Packing for a trip

I was enjoying dinner with a friend the other day.  We were discussing traveling.  I love traveling and we occasionally share stories about our travels.

I come from a family of travelers, and they have been teaching me tips and tricks for years.  

Some of the things I have learned it to:

• Decorate my checked luggage so it can be easily identified on the airport carousel.
• Decorate the back, as many times they dump them on the carousel back-side up.
• Print a copy of your passport/important papers and put them in a different bag than your actual documents.  That will help if you lose anything.
• Pack an extra garment in your carry-on in case your trip is delayed, and your luggage is not.

Then, my friend and I got to discussing a trick I really appreciate ... divide the packing between both checked bags, when possible.  She had never thought of this and was tickled to learn of the concept.

Basically - when traveling in pairs - I have been taught to:

• Lay everything out on the bed that needs to go into luggage
• Remove all the items that go into the carry-ons
• Split each person's items into two piles
• Try and ensure that each bag gets undergarments, pants/shorts, chargers, umbrellas, shoes, etc.  
• We try and split liquids, medications, and anything else that can easily be split.  
• We also try and split items in our carry-ons, just in case.  Things like money, lotions, snacks, etc.  

On the way back home - we do this for souvenirs and important things.  

We do our best to try and ensure that if the worst happens, it will not be a total loss.

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