Saving space when packing for mixed weather

How do you pack and save space for a mixed weather trip?

In prepping for a mixed weather trip, I started giving thought to how to fit big heavy coats, hats and gloves in with all my warm weather clothes. So I began searching Amazon for travel accessories and low and behold, up popped (name brand and generic) space saver bags.

You know the ones I’m talking about. The commercials (when they were on) show someone putting a big pile of blankets into a plastic bag, zipping it closed, opening the little circular hole and using a vacuum to suck the air out, thus reducing the mass of the bag.

Well, some popped up on Amazon that were specifically for travel and didn’t require a vacuum. You can roll the bag (or sit on it) to remove the air. I had the opportunity to try it out on my recent cruise to Alaska and I ended up sitting on my bag while zipping, so I left a small opening, then used my hands to squeeze the rest of the air out and zip it the rest of the way closed.

I’ll apologize for the unevenness of the bag, but I packed it in a hurry just to get the photos as an example (it was neater when I went to Alaska, I promise lol). If you are neater at layering them evenly, the bag will reduce evenly as well.

But here you go – this particular bag I think I actually found at the Dollar Tree so it does have the vacuum hole also, but I didn’t use the vacuum. Then there’s the stack of items I put in and the before and after the air was removed. Makes quite a difference in how much space it takes in the suitcase!

So tell me, do you have tips and tricks for saving space when you pack? If so, please share them here!

Activities Onboard

Every cruise line and every itinerary may vary their activities that are available onboard the ship. Here are photos I took of the daily newsletter, the Patter, onboard my Alaska cruise that just ended. Princess doesn’t have the water parks like some cruise lines, but they offer trivia, game shows, musical performances and more.

Day 6 – Ketchikan

Friday was port day in Ketchikan. After leaving Glacier Bay the night before, we ended up with zero visibility fog. The Captain had to use the foghorn and slow our speed for safety. My excursion was slated to meet at 8:15 am, but they announced early that 8:30 departing excursions would be moved to 9AM. Well, we didn’t actually stop at the dock until about 9:15ish. Some excursions were completely cancelled unfortunately, but mine was still a go, just late. I opted for the Misty Fjords & Wilderness Explorer Cruise. This was on a double-decker boat like the ferry boat to Haines except that the seats on this one were MUCH more comfortable!

Onboard the boat, they offered hot chocolate, coffee and tea complimentary and provided sodas and chip type snacks for a price. They served a cup of either seafood chowder or vegan chili and provided a taste of smoked sock-eye salmon (one little piece on a Ritz cracker).

The cruise provided lovely scenery and the skies began partly cloudy when we left and it wasn’t overly cold until he sped up so standing out on deck wasn’t bad but with the speed you did need a coat (and long hair like mine was best put up!).

After a couple of hours scenic cruising, we entered Misty Fjord. Very interesting area with the rock walls on the mountain and some that were so mossy with vibrant greens. That was my favorite rock face, with all the greens!

Then it was a two hour ride back to port. At that point I still had about 90 minutes before I had to be back onboard so I took a quick walk up to Creek Street to get a few photos, then back towards the ship and a little window shopping.

Back onboard, I went to dinner. By now I was dining with some of the same people by coincidence. Had yet another lovely dinner, then I met up with a new cruising friend and went to the show.

Another wonderful day cruising.

This will be my last post detailing each day of the cruise. I may post more photos or info as I remember it or come across photos I have not yet downloaded from my phone. The last day was a sea day. It was a nice day, spent with friends, wandering, seeing shows, dining etc.

And the last day, Sunday, was debarkation day. I was scheduled to leave the ship to transfer to the airport at 8:30 and luckily the dining room was serving breakfast from 6:30-8:30AM so I didn’t have to fight the buffet. Ate breakfast with more new cruising friends then went back to my cabin and grabbed my carry on bags. Said farewell to my room steward, who was PHENOMENAL, and headed down to the lounge to wait for my group to be called.

I arrived home mid-afternoon yesterday and began sorting photos so I could catch up on my posts of the trip.

I hope you all have enjoyed my posts as much as I have enjoyed sharing my journey. I’m not sure how soon my next trip will be, but stay tuned, I’ll be sure to share again! Until then, happy travels!!