Our first and less than exotic adventure after arriving in San Jose was trying to fit all of the student's luggage on the top of the hotel's minivan. After several years of traveling various distances by various means, I cannot stress my first travel tip enough- pack appropriately and as lightly as possible. This doesn't mean leave out nice clothes or high heels either, it means prioritizing and folding or rolling what you need and making it fit in a manageable sized suitcase.
During one episode of MTV's house of style, I happened to catch the part where Daisy Fuentes instructed travelers to roll rather than fold items that you wished to keep as wrinkle free as possible. I've actually found that rolling also saves space and creates better cushioning for breakable souvenirs.
The second part of packing appropriately is to limit wastage. Since we were doing stories focusing on sustainability and ecologically friendly practices it was kind of amusing how much what people packed said about how attached people in the U.S. are to both our looks and quantity. Don't get me wrong, keeping up appearances when you're trying to do professional interviews is one thing but some of the girls had brought straighteners, full bottles of product and razors.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stipulates that all of that product and razors had to go into stored luggage. Bringing travel-sized bottles and wax strips could have saved on space as well as weight. It's also worth mentioning that most of that product and primping materials didn't do much good; in the end, we all ended up sweaty, with humidity-ridden hair, sunburn and various scrapes and blisters.
If for no other reason when packing for a trip of any length or distance remember that you and not necessarily the bus driver have to carry the baggage- literally if the rollers or extending handle breaks.
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