1. If you’re going on a short trip (2-3 days max): Pick a color palatte of one or two colors as your “base” and build around that. Then build your blouses/shirts, scarves, ties, shoes and other accessories around the base color.

2. Unless you work in the fashion or design industries, or are an A-list celeb, you may not need as much clothing as you think. For example, even if you are traveling on business for four or five days, two suits and maybe a blazer and one pair of slacks, jeans or a skirt will do. These are the things that weigh the most, and take up a lot of room in your suitcase. So take a few minutes to really think about what you’ll need on your trip. It may not be as much as you think.

3. Also spend a few minutes thinking about the shoes you’ll need to bring. One dear friend who would rather leave home without her husband and children than her Manolos and Jimmy Choos. Remember, though, the more shoes you bring, the less room you have for other items you need — and the more your bag will weigh.

4. If you’re traveling for a week or more, ask your hotel about guest laundry facilities. If your hotel doesn’t have them, use an Internet search engine to find a laundrmat or cleaner close to your hotel. This helps in two ways:
- You don’t have to bring as much clothing with you
- You can either do your own laundry, if you’re so inclined (personally, I find it as dull as watching paint dry) or find a place that may offer “wash and fold” service. Both, as well as finding a cleaner outside your hotel where you can take your dry cleaning to, will help you save money.

5. Call the hotel and ask about the toiletries they offer. Some hotels go above and beyond by providing a wide range of quality brand items, including facial scrubs, shaving cream and mouthwash, along with the usual shampoo, conditioner and moisturing lotion. By calling the hotel, I’ve been able to determine what lotions and potions I can leave at home. This helps keep my bags light, and also helps when going through security screening.

6. If you’re bringing just carry-on luggage, before you leave for the airport pick up the bag. Is it too heavy for you to comfortably pick up and maneuver? Unfortunately, we can’t always count on someone being available to help us, so we need to be careful not to weigh ourselves down. Plus, airports are b-i-g places. It doesn’t matter the airline or hub, if you’re changing planes you’ll likely face a good trek. The heavier the bag, the bigger the challenge you’ll face when making your connection.

Try to stuff as much as I can into my laptop bag before I think of the suit case. Not only does it speed you up getting in and out of the airport, but I try to think of it as helping the enviorment. Less weight = less fuel the plane uses I guess.

Although I recently was in Ft. Lauradale at the airport, and I actually gave a lady 100 dollars to help pay for her bags. She had several and 5 were overweight and she was hysterical crying said she couldn’t afford to pay for the extra bags so I figured I’d help out. She asked for my address said she would pay me back, I just gave her my business card thinking I would never hear from her again, 2 weeks ago I got a money order for 125 dollars from the lady thanking me.