Why most packing hacks are a waste of time, according an exec who travels 9 months out of the year

Christine Duffy

Don't stress over packing your bags, said Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy (pictured).

Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy has a confession.

Since joining the travel industry in 1982, she's checked bags at the airport for almost every business trip she's been on.

Contrary to the usual travel advice, she said that, in her experience, contriving ways to squeeze all her stuff into a small carry-on is a major waste of time.

"I've never been one of these people that has figured out how to roll my clothes and stuff everything into a bag that I carry with me on the plane," she told Business Insider.

Duffy only spends about a week every month working in Carnival's Miami headquarters. The rest of the time, she's traveling around the globe, attending conferences, touring the ships in Carnival's fleet, and visiting resorts.

Each stop on her trip - like speaking in front of an audience of industry professionals, attending an elegant dinner on deck, and marching through the engine room of a cruise ship - requires starkly different wardrobe choices.

"Going down into the engine room and some of the technical spaces, wearing heels doesn't work," she said.

So Duffy always checks a bag and brings along a smaller carry-on containing essentials like her laptop, makeup, and flip flops.

Duffy said her system saves her from a serious bout of pre-journey decision fatigue.

"It just takes too much effort to try to be that efficient and only bring what amounts to a purse and a carry on," she said. "I don't have to stress about making all these choices and then being sorry or wishing that I had something that I didn't pack. You don't know the weather, what's going to fit me or feel good that day. I crack up at people when it's really like a science and they're only going to bring three pieces and wear them for the week."