blog post with tips to go all carry-on a while back. You might find some helpful bits: http://gbjorn.wordpress.com/2009/07/27/avoid-increasing-airline-fees-tips-for-traveling-with-carry-on-luggage-only/ .

Whatever you decide, good luck! I hope you find a great bag that really works for you.

Cycle 13 of Tyra Banks’ America’s Next Top Model on location in Maui, Hawaii

Tyra Banks chose Maui, Hawaii, as the “exotic” location in the second half of season (or cycle) 13 for “reality” show about becoming America’s Next Top Model. Previous Top Model exotic locations include Australia, Italy, the Netherlands, and Brazil. US destinations include New York and Los Angeles.

Top Model first aired on the CW channel in May 2003. Since then, every season features an airplane ride across an ocean to some faraway destination for the top 5 or so contestants (out of 14). This season, the top 6 were flown to Maui and lodged in a private vacation rental in the resort area of Ka’anapali.

Tyra Banks shooting model contestant Erin on location near Kahului, Maui. Erin muddles through portraying someone who is "hapa" Tibetan and Egyptian, while "working it" in a hot sugar cane field in Pu'unene near the mill

In episode 9, the remaining 6 contestants squeal almost continually while in Hawaii, even while learning to surf near Lahaina.

Nicole of ANTM cycle 13 eats it surfing near Lahaina

After surfing the girls go to a photoshoot, where Tyra and Jay explain the theme: hapa. In Hawaiian, “hapa” means half. Famous people who are hapa include President Barack Obama, who is hapa haole and papolo. Tyra mentions this factoid to the girls. They squeal. So far so good.

But in a bizarre twist, Tyra and Jay assign each of the 6 girls hapa characters to portray in their fashion shoot. This has nothing to do with reality of being hapa. For instance, Erin must portray someone who is Tibetan and Egyptian, but the clothing is costume reinterpreting some historical style. Fashion, it’s not.

Makeup artists paint Erin’s skin and hair dark, and wardrobe people put on a cleoptra-style gown with some kind of funky chunky gold headress. No wonder she’s confused. The other 5 girls suffer a similar fate. Not so much squealing now.

The best thing about this hapa Halloween photo shoot on this “reality” show are the moody Upcountry clouds and the gorgeous magic hour light from Maui’s sunset.