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A little about Playa Zipolite, The Beach of the Dead . . .

Playa Zipolite, Oaxaca, Southern Mexico, on the Pacific Ocean. A little bit about my favorite little get-away on this small world of ours.

Zipolite, a sweaty 30-minute walk west from Puerto Angel, brings you to Playa Zipolite and another world. The feeling here is 1970's - Led Zep, Marley, and scruffy gringos.

A long, long time ago, Zipolite beach was usually visited by the Zapotecans...who made it a magical place. They came to visit Zipolite to meditate, or just to rest.

Recently, this beach has begun to receive day-trippers from Puerto Angel and Puerto Escondido, giving it a more TOURISTY feel than before.

Most people come here for the novelty of the nude beach, yoga, turtles, seafood, surf, meditation, vegetarians, discos, party, to get burnt by the sun, or to see how long they can stretch their skinny budget.

I post WWW Oaxaca, Mexico, Zipolite and areas nearby information. Also general budget, backpacker, surfer, off the beaten path, Mexico and beyond, information.

REMEMBER: Everyone is welcome at Zipolite.

ivan

Monday, February 25, 2019

How to Pack in Just a Personal Item Sized Bag

How to Pack in Just a Personal Item Sized Bag

personal item. What does this mean? Should you pony up and 
pay extra for a larger carry-on or checked bag? Is it possible 
to take a trip with only a small backpack or handbag?

Tips for Packing in Only a 

Personal Item

I’m here to tell you that yes, it is possible. Although not ideal, 
traveling with only a personal item can be a great way to take 
a super cheap getaway for a few days. And if you’re into 
the minimalist lifestyle, you can even stretch this out to 
week-long trips or longer. More and more airlines are 
selling super cheap flights that only include a personal 
item with the hope that most passengers will pay extra 
for bags and/or other ancillary fees. If you don’t want to 
pay any more than that low fare you were attracted to, 
use these tips to travel with only a personal item sized bag.

What is a Personal Item?

First of all, let’s be clear on what exactly a personal item 
is. The exact dimensions vary by airline, but are usually a 
maximum of around 18x14x8 inches and up to 22 lbs. 
Each airline and individual employees will vary on how
 strictly these limitations are adhered to. In general, 
think small backpacks, large purses, or small wheeled 
bags that will fit underneath the seat in front of you on 
an airplane.
The growing number of airlines that only include a small 
personal item in the lowest class base price include 
Swoop, and United. There's even an international 
carrier, WOW Air, that only includes a small personal 
item in the initial price you see. Read on to learn how 
to take advantage of these airlines’ cheap flights.

What to Bring When Packing in a 

Personal Item Only

You’ll have to be extremely picky about what goes in 
your bag if you’re going to travel with only a personal 
item. There is no room to bring any items on a “just in 
case” basis. A general rule of thumb is to bring along a 
total of about three outfits, including what you decide 
to wear while traveling. Of course, this varies depending 
on how long your trip is and what other items might be 
more important to you.
It’s usually best to leave your laptop behind on such trips 
as the added weight may tip you over the scale and many 
of your computing needs can be done with a smartphone 
these days. A tablet or an e-reader can be a good 
alternative if you prefer to have a larger screen. That 
being said, it’s not very common for airlines to actually 
weigh your personal item, though some will insist.
Below, I’ve included a list of what I usually bring with 
me when packing just a personal item. This list is 
obviously more geared towards male travelers, but 
I’ve tried to include a few similar examples for female 
travelers as well. The number of clothing items really 
depends on how lightweight your clothes are and how 
long you plan to travel. Remember to wear your bulkier 
items and a few layers on the plane. Check out these 

What to Pack in Your Personal Item Bag

Clothing:

Technology:

Toiletries / Personal items:

Make sure your liquids are TSA compliant.

Travel Documents & Money:

Miscellaneous Items:

The key to traveling with only a personal item is that 
you should only bring one pair of shoes. For this 
reason, you’ll have to choose wisely on which pair 
to bring and make sure it is a versatile and comfortable 
shoe that can be used for daily touring and also look 
nice enough to wear for a night out on the town.
Of course, if you’re traveling for more than just a few 
days, you’ll have to find somewhere to do laundry. 
This is usually pretty cheap and the pocket laundry 
wash works well if you need to wash something quickly. 
If you need to travel for a formal event, wear your 
formal attire on the flight to save space in your bag 
and also so it does not wrinkle. You may even get 
noticed for an upgraded seat if you’re looking spiffy 
and the airline needs to upgrade any passengers in 
order to open up oversold Economy seats.

How to Pack Your Personal Item

After setting aside a few layers of your bulkier items 
to wear on the plane, it’s time to cram all other items 
in your small personal item bag. To save as much 
space as possible, roll your clothing and you can keep 
things more organized by placing your clothes in a 
drawstring bag or a reusable shopping bag before 
placing in your personal item sized bag. Do the same
 for your pair of sandals or flip flops so other items 
don’t get dirty or if space is of the essence, you can 
easily attach a pair of sandals to the outside of your 
bag with carabiners. A bungee cord can also be 
useful to strap bulkier items to your bag that you 
don’t want to wear if it’s too hot while traveling.
Some items such as heavy coats won’t fit in a 
personal item sized bag, so if you’re going to a 
colder climate, you’ll need to wear or carry these 
items on the plane outside of your bag. I also like 
to bring a small plastic shopping bag with snacks 
or purchase a to-go meal at the airport to bring 
onboard. If space in your personal item is tight, 
you can always place a few items in your snack 
bag and you’ll likely never have any issue boarding 
a plane this way.

Personal Item Bags to Fit 

Everything You Need

Choosing the right personal item bag is paramount 
to fit what you need for your trip. It’s a good idea to 
check the airline’s size requirements for specific 
limitations, though unless the bag looks overly large,
 I don’t think many gate agents actually size up these 
bags. There are plenty of options to choose from for 
personal item bags. A small backpack is ideal for 
organization as they usually include many different 
compartments and also allow you to be hands-free 
when traveling. If you prefer wheeled bags, there 
are even a few small enough to fit underneath an 
airplane seat. Another option is to go with a large 
tote bag, which can usually fit the most items. Here 
are a few bags I recommend.

Travelpro Maxlite 5 15” Lightweight 

Carry-on Rolling Under Seat Bag

Travelpro Maxlite underseat carry-on personal item

Swiss Gear Travel Gear 1900 Scansmart TSA Laptop Backpack

Swiss Travel Gear TSA friendly laptop backpack personal item

ECOSUI Duffel Bag Weekender Overnight Bag Large Travel Tote

ECOUSI weekender duffel bag personal item

Samsonite Large Wheeled Underseater

Samsonite wheeled underseat bag personal item

Leather Carry On Bag - Airplane Underseat Travel Duffel By RusticTown

Rustictown leather underseat travel duffel personal item

Travelon Anti-Theft Heritage Backpack

Travelon anti-theft backpack
For more bags that fit the personal item dimensions, 
The added bonus of not lugging around extra bags 
will also allow you to save once you arrive at your 
destination. Public transportation options suddenly 
don’t seem too bad when you’re only carrying one 
small bag and you can put your extra money towards 
tasting the local food or enjoying the attractions during 
your trip.

Related Article: How to Pack for an Extended 

Trip in Just a Carry-On Bag

Header image by diy13 via Shutterstock
Product images courtesy of Amazon.

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ivan