You’re going on a trip. Hooray! In the midst of planning how you want to spend your time, there’s one crucial step that you’re probably putting off, packing. Not many people enjoy packing. It can be stressful, annoying, and it’s one of the least fun aspects of preparing for a trip. Parents of young kids have it even worse. Not only do they have to pack for themselves, they’re also lucky enough to have to pack for their kids. Whether you’re packing for just yourself or multiple people, you can’t get around it. You need your belongings while you’re away.
There is a giant list of mistakes people constantly make while packing; you may even make some of them yourself. But no longer! Armed with these nifty and helpful tips, you will be a packing expert, capable of organizing a trip’s worth of stuff without breaking a sweat.
Write out a travel checklist
One of the best things you can do to help yourself pack is to compile a list of items you plan on bringing with you. Include every single item you want to pack, from phone charger to every last pair of socks. Regardless of how much or how little you are packing, a list can really simplify things. Do your best not to put it off until you have to pack. At that point, the list won’t be as beneficial as it could have been.
To get the most out of your travel checklist, start working on it a week or so before you need to pack. Jot down the necessities that you can’t live without on your trip. Completing as much of the list as you can a few days prior to your departure allows you to reflect on it in the days leading up to your trip. You can make sure you didn’t forget to include anything and maybe even eliminate some items that you can live without. Remember to bring your list with you on your trip as well. It can be a helpful tool while you are packing up your suitcase in your hotel room. The last thing you want to do is forget something at the hotel because chances are, you won’t see it again.
Rolling > Folding
Most people organize the clothing in their suitcase by folding it. It’s what you do with your clothes at home, why not continue the trend when you travel? Folding clothes to save space is more effective than just throwing in wads of shirts and pants. However, folding doesn’t maximize your packing efficiency and actually leaves you with less space than if you were to roll your clothes. It may sound a little strange to roll your attire instead of folding it, but seasoned travelers swear by it.
Saving space isn’t the only advantage why rolling is the preferred over folding. It also greatly minimizes the possibility for your clothes to get deep wrinkles. You won’t have to worry about using that below average quality iron and ironing board that seems to be a permanent fixture in every hotel room. If you’re feeling really confident, you can even try rolling an entire outfit together and ascend to professional packer status.
Be smart with your carry-on & personal bag
This next packing tip only applies to those taking a plane to their destination, but it’s a very important one. Every airline company allows you to bring a carry-on and personal bag, provided that they meet the regulations that the airline sets. Let’s start with the less important of the two, the carry-on. These bags must be stowed away in the overhead compartment and won’t be as easily accessible as the personal bag. One vital thing to pack in this bag is an outfit or two. You never want to plan on the airline losing your checked bags, but if worst comes to worst, you can rely on the few outfits you brought in your carry-on to get by until the rest of your luggage is returned. In most cases however, you won’t have to deal with this immensely aggravating situation.
The more important of the two bags is the personal bag. This is a smaller bag than the carry-on. Purses, backpacks, or other bags of similar sizes fit the bill here. The personal bag is where you should store your must-have possessions that you can’t do without on your flight. Things like a book or e-reader, portable charger, and a couple snacks are always good ideas. If you don’t keep your smartphone in your pocket, the personal bag is the place to put it. A neat trick you can do to make carrying your luggage easier is to pack your personal bag in your carry-on, so when it comes time to take your seat on the plane, you can easily pull out your personal bag before storing your carry-on in the overhead compartment.
One aside, check out what the baggage fee policy is for the airline you’re using. Depending on the cost for checking bags, you may want to pack most, if not all, of your belongings in your carry-on and personal bag if possible and skip having to pay a baggage fee all together.
Don’t pack your whole wardrobe
There are so many travel and packing tips exclusively pertaining to clothing that they probably deserve their own article. Here are some of the most useful tips.
- Find out what the laundry situation is like at the hotel you’re staying at. If you can wash your clothes without too much hassle, you can pack less and re-wear them after a quick wash and dry. Just remember to pack some travel sized detergent.
- If you’re traveling to somewhere cold, do your best not to pack bulky clothing. Dressing in layers can keep you just as warm and take up much less space in your suitcase than those huge, puffy jackets.
- In case you have to bring bulky, large clothing to keep warm, wear them on the plane. That way you don’t need to commit the coveted, limited space in your luggage to these massive space wasters.
- Purchasing vacuum packed bags to store clothing will change your life. You can load these up with all of your clothes, vacuum out all of the air, and save so much space. These are perfect for the habitual over packer.
- Packing more neutral colored clothing makes them more versatile and easier to wear more than once. It’s not hard to match other articles of clothing with grey, black, white.
- Fast-drying. Wrinkle-free. These are three characteristics to look in the clothing you bring on your trip. It will make your life easier.
- Limit how many pairs of shoes you bring to at most two if doable. Comfortable sneakers in good condition are acceptable in most situations you’ll find yourself in.
- You can also pack socks in your shoes to save some room.
- If you need to pack dirty shoes into your suitcase, putting them in a plastic or drawstring bag is an awesome way to keep the rest of your clothing clean.
Stick to these guidelines and you can’t go wrong with your travel attire.
Shrink your toiletries
Companies make travel sized toiletries for a reason. They are immensely convenient on any trip and packing them is a breeze. Nowadays, most brands sell a travel sized version of their products. It’s not hard to find your preferred kind of shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, or other toiletry. Be smart about packing toiletries. There aren’t many things worse than opening up your suitcase to find that your conditioner leaked out onto all of your clothes and other possessions. Separate all of the toiletries by putting them in ziplock bags to lessen the severity of a leaky shampoo bottle.
A few more packing tips
By now, you’re probably feeling pretty confident about the next time you have to pack. Before you set out to pack the most organized, space saving suitcase the world has ever seen, there are a couple more tips that could aid you in your endeavor.
- Bring a small first aid kit with you. Nothing major, but something that contains some bandages, ibuprofen, antibiotics, and Neosporin is never a bad idea.
- You aren’t always going to have access to a washer and dryer while you’re away. A no fuss way to keep your suitcase smelling nice is to stick a dryer sheet or two in it. These can go a long way to keep your clothes from stinking up your luggage and your room.
- If you happen to be traveling with valuable or fragile items, one way to keep them safe is to pack them in clothes. The clothing acts as padding for the fragile object and protects it from any bumps the suitcase might encounter.
- Many travel experts swear by an item known as a packing cube. These come in many sizes and are an absolutely fantastic packing tool. Here is an example of one. Packing cubes can save tons of space and help even the most disorganized of people.
- “Just in case” items are usually a trap. It’s easy to convince yourself that you might need that raincoat on your getaway, but chances are you won’t wear it often enough to justify wasting the space to pack it. Don’t get roped into taking “just in case” items and your packing experience will be a bit simpler.
- While maximizing the space in your luggage is important, you don’t want to pack your suitcases to the brim. You are traveling after all. You may want to buy a couple souvenirs for yourself or someone back home. Save some space for a few mementoes, otherwise you’re going to have to buy another piece of luggage to store it in or leave it or some other belonging behind.
Now you’re ready to tackle any packing situation you might come across. Weekend getaway or extended trip, it doesn’t matter. You can do it all if you utilize these tips. Never again are you going to over or under pack. Packing can now be a no hassle, quick portion of your preparation. That way you can spend more time planning the exciting aspects of your trip.