Our Best Carry-On Hacks (That Actually Work)

Most people pack their carry-on the same way every trip and wonder why they always run out of space. In this episode, Chris and Katie share the hacks that actually make a difference, from why packing cubes might be hurting you in your roller bag to how coordinating colors before you pack changes everything.

They cover roller bag strategy, personal item essentials, what to always have accessible on the plane, and the exact bags they are currently traveling with after years of heavy use.

Plus, the new Chase Freedom Flex 5% categories are live for the quarter, and Katie stacks three Hilton card credits on a Conrad Las Vegas stay.

Chapters:
00:00 The Upgraded Points Podcast Episode 78
01:12 New Freedom Flex Card 5% categories
02:23 Conrad Las Vegas at Resorts World
06:46 Carry-on roller bags
07:17 Packing cubes vs. packing flat
10:56 Travel toiletry bags
12:17 Packing for a winter trip
14:47 Headphones hack
16:16 Charging cords pouch
18:18 The carry-on gear we actually use

New Chase Freedom Flex 5%-7% Bonus Categories [Q4: October to December]
https://upgradedpoints.com/news/chase-freedom-5x-categories/

Conrad Las Vegas Review:
https://upgradedpoints.com/travel/hotels/conrad-las-vegas-review/

Monos Carry-On Pro & Monos Checked-In Medium Luggage Review
https://upgradedpoints.com/travel/monos-luggage-review/



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Creators and Guests

Host

Christopher Hassan

Host

Katie Corrigan Seemann

What is The Upgraded Points Podcast?

Want to travel more and spend less? Every week, Upgraded Points provides expert insights, travel hacks, and the latest industry news to help you maximize your points and miles like a pro. Hosted by Chris Hassan and Katie Corrigan Seemann, travel experts at Upgraded Points, this podcast breaks down the best strategies for booking luxury flights, scoring hotel upgrades, and making every trip unforgettable — all without breaking the bank.

Expect insider tips, real-world trip breakdowns, and answers to your biggest travel questions. Whether you're a points and miles beginner or a seasoned expert, we’ll help you travel smarter, save money, and unlock next-level adventures.

Email us at [e-mail]

Subscribe now and Travel Different.

00:00:00:03 - 00:00:08:00
Chris
Most people pack their carry on the same way every trip and wonder why they're always running out of space. Today we're fixing that.

00:00:08:00 - 00:00:15:21
Katie
We're sharing the hacks that actually make a difference. The mistakes most people don't realize they're making and the exact bags were currently traveling with.

00:00:16:00 - 00:00:23:15
Chris
Before that, the new Chase Freedom Flex 5% categories are live for the quarter, and you need to activate them before you spend a single dollar.

00:00:23:16 - 00:00:35:06
Katie
Plus, I'll tell you about my stay at the Conrad Las Vegas. It's all coming up next on the Upgraded Points podcast.

00:00:35:07 - 00:00:38:07
Chris
Hey I'm Chris. Welcome to the Upgraded Points podcast.

00:00:38:10 - 00:00:58:18
Katie
And I'm Katie and today we are talking about the best Carry-On Packing Hacks, plus the new Freedom Flex five categories that are actually good this time. And my stay at the Conrad Las Vegas. Before we jump into all of that, don't forget a freeway to support the show is by going to Spotify or Apple Podcast, leaving us a five star rating and review.

00:00:58:19 - 00:01:11:09
Katie
Head on over to YouTube. Leave us a comment, a thumbs up. Make sure you subscribe to the channel. We really do appreciate all of the support. So let's jump into some good news from the Freedom Flex card.

00:01:11:11 - 00:01:32:14
Chris
Yeah, so just a reminder we're in a new quarter for the Freedom Flex 5%. The new categories include grocery and dining, so it should be easy to max out this quarter. You just don't forget to activate them. So as a reminder, if you're not familiar, the 5% this quarter is going to be on grocery stores, dining and American Red cross.

00:01:32:17 - 00:01:53:20
Chris
The dining category already earns 3% on this card, so with this promo, you'll earn 7% cash back at restaurants. The 5% cash back categories technically means you'll earn an extra 4% back, combined with a 1% you'll already earn to get to the 5% total. The grocery store category is one of the easiest to max out, so this is.

00:01:53:20 - 00:01:56:12
Chris
This is a good way to to boost your balance.

00:01:56:13 - 00:02:15:14
Katie
Yeah, I mean, groceries and dining. Like, you could max that out easy and you can have more than one of these cards. I know many of us do. So this is a great opportunity to earn a lot of points. And just a quick note for those of you with the old freedom card that you cannot apply for anymore, that one still has the exact same 5% bonus categories and it works the same way.

00:02:15:14 - 00:02:34:07
Katie
So I know between my husband and I, we have three of them, so I will absolutely be maxing those out this quarter. So that's great news. So I just got back from well I guess last week we didn't fit into last week's show, but I recently stayed at the Conrad Las Vegas. I went to a travel conference out there for work, so it was just a quick trip.

00:02:34:09 - 00:02:51:15
Katie
This hotel, this is the first time I've stayed there, is part of the Resorts World complex, which is sort of at the northern end of the strip, and it was I was happy to stay there because I usually stay much, you know, further south down when I do go, not my favorite place in the world. I will confess to that right now.

00:02:51:17 - 00:03:15:19
Katie
But all three hotels that are in the Resorts World complex are Hilton's. So there's the Hilton, the Conrad and Crockford. And it's a really nice, complex, nice buildings, really beautiful lobby in the Conrad. The cool thing about this, and I did mention this a little bit last week, is you can use your Amex business Platinum and Hilton surpass $50 credits.

00:03:15:20 - 00:03:37:16
Katie
Hilton credits there at these hotels, which is what I was able to do. And all three of these hotels qualify for the $200 resorts credit on the Hilton Aspire card. So if you are looking for a fun way to use up some of those credits, all three of these hotels in the Resorts World Complex will qualify. And that was going to be my plan had I needed to spend more money.

00:03:37:17 - 00:03:50:23
Katie
I was there for a work conference, so most of my meals were taken care of as part of the conference, and I only had that one. But I was absolutely going to dip into that if I needed to. Have you ever stayed at any of those? I know you have that Hilton Aspire card.

00:03:51:00 - 00:04:10:00
Chris
Yeah, no, I've been into that complex a few times. I'm trying to remember where I stayed. I think I stayed at a Hilton Grand Vacation Club. No, but no, I've been in there in the lobby, and I think Nick stayed there one year at Crockford and it just one had drinks in the lobby. It's just a really nice property.

00:04:10:00 - 00:04:15:08
Chris
And if you're not into that hustle and bustle of the other part of the strip, it's a nice way to kind of get a breather.

00:04:15:10 - 00:04:32:12
Katie
Yeah, I thought it was a little bit calmer than the other part of the strip. It was, I mean, still hopping. There was still a lot going on, plenty of restaurants and stuff to do, but it just wasn't quite as as insanely buzzy as some of the other places. I mean, maybe I was there midweek, so who knows, maybe that was maybe that was part of it.

00:04:32:12 - 00:04:52:11
Katie
But the room itself was was very big. The bed was really comfortable. I actually slept really well and I stayed on East Coast time. So like I was in bed at like 930 and I was out, which like I love because then I'm, you know, actually awake for the next day. No coffeemaker though. And I was a little upset.

00:04:52:13 - 00:05:07:13
Katie
Yeah, I was a little upset then. I remember the last time I stayed in Vegas, I think it was maybe the Park MGM. There was no coffee maker there either. So I'm wondering, is it just like a Vegas thing? I don't know, just for Red. Yeah, I don't know. Maybe for those of you who travel to Vegas love.

00:05:07:15 - 00:05:34:17
Katie
Maybe it's just a Vegas thing, but I was a little unhappy about that. However, I did have access to their VIP lounge, which is called club 66, and it serves breakfast and a social hour every day. So I was able to go up and get my coffee and breakfast so I wasn't suffering too much. And that can be booked as part of a package, or access to that lounge can be added to an existing reservation I really liked.

00:05:34:17 - 00:05:56:14
Katie
It is up on the 66th floor. Really nice views, big windows. It was not crowded. It was spacious. It was comfy seating. The service there was excellent. Like there were there were guys there. It would always take my plates, make sure I had everything I wanted, told me where the food was. Really nice experience and a fantastic cheese strawberry pastry with delicious.

00:05:56:16 - 00:05:57:06
Chris
Okay.

00:05:57:07 - 00:06:12:17
Katie
So I really I overall really enjoyed this day. And you know, if I was going back to Vegas I would I would stay there again for sure I did. I did not get a chance to go out to the pool, but I saw it from a window. I forget if I was in the conference room or in that lounge and it looked really nice.

00:06:12:21 - 00:06:17:02
Katie
So maybe, maybe next time I'll get to relax a little bit. But that was a good trip.

00:06:17:04 - 00:06:18:19
Chris
That's great. Yeah, it's a nice property.

00:06:18:20 - 00:06:28:20
Katie
Yeah. And we do have sorry to cut you up. We do have a review that I believe Carrie stayed there this year. So we'll we'll put that up if you want more details about that hotel okay.

00:06:28:21 - 00:06:52:05
Chris
Nice. All right. Let's move on to the main segment. And we want to talk about why most people pack the same way every trip and then wonder why they always run out of space. I used to be the same way. This episode covers all the hacks that actually make a difference, the gear worth investing in, and few things you're probably doing wrong without even realizing.

00:06:52:06 - 00:06:54:09
Chris
Katie, I'm going to kick it off to you to start.

00:06:54:10 - 00:07:17:00
Katie
Yeah. So let's start with the carry on roller bag, which is essential if you are trying to avoid checking bags. And this is how I travel, probably 98% of the time. I do check a bag every once in a while for really long trips when we're traveling with, you know, my husband and daughter. But if I can avoid it, I do everything I can to avoid it.

00:07:17:00 - 00:07:29:01
Katie
So my my first tip you might not agree with me on this one. Chris. My first tip to not use packing cubes in your roller bag.

00:07:29:03 - 00:07:30:21
Chris
All right, you guys can skip this episode.

00:07:31:00 - 00:07:59:07
Katie
Controversial. So okay, listen, I they can be very handy to organize, but I think they take up more space because you can't then use every little nook and cranny in your bag. And when I am trying to maximize space, I like to, like, put things in every little nook and cranny. I take socks and underwear and stuff and stuff them in shoes and in sandals, like between the straps helps, like the strap not collapse.

00:07:59:07 - 00:08:13:02
Katie
And it gives you all kinds of special little room. I take tank tops and roll them up and like, stick them in the sides. I like to use every little nook and cranny and packing cubes. Don't let me do that.

00:08:13:04 - 00:08:17:07
Chris
Okay? That's a fair argument. I'm not going to not going to argue that.

00:08:17:09 - 00:08:37:00
Katie
Another trick that I use, I know there's a lot of, you know, oh, you should roll your clothes or use packing cubes. I lay my clothes flat so, you know, in the roller bag there's the side that's very flat. And then there's the side with sort of the where the, the handle is. So it kind of is, is bumpy.

00:08:37:01 - 00:08:57:05
Katie
So on the flat side I take all of my clothes and I lay them flat. I've been doing this for years especially works if you have like more structured things that you want to not get wrinkled. Right. So you lay them flat, you just keep layering. And then at the end I like fold all of the ends and the, the sleeves and things over so everything's flat.

00:08:57:05 - 00:09:04:13
Katie
It uses up every inch of space. And I think that that's the best way to get a lot in a bag. Now I will.

00:09:04:13 - 00:09:06:00
Chris
Say lasagna.

00:09:06:01 - 00:09:26:12
Katie
Yeah, it's lasagna of packing. I will say if you are on a trip where you're going to be switching hotels a lot, you know, one night here, one night there, it's not great because you kind of have to unpack everything to get stuff out. So it takes a little getting used to. And, you know, sometimes in that case, I could see the the argument for packing cubes.

00:09:26:14 - 00:09:29:00
Chris
But she's already convincing herself.

00:09:29:01 - 00:09:34:02
Katie
Now every once in a while. But if you just need to get a lot in a bag packing.

00:09:34:04 - 00:09:35:03
Chris
Yeah, okay.

00:09:35:06 - 00:09:59:05
Katie
Is is the way I always go. The other thing, and I admittedly have not been good at this until very recently, is if you are on a trip where you know you limited on space, try to coordinate your colors. Now, I know a lot of you probably are just I'm going to wear jeans and black shirts and a jacket or whatever the whole time are very neutral if that's how you do it.

00:09:59:05 - 00:10:28:08
Katie
Great, wonderful. Keep on doing that. I wear a lot of color, I wear a lot of patterns, and I like mixing all of those things together. But I have found that if I not necessarily pick like a color, but pick a sort of tone of color, then I can pick things that all go together. So like when I'm traveling to the Caribbean or it's summer, I will go with brights and I'll usually, you know, have a bright pink, bright purple, bright blue or whatever, but they're all in the same tone, so they all go together.

00:10:28:08 - 00:10:46:23
Katie
So then I only have to bring one pair of shoes, because it goes with all three of those tones and one bag and less jewelry. You know, if I try to throw in a pale green top, that's going to look terrible with all the bright colors. So I have really gotten into sort of picking a color palette for a trip and sticking with it.

00:10:46:23 - 00:11:07:21
Katie
Then I only need one jacket or one hoodie because it goes with everything. So try to be a minimalist when it comes to packing and also to your toiletry bag. This is one that and I am not a minimalist at all, so it's difficult for me. I had to really work to get to this point. If I can do it, you can do it.

00:11:07:21 - 00:11:26:04
Katie
I had a lot of trouble packing when I had the big toiletry bag, and I've had a couple of great ones where they're super organized. They fold. You can fit everything you want and it's great, but it takes up so much space. So I switched and I might have shown this on our episode last year when we talked about packing.

00:11:26:06 - 00:11:50:01
Katie
This is what I use and it's from Tommy. It doesn't have to be from Tommy, but I found that this particular size, it's very narrow and skinny. You can kind of fit it right in between the the bumps on the other side of the suitcase. So then it doesn't take up as much space, like just this particular shape seems to work really well because I can fit then a shoe on either side, stuff it with socks and whatever.

00:11:50:01 - 00:12:12:13
Katie
And I still have the top four extra, you know, t shirts or whatever I need. So that's been a game changer for me. And it does take a little bit of planning to get making sure you have the small bottles of everything you need, but I've found for the most part it's really doable to have everything I need, even for a two week trip in that little bag.

00:12:12:15 - 00:12:15:22
Chris
What about like a winter trip when you got bigger stuff?

00:12:16:00 - 00:12:44:02
Katie
Okay, so yeah, that's tough. I definitely. So for winter trips I will wear my jacket, my biggest boots and things like that. On the plane. When I went to, I did the Christmas markets. I guess it was last December and I had bought a big pair of insulated boots because we were going to be outside all day and they were super comfy and great for walking, but they were bulky.

00:12:44:04 - 00:13:07:04
Katie
They would have taken up half my suitcase, so I wore them on the plane. Not ideal. And I wore my big coat on the plane. Again, not amazing, but it gets the stuff there without taking up any of your space so it you know, it's again, not ideal, but it saves a lot of space. And I have seen a lot of people do that.

00:13:07:04 - 00:13:25:07
Katie
Or the other thing is I'll take like my extra hoodie and I'll kind of zip it into or clip it into the top of my personal bag. That isn't that's another thing to do. One last thing before we move on to Chris. If you're traveling with a jacket, I know so many people will try to like pack it into their bags.

00:13:25:09 - 00:13:41:05
Katie
Jacket especially like a like a puffer jacket, which is what I traveled with. Makes great lumbar support. To lay that on your seat, puff it up at the back of your back, and then it's not taking up extra space when you're sitting on the airplane, and it actually makes your seat more comfortable.

00:13:41:06 - 00:13:43:07
Chris
So that's a good one. I like.

00:13:43:07 - 00:14:01:02
Katie
That I actually have one smaller puffer jacket that has a like a little bag that it comes with. So you stuff it in there and you can like put it and it makes amazing lumbar support. So that's what I bring. If I'm like traveling from a cold destination to like the Caribbean in the winter. So I'm going from cold to warm.

00:14:01:04 - 00:14:08:18
Katie
I want to bring that jacket because I'm going to be cold at the parking lot in the airport. I just bring it and then it makes a great little pillow for the for the flight.

00:14:08:20 - 00:14:13:00
Chris
Nice. Yeah, I think I have one of those too. It's from Uniqlo or something. The ones that roll up really small.

00:14:13:01 - 00:14:15:17
Katie
Yeah. Those are, those are great to travel with.

00:14:15:19 - 00:14:36:10
Chris
All right. So that's the carry on. But let's not forget about your personal item because when you're boarding a plane you can bring your roller board, but you're also allowed one personal item. And some people maybe they don't want to carry it or just a purse. But if you really need to maximize your space, this is where you can really start fitting some extra stuff in there.

00:14:36:10 - 00:15:00:21
Chris
Now we'll dive into what Katie and I use after this section, but some tips for this personal item just to make the trip a little bit more enjoyable for you. Keep your headphones in a case with a hook. This is really good because you can keep them handy. You can clip them on the outside of your bag. You can clip them to the seat in front of you, and then you can just get them easy and you won't lose them.

00:15:00:23 - 00:15:23:01
Katie
Especially helpful when you're in the bulkhead when you don't have your bag right in front of you. I did this last time when I was coming home from Europe. I have just my AirPods with the little hook, and I actually hooked it to the small amenity kit, so then I could shove it down into the little thing. I knew my headphones wouldn't fall and I wouldn't forget them, but then I didn't have to worry about them.

00:15:23:01 - 00:15:32:00
Katie
It's a small little thing, but it makes a big difference. You can hook them onto your belt loop if you don't have anything else. Just yeah. Really handy little tip.

00:15:32:02 - 00:15:56:12
Chris
When I'm on the plane, I'll use my big headphones so they'll come in a little bag and I have a little carabiner hook there, and then I can just hook that onto the seat in front. And then any of my stuff there can can just be within arm's reach. That's another personal item. I know, Katie, you mentioned before that you always like to bring a scarf as your personal item or as part of your personal item.

00:15:56:14 - 00:16:11:11
Chris
Obviously that's great. On a cold flight, I like to bring that light jacket. Same thing you use for your lumbar support. Can use it as a neck pillow if you're not bringing in neck pillow or if it's cold, you can just wear it. But yeah, so these bringing that little extra layer can make that much more comfortable for you.

00:16:11:11 - 00:16:32:22
Chris
And then as well as those headphones, you can keep your charging cords in a separate pouch. So Katie's got hers right there for mine. Since I use the big headphones on the plane, I just put everything in that one bag. So I'll get my headphones, I'll get some melatonin, I'll put some cables in there, some chapstick, whatever. That's all going on there with one hook.

00:16:32:22 - 00:16:47:21
Chris
So I can just take that out of my bag. And when I'm at my seat, I'll have almost everything that I need. Now, if you're bringing a change of clothes in your personal item, not your check bag, the packing cube is a great option in the situation.

00:16:48:00 - 00:16:53:03
Katie
I would agree there. Actually, that's a fantastic use for packing cubes.

00:16:53:05 - 00:17:15:00
Chris
It is. Keep things organized. You're not going to be digging through one to wear in the middle of the airplane if you had to get something out of your bag. And so that's good. And then if you were, you really want to bring a neck pillow and you just can't find a way to fit it, you just clip it to the outside of your bag or use that, you know, extra hoodie or jacket that we talked about and, and improvise there.

00:17:15:00 - 00:17:42:03
Chris
But those are just a couple a couple little tips that we like to make our, our in-flight, you know, trip more, more enjoyable while also saving some, some space. But when we let's take a break now and when we come back, we're going to talk about what gear Katie and I actually use.

00:17:42:05 - 00:17:49:04
Chris
Real quick before we jump back in. If you're listening to this podcast, you're exactly the kind of person we built our free newsletter for.

00:17:49:07 - 00:17:54:22
Katie
We break down the best credit card offers, transfer bonuses, travel news and award alerts so you stay ahead of the game.

00:17:54:23 - 00:18:00:08
Chris
A lot of the deals we talk about on the show don't last long. The newsletter is where we flag those fast.

00:18:00:08 - 00:18:12:16
Katie
It's totally free and you can sign up at Upgraded Points newsletter.

00:18:12:18 - 00:18:24:02
Katie
Okay. Welcome back. Let's talk about what gear we actually use to make carry on only travel very doable and very easy. Chris what what's your bag of choice?

00:18:24:04 - 00:18:46:08
Chris
Right now I am using the Monos carry on Pro. I have been using and abusing this bag for over five years now, and it has no sign of slowing down. This is one of those hard shells. It's very similar to an away bag. The the outside pocket is also a hard shell, which I don't love because it's not as flexible.

00:18:46:09 - 00:19:05:22
Chris
My wife has an away bag with the leather outside pocket and that's much more flexible. You can get more stuff in there, so that's a minor complaint. But when I travel solo, sometimes I'll take her bag because even though I don't always use it, it's nice to have that extra flexibility of the battle leather. So that's just something to consider if you're if you're looking at these hard shell bags.

00:19:05:22 - 00:19:28:03
Chris
But I also pair that with a travel backpack. And I think we were talking on one of our episodes last year talking about travel gear. And I was in the market for my first travel bag, and we got a lot of comments and messages, and I ended up getting for Christmas the Tom talk. It's a 28 liter backpack and it is great.

00:19:28:03 - 00:19:43:15
Chris
It's only 75 bucks on Amazon. It's got tons of compartments and pockets and it's easy to open very no matter which angle you're at. If you want to get to your room and open it, it opens all the way up like a clam shell. If you just need to get something from the top, you can get it from the top.

00:19:43:15 - 00:20:06:09
Chris
From the side, it's comfortable. It's it's just really convenient. It's got a bunch of tech compartments and everything. So that that is my current lineup right now. So I got the, the, the Monos, Hard Shell and then a nice little Tom talk travel bag. So between the two of those and, you know, some packing cubes, I can go 1 to 2 weeks easily with that setup.

00:20:06:09 - 00:20:07:17
Chris
What do you got?

00:20:07:19 - 00:20:31:00
Katie
So right now I am using my my roller bag is a Toomey 19 degree international expandable four wheel carry on. I think I've talked about this bag before. I bought it because it's iridescent purple. I did no research. It's a little heavy. And I don't know if you were just looking for a great bag if I would recommend it.

00:20:31:02 - 00:20:49:20
Katie
I it's okay. Okay. But I love the way it looks, so I don't care. It's, you know, it's bulky, it's heavy. So but I'm sticking with it because it's really pretty fair. And you know what? Sometimes that that's how it is. I have looked at the one that your wife has with the, the the leather pouch on the outside.

00:20:49:21 - 00:20:50:13
Chris
Yeah.

00:20:50:14 - 00:21:00:04
Katie
I really like the way those look. Does the leather pouch like, does it get big enough where it's a problem to get it in an overhead bin, or is it, is it like a really narrow power?

00:21:00:05 - 00:21:19:20
Chris
No, no, it doesn't have that much flexibility. I mean, it doesn't like it doesn't stretch. Okay. We've never had any issues. My issue with the mono swan is that you just can't put more than I was. Putting my laptop in the outside pockets would be easy to take out at security. I couldn't really put anything else in there because it was going to put too much pressure on the laptop.

00:21:19:20 - 00:21:22:13
Chris
So it's really just for for small things there.

00:21:22:19 - 00:21:43:18
Katie
I like the way it looks though. We all we have an away bag, just the standard carry on that like everyone has. And that works just as well. And it's less bulky than my Tumi and it's lighter than my Tumi. So if they came out with that in a cool purple color, I would consider switching. You know, but I like I like to have something that, you know, it's my personality.

00:21:43:19 - 00:22:06:20
Katie
So as far as cosmetic bag, I showed it to you earlier. I'll bring it out again. This is the Toomey small Madeleine cosmetic bag. And I love this thing. It doesn't necessarily have to be to me. Like, if you can find this shape in some other bag, that's great. There's nothing like special about this bag other than the shape.

00:22:06:20 - 00:22:30:04
Katie
But I have found that that works super well in in carry on only packing. Okay, so let's talk back and keeps squares. Last year when we had the show about travel gear, you mentioned the monos packing cubes and you raved about them. So I actually well, I asked for them for Christmas and I got them as a gift for Christmas.

00:22:30:08 - 00:22:31:02
Chris
All right.

00:22:31:07 - 00:22:53:18
Katie
I do. So as far as packing cubes go, they are way better quality than what I was using. And I see what you mean. Like in the right circumstances. Compression ones. Yeah, I got the compression ones. I have like all different sizes. I think I have like a set of eight or something and they are super handy when you're not necessarily like it's weird because they compress.

00:22:53:18 - 00:23:28:20
Katie
So they do save space. But in some circumstances I'm still anti anti packing here. But those are the best ones I have used. So I do like those. Recommend those. Yeah yeah definitely. But you don't need them. You don't need them. But when when I do find them the most helpful is like we talked about earlier, if I'm bringing like a change of clothes in my backpack or if I need, you know, one outfit like tucked separately somewhere that I can grab, like that organization bit is just so handy.

00:23:28:20 - 00:23:47:13
Katie
And I like in the set that I got that there are so many different sizes. I do like that. Oh, and when we were on our cruise this summer in Europe, I had the biggest one because we had some big space, a big bag. So I used them because they're great to organize different people in. If you're all going in one big bag, it's another time.

00:23:47:13 - 00:24:02:12
Katie
I do use packing cubes, but I liked the really big one because you can prop it up and you know, it ends up being maybe that tall, totally unzipped, and we use that for our dirty clothes and it like stayed in the closet. So it made a really nice, easy way to kind of keep those all in one space.

00:24:02:18 - 00:24:12:11
Katie
For my personal item, I have the Toomey Voyager Atlanta Backpack. I promise I am not sponsored by Toomey. I wish and.

00:24:12:13 - 00:24:13:00
Chris
Toomey where.

00:24:13:00 - 00:24:14:13
Katie
I am, I know. Wouldn't that be nice?

00:24:14:14 - 00:24:14:22
Chris
Get in the.

00:24:14:22 - 00:24:27:13
Katie
Chat I, I like it I would recommend it more than the the carry on the roller bag. I do actually really like my backpack. It's not one with all of the like actually it's right here.

00:24:27:15 - 00:24:28:21
Chris
What color is a purple?

00:24:28:22 - 00:24:54:07
Katie
No they don't. I just got black because they didn't have any good colors. But it's kind of skinny. I love these top handles. These are amazing. And I talked about this earlier. Sorry. For those of you who are not watching or not watching a video, you're missing some great stuff. It has this the little snap so you can kind of shove stuff in here if you have an extra like jacket or something that doesn't fit and you're already wearing a jacket.

00:24:54:09 - 00:25:29:20
Katie
So there are some features I really like about that bag. The most important one is that sleeve on the back that you can shove your, your handles of your bag into. Yeah, like, don't talk to me about carry on travel without that because it makes such a difference. And it actually I find that it's easier to get through the airport with my roller bag and my backpack than it is without my roller bag, because then I'm carrying my backpack around and I don't have easy access to it because I'm, you know, carrying it to get to my the little phone pouch, I have to take it off and grab my phone.

00:25:29:20 - 00:25:51:00
Katie
If I have my roller bag, I can roll it with one finger. I'm moving all of my stuff and I have super easy access to everything I need. So even in circumstances, I'll be traveling with, you know, family members or friends, and they're just going to go ahead and check bags like I will do everything I can to avoid it, even if I free check bags because I'm just I'm much more comfortable with my my rolling kit.

00:25:51:00 - 00:25:55:15
Katie
I know where everything is and it just just makes life easier.

00:25:55:17 - 00:25:57:01
Chris
I like it, I like it. Well done.

00:25:57:02 - 00:26:04:21
Katie
Yeah. Anything else to add, Chris about? Carry on. Only travel. Do you tend to to carry on only or do you tend to pack.

00:26:04:23 - 00:26:05:10
Chris
Yeah.

00:26:05:10 - 00:26:06:00
Katie
Well or.

00:26:06:00 - 00:26:25:02
Chris
Check depends on the trip. Obviously when I'm solo, like I said I can go weeks on that. My little carry on and backpack set up. But with the kids and when we travel, we're usually traveling for 2 or 3 weeks up to New England. So in the winter, unfortunately, that just that means more stuff and it's bigger stuff.

00:26:25:02 - 00:26:43:03
Chris
And we do leave some stuff at my parents house so we can, you know, the big jackets stay up there, but it's just too much to ask the kids to get into into carry on. So we usually travel with big bags and I don't really mind it because like, it's a very rare circumstance where we need to be like running out of the airport.

00:26:43:04 - 00:26:58:21
Chris
And in theory, assuming our luggage is not lost, we're only, you know, wasting a few minutes at the at the beginning or end of a trip. That being said, last time we went to Disney, American Airlines lost our luggage and we did a nice little shopping. You got a gift shop?

00:26:58:23 - 00:27:03:16
Katie
You turned that into a great opportunity there.

00:27:03:18 - 00:27:23:20
Chris
Exactly. So I mean, as long as you don't when you're checking a bag, this is just great advice to keep with you at all times. Don't put anything important there and always travel with a backup pair of clothes. I always had my backup pair of clothes. I have all my important stuff in my carry ons so that if and when, because it will happen.

00:27:23:20 - 00:27:46:12
Chris
Eventually your bag gets lost or delayed or misses the flight, you won't be totally out of luck. And so what happened with us in in in Orlando? The bag. It was more than 24 hours and we had to go to the parks and we needed clothes. And so we went to the gift shop and we all got our Mickey ears and Mickey t shirts and Mickey sunglasses, and American Airlines sent me a check for that.

00:27:46:14 - 00:28:08:08
Katie
Nice. And if you are going to like a beach vacation, pack like a bathing suit, some sandals in your in your carry on. Because then when you get to your hotel and you inevitably cannot check in, you don't have to like open up your big bag and dig through it to get out the few things you need for the day, you can just grab your carry on, grab your pack and cube in your carry on with your outfit for the day.

00:28:08:12 - 00:28:31:05
Katie
You can go change, enjoy the pool and then you'll, you know, it's just an easy transition from getting there and waiting for your your room. And you can go enjoy everything. And it's just easy, you know, make making just a few little tweaks can really make your your travels that much easier. Cool. One conversation. Well, that's going to do it for us today.

00:28:31:11 - 00:28:35:14
Katie
We will be back next week and we will see you then.