Take THAT, airline industry.

This is no fun little tutorial.. well maybe it is.. but I'm really just incredibly proud of myself that I was able to accomplish this.

I'm not a terrible packer - I take pride in my packing skills passed down to me from my mom (she's got it DOWN, yo). However, I tend to overpack, and end up with a big pile of clothes that I never even touch while on vacation. Every. Time.

Hey.. a girl needs options.

But I can't do that for my upcoming trip to Mexico for two reasons:
1. I have layovers in both directions, and I don't trust the airlines to not lose my bag.
2. It costs like $75789 just to check one bag. I don't exaggerate.

So, I needed to figure out how to consolidate, be decisive, and pack for a 6 day trip in a bag that I would normally just put tons of shoes and flip flops in.

Sad but true.

SO I turned to my trusty friend Google, literally searched "how to pack a carry on to Mexico", and came across this little gem called 10 days in a Carry-On, written by a flight attendant. Next five pictures are from that article.

You guys, it's dumb how revolutionary this was to me. She was able to pack all of this..

..into that tiny little suitcase! Nuts I tell you, nuts.

Basically, instead of folding everything, you roll it up.

 You pack the shoes on the bottom, then the bulkier, heavy fabric clothes, then the lighter fabric clothes.

 You top it off with the extras, like toiletries, a brush, a bag, etc. And it closes without having to sit on it for an hour! (Not like I've done that before.) (Ok I have.)

 The coolest part is that the woman then packed all her stuff in the "traditional" manner.

As you can see.. not fitting. At all.

I decided to test out this roll up method of packing, and I can totally vouch that it works like a charm. I was able to (over)pack:

1 pair of heels, 2 pairs of flip flops
a snorkel
4 pairs of shorts
a pair of gaucho pants
8 shirts of the tank/tee/tube/halter varieties
2 cardigans
3 dresses
6 bathing suits
a big floppy sunhat
several undergarments

..and still have enough room to put my toiletries and straightener on top!

Or, you know, a cat.

Anyone have any other fun packing tricks?? I could use 'em!