Unless you are going on a 3-month trip around the Himalayas with no laundry facilities, I would guess you are over pack.
There are times when you do need a lot of clothes, your bridesmaid dress or your own wedding dress may not fit with everything else in your suitcase, at that point you realize you are going to need a second suitcase. But even a second suitcase may not be enough if you don’t know how to pack.
Have you put your suitcase on a scale? You are going to be surprise how much it weights, if you have to buy a suitcase get a hard case which will make it easier to separate clothes and toiletries and shoes. Since you can only take 50 lbs. without paying extra fees, no need to buy a very large bulky suitcase that you can’t stuff with clothes because you are going to be overweight.
First decide what you want to take with you, I mean everything you would like to take, lay down on your bed all the clothes, shoes, toiletries, make-up and shoes you want.
Decide whether you would take one or two suitcases and a carry on. If you are taking more than one suitcase you may have to pay extra fees.
How long are you going to be gone? This will help you decide how much you really need to carry. Anything less than two weeks should not require more than one suitcase and a carry-on.
Decide how are you moving at your destination; rental car, taxi/uber, train or someone picking you up.
Are you planning to be gone for over two weeks? Is doing laundry a better option than to carry another suitcase?
Have a clear understanding of what is going to take to haul your luggage around, may be if you are traveling in the United States, you can rent a car and go on your way, but if you’re traveling to foreign destinations not been able to carry your own luggage by yourself may be a burden.
My rule of thumb has always been, “If you can’t carry it on your own, don’t take it”
Let’s get back to the clothes in your bed, now that you have decided what is the best option, if you are taking more than one suitcase then probably everything you want to take will fit, but if that is not the case, it’s time to decide what you are willing to leave behind.
The decision is not very hard, put in one side what you really want to take and on the other side what you can live without, that should reduce your clothes and shoes to half of what you started in the first place. After that, see if it fits in your suitcase, if it doesn’t, are you willing to haul a carry on as well? On a foreign trip I suggest to take a suitcase and a back pack, but if your destination is a place were you will be pick up by a taxi at the airport and taken directly to a hotel where you will be at all times, then take the suitcase, the carry-on and the backpack
However, if your destination will be a place where you will travel by train and then walk to the hotel, I suggest the suitcase and the backpack, this will be very common in places like Europe.
This is my suitcase for a two-week trip to a wedding in Spain.
The total weight of the suitcase was 45lbs. It leaves me room to pack souvenirs on the way back without having to pay extra fees. I also took a big backpack, mostly empty.
Remember, you can wear more than once a shirt, you can wear your blue jeans several days, you only need one pair of walking shoes, you don’t need three pairs of swim suits and you can wash your underwear and socks in the bathroom.
If your significant other wants to put something in your suitcase, I recommend you pack heavily and tell her that you don’t have room, then unpack when she is not looking. You will thank me in your trip back when you actually have some room left to put all the souvenirs and shoes she purchases and she couldn’t fit on her suitcase.
