Packing in Style

Five Gallon Plastic Bags
Day 2

Two sisters, married to men both of whom are named Ron, sat at the supper with us. We talked about our families and then about cruising, since they are more experience than we. Marilyn told us the tip of the day – the best way to pack for a cruise – use five gallon bags. She said you put five carefully folded shirts into a five gallon bag and then sit on it until all of the air has been expelled. Then you zip-lock it closed and go onto the neck item to be packed, stacking all of the seemingly freeze-dried bags into the suitcase when you are ready to go.

Ron added, “What is good about that is you don’t have to move everything in the suitcase when you are look for a shirt. Just move the bags around and everything stays nicely pressed. Someone tried to help my wife put her suitcase into the overhead and after he has struggled to get it there, he asked her what she had in it. She knew, for she had managed to pack 25 pounds into her carry on, with her plastic bags.”

Now packing that way is not a task for the faint-hearted.

Arta