Travelling light

I did it. I managed to get both of us packed for 7 days in Hawaii with no checked bags. Last time we flew to Hawaii, they lost two of our checked bags for two days and the only thing that saved us was that I packed our swimsuits, a change of clothes each, and our hiking shoes in our carry-ons. Since we have two connections this time, I'd like to not risk lost bags again. Considering how much we've flown in the past, we really haven't had much experience with lost baggage, but last year two bags were lost for two days on the way to Hawaii and a bag was lost for an afternoon on the way to Disney.

I did the "one bag" method. We have two rolling carry-ons, a computer backpack, and my knitting bag which is a big tote. The carry-ons are stuffed. They zip...and I hope like heck they let us take them on and don't get all wiggy about how stuffed they are. They will fit in overhead bins. Our flight from L.A. to Maui is completely booked, so luggage space will be tight. With C's long legs, he can't put his backpack under the seat in front of him, but I do keep my knitting bag down there. We haven't flown this year since they did the bag restrictions...so I'm hoping they don't prohibit our bags. I do have a thin tote stuffed in one bag that I can transfer stuff to and use for a carry-on if they require us to check a bag, but I'd obviously rather not be shuffling clothing at the airport.

My knitting bag this time is my Vera Bradley "Vera" bag (which I have used as my personal carry-on before, but I hope they still consider this a "personal item") and I determined last night that it holds much more than either of my Namaste bags (I have Malibu and Laguna. I have this irrational fear of running out of yarn because in my head I knit so much faster than in real life, so I do have an emergency ball of sock yarn with #1 needles stuck into it in one bag pocket. Other than that, I have three Christmas/Hannukah projects in my bag...two otn, one not yet started.

I had to get brutal with the toiletries...hairspray but no mousse for me. I have trial sizes for everything, and the gallon ziplocs are very full, but they do close up and it should all work. We have not flown without a checked bag since the liquid/gel restrictions, so this is a real departure for me. One of these days I am going to try some of that bar soap from Lush...or maybe not, since flying probably won't be high on our list of things to do after we bring home our first child.