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2 weeks, 8 cities, 1 suitcase & 10 tips

August 8, 2010 by Ally Carter Leave a Comment

Hi everybody!

I’m now home from tour and finally starting to feel like my old self (four days of pretty much constant sleep will do that.)  It was GREAT being on tour–so many wonderful bookstores and awesome readers. But it’s also full of some fairly unusual challenges, not the least of which is…

Packing.

You see, touring is like being on vacation.  On crack.  You pack a bag, board a plane, and spend the next several days (my last tour, for example, was16 days) going from city to city, hotel to hotel.

Now, some people prefer to pack one big bag and check it, but I choose not to do this for three reasons:

*  A checked bag can easily become a lost bag, and when you’re changing cities every day it’s conceivable that you will keep traveling around the country and your bag will constantly be a city behind.

*  When you check a bag that means an extra line to stand in plus 20 or so extra minutes before and after your flight.  And when you’re on tour 20 extra minutes of sleep is important!

*  Most airlines are now charging for checked luggage and I’m…well…cheap.

So that’s why I prefer to just do the carryon thing for tour.  Is it a challenge?  Sure.  But it’s doable and here are some handy dandy tips on how.

 

1.  It’s a basic but a goodie: only take what you need. 

If you’re anything like me you’ll have to fight the urge to throw in everything you might conceivably want but then, once you hit the road, you’ll end up wearing the same three things every day anyway because those are the things that are comfortable, flattering, warm, cool, whatever.  Do yourself a favor and just leave those other things in the closet or…

 

2.  Don’t be afraid to ship stuff home.

If you get on the road and you figure out you’re not gonna wear it…  Or if you’ve already worn it and it’s dirty or no longer needed, then ask the front desk for a box and ship that stuff home.  If you’re worried about the cost, consider this: it’s probably cheaper than a single $50 bag check fee.

 

3.  Don’t be afraid to have stuff shipped TO you.

I did this for the first time on this last tour because there were some things I was going to need at the RWA convention the last week of tour that I wouldn’t need until then.  So before I left I put everything in a box, printed up a shipping label, and left the package with a friend who put it in the box the day before I was supposed to arrive in Orlando.  It worked great and I’ll definitely be doing it again.

 

4.  Don’t take more than two pairs of shoes. 

Wear one, pack one.  Other than that you’re asking for all kinds of additional weight and lost space.

 

5.  Everything you take should do double duty.

Personally, I am a fan of the basic black dress.  Some people can’t live without their favorite jeans or an awesome sweater.  No matter your style, if you’re gonna go two weeks with one carry-on suitcase you’re gonna have to rewear some of these basic things and wear them well.  It can be done!  You can do it!  (scarves, jewelery, and cardigans help, by the way.)  Remember, mixing and matching is your friend!

 

6.  Travel-sized toiletries are a must.

Honestly the hardest thing about the all-carry-on tour is the new limit on liquids.  That’s why I’m now on constant lookout for liquids that aren’t…liquid.  For example, there’s a bar shampoo.  They have these handy-dandy wipes with nail polish remover now (no more carrying around a bottle that might spill.)  And Dove makes these foaming face cloth things that I love!

 

7.  Utilize every inch of space in that bag!

Packing shoes?  Fill them with socks.  See a little crack at the bottom of the bag?  That’s where you put your belt.  It’s not a suitcase, it’s a game of Tetris.  You can do it!  (My method of choice is this: take all the long stuff like dresses and lay them flat in the bottom of the bag with the ends flopping over the end.  Then stack all your foldable things and bulk items like shoes.  Pack smaller things around the bulk items.  Then flop the long ends of the dresses or jeans or whatever over the top.  This method utilizes space beautifully and keeps your clothes as wrinkle-free as you can under the circumstances.)

 

8.  Wrinkle-free is fabulous.

I have a deep and abiding love for the pajama dress.  What’s a pajama dress?  Well, that’s what Holly Black, Jen Barnes, and I have dubbed those fabulous knit dresses that don’t wrinkle, don’t stretch, don’t stain, and feel like pajamas.  I wouldn’t dream of traveling without them.

 

9.  Clean out your drawers.

If you’ve got old socks or t-shirts or whatever and you’re getting ready to throw them away, don’t.  Put them in a drawer instead and pack them when the time is right.  That way, the last time you wear them is on the road and instead of packing or shipping them home you can simply discard them along the way.

 

10.  Hotel laundry is possible.

Sometimes you get to spend multiple nights in the same place and…whoa…that is AWESOME!  When that happens I always like to handwash what I need to or, if need be, send stuff to the hotel laundry.  No, it’s not ideal.  But yes, it is possible.  And, yeah, I’d still rather do that than get to the airport earlier, stay later, and pay to check a bag that might be lost.

 

So that’s it, folks: my big post on extreme packing for extreme traveling.  I hope it helps!

 

-Ally

 

 

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Comments

  1. Ciera says

    August 9, 2010 at 10:25 pm

    Hey Ally, i LOVE your books! Its kind of weird but whenever i read a GG book i have a certian playlist i listen to. I listen to your songs then add theese ones…

    Meet Me Halfway by The Black Eyed Peas
    Knocks You Down by Keri Hilson ft. Kanye West and Ne-Yo
    Crush by David Archuleta
    Untouched by The Veronicas

    You should listen to them. They kind of tie in with Cammie and her ralaionships with Zach and Josh. I hope you enjoy.

    P.S. GG 4 is my FAVORITE book ever!!!

    Reply
  2. Jordanne says

    August 10, 2010 at 2:28 am

    One day I’m going to France and Europe (but especially France) and I will utilize this information thoroughly. Thank you Ally! <3

    Reply
  3. Courtney says

    August 11, 2010 at 2:24 am

    Thanks for the tips! My dad has to travel alot and usually we tag along so this should be great!

    I want to thank you for your books. They’re super amazing!! They aren’t like little kid books or adult books. They’re perfect. They fit great for someone my age. I’m an advanced reader so usually I get bored with the plots of books or the omg-this-book-has-the-tone-for-a-beverly-hills-girl-not-the-normal-girl. Not yours though! They always surprise me and I can read straight through your book in one day! I’ve got my whole school hooked on them! Someone always has a Gallagher Gril or Heist Society book! I love your books because everytime I read them, there is something that wasn’t there before; a new connection, a look or word I missed, something! So thank you for writing and please continue!

    Courtney

    Reply
  4. laura says

    August 11, 2010 at 2:18 am

    An awesome song for GG4 is “I just wanna Run” by The Downtown Fiction. i heard it on jersey shore and was like it totally matches this book for reasons we all know

    Reply
  5. Meredith says

    August 9, 2010 at 8:26 pm

    Hey Ally!
    Congrats on GG4! It was my favorite of all your books.It was hilarious reading your travel tips because my family trvels all the time and i have some really similar methods!
    Thx,
    Meredith 😀

    Reply
  6. mary c says

    August 9, 2010 at 8:55 pm

    well Ally, my life is travling & I’ve learned that I can last 2 weeks with everything packed in a beach bag. yes a BEACH BAG. first of all I never take any tolitres (except my contact soulution) ’cause most hotels will give you toiletres (especially Country Inns & Suites) for free. so why waste space on that? if your at one of those places that won’t give you toiletries, buy the travel ones when you get there & throw them away before you leave. second I just take like 2 pairs of jeans one for each week. I know it’s sorta gross. but I handwash if they need it. I also take 2 pairs of pajamas. though my sister insists that it’s easier not to take pajamas at all. just a t-shirt & underwear, but I freeze at night. ;] plus I roll everything! bring anti-wrinkle t-shirts, jeans don’t wrinkle, & who cares if your pajamas are wrinkled? you just fold whatever your folding in half & roll! takes up very little space. also, if you want to take a jacket, wear it on the plane, train, car, whatever. as for shoes I take sneakers, flip-flops & heels if I have to go somewhere fancy. if I’m going by plane or train I wear the sneakers & pack the others. if I’m going by car I wear the flip-flops. & then you know how most airlines let you have a carry-on & a purse or a computer bag? get a big purse, put your computer, books, overflow from your bag, whatever you need. (but make sure to throw some purse-y things in there wallet, glasses case, etc.

    Reply
  7. Anonymous says

    August 9, 2010 at 4:06 am

    funny & practical. most of those sound like how Cam would pack… or maybe *gasp* you ARE Cammie!! haha. I’ll try to remember those–some are already in use in my family (#1 and #6 and preferably #4 but not always), while some I’ve never thought of (#2 and #3 especially). and last, but not least, I now want a pajama dress. I have a pajama skirt which ROCKS, but not a dress…

    Reply
  8. Paige says

    August 9, 2010 at 3:01 pm

    Those were useful, I’ll keep them in mind 😀

    Just kinda random here, but d you know what the average word count is for a teen/young reader book?

    I’m almost done a story I’m writing and was just wondering, I’m thinking of trying to get it published so…

    Reply
  9. Sarah says

    August 9, 2010 at 11:38 am

    ally you posted this at the perfect time. i’ll be packing for chicago on friday for a week and i only get one carryon. thanks alot ally!!

    Reply
  10. HannahROXyourSOX says

    August 9, 2010 at 6:27 am

    I’m glad you’re feeling more like yourself now! Touring must be crazy fun, but also crazy exhausting.

    And WOW, I’m mentally slapping myself for never thinking of such a brilliantly obvious solution… Socks in my shoes. How did I never figure that out for myself?!

    Love, Hannah

    Reply
  11. Anonymous says

    August 10, 2010 at 8:46 am

    this article really helped me thanks im about to go on a trip for two weeks too.

    Reply
  12. haley says

    August 10, 2010 at 3:03 pm

    if only i read that before i left for vacation
    i just got back from paris, london, florence and venice
    would have been SOOOO helpful!
    i should check more often 😛

    Reply
  13. Anonymous says

    August 11, 2010 at 12:19 am

    Another good song for GG4 is “I Dare You To Move” – Switchfoot. I can totally see stuff from the book when I listen to it!

    Reply

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