Travel Tips On Packing
Being a professional traveler, I always blush at the fact that packing has always been a pain.
No matter the length of the trip, be it a three-week Europe trip or a weekend beach getaway, every last inch of suitcase real estate counts, and you don’t want to wrinkle your sweaters or break a precious bottle. Get it right and your travel will be a joy of lightened luggage containing just the right outfits. Get it wrong and it’ll be a misery of excess baggage charges and strained back muscles.
Lucky for you, I have a list of smart travel tips on packing to make the dreaded process a breeze. I hope the following best packing tips will help you to pack faster and more efficiently.
How to organize your packing
Make a packing list
Following a list is the best way to avoid packing glitches and heartbreak, just imagine forgetting your favorite beachwear or your baby’s favorite toy. It is best to have a basic list always at hand, one that only needs a few alterations according to your destination. I recommend creating a general list on Google Sheets and update its tabs based on destination and season. Its a first step to do from this travel tips on packing.
Learn about the destination and weather
This basic is often skipped from the travel tips on packing. Learning about the destination and checking the weather will help you pack the right stuff. Packing according to the destination and its weather will also help you save money, the money you might be spending on buying items at your destination.
Pack only what is needed
Plan your outfits ahead of time so that you're bringing exactly what you need and nothing extra. Less is more when it comes to packing. Make sure your pieces complement each other and can be put together in a number of different ways to maximize the number of outfits you can make. Below are few more travel tips on packing which would help you understand how to organize your clothes in a suitcase.
How to pack clothes
Choose travel-friendly fabrics
Choose fabrics that breathe well, dry quickly, wick moisture away, and have a wrinkle-free tendency. Find a few key items you can wear anywhere and during any time of day. Pack light; choose a few lightweight clothing pieces that work for every kind of adventure. This is one of the best among the rest of the travel tips on packing.
Roll clothes
It has been scientifically proven that rolling clothes saves more space than folding them and it is one of my must-follow travel tips on packing. It also cuts down on cloth wrinkles. In rolling versus folding luggage, I fall in the rolling category. It is as simple as rolling clothes instead of folding them and it makes it easier to identify within a suitcase.
Use packing cubes
Categorize your bag with the packing cubes. You can group shirts together, bottoms together, lounge wear together and beachwear together. It will help you know exactly where everything you brought is as soon as you unpack your suitcase. In addition to this, you can very easily move your packing cubes into the drawers of your hotel dresser and instantly be done unpacking and ready to go. It a pro travel tips on packing.
Place heavy items at the base
Make sure to place the heaviest items such as shoes or toiletry bags at the base of the suitcase, by the wheels. This will stop the suitcase from toppling over. Pack the heavy and bulky things first, and then fill in the gaps with smaller and lighter-weight items.
Avoid over or under-packing
Over-packing or under-packing can be serious trouble for your holidays. In case of over-packing, you will have to lug your heavyweight baggage around, and likely, you won’t use even half of it. Take a day or two in advance to pack, set aside an hour to think about personal items, you’re going to take, and make a list of what you’ll really need.
Keep some essentials in your bag at all times
Regardless of whether you’re packing a backpack or wheeled bag, it’s what's inside that count. While packing your stuff, focus on taking things like a travel wallet, toiletry pouch, headphones, snacks, and a travel pillow will help you have a seamless travel experience. Don’t forget to take your hairbrush, toothbrush, and personal and feminine hygiene items.
Fill dead space
Make sure to use every inch of space available in your suitcase. Smaller items such as toiletries in zip lock bags, napkins, and inexpensive jewelry can be stored in the small gaps. Place small things like underwear inside your shoes to make use of the dead space.
Be Selective About Footwear
You only need three pairs- runners, flats (or sandals), and heels. Karen Chen, Editorial Producer from travel and leisure suggests to pack light and take items that you can wear in more ways than one. Footwear takes up so much precious space, make sure they're putting in the work to deserve a spot in that carry-on. Ditch the heels you might wear for one fancy night out and instead opt for dressy sandals, and a pair of all-purpose sneakers that are comfortable enough to wear while sightseeing as well. Keep dirty shoes from mucking things up. You can place them in shoe bags or shower caps, which are available at most hotels. Read more on travel tips on packing for gadgets below.
How to pack gadgets
Ziplock bags
Get yourself a stash of zip lock bags to organize your packing. Use them to store electrical items such as charger, camera charger, adaptors, headphones, and also things for the journey home such as house keys, parking tickets, and car keys, medication, and other loose accessories.
Tie up the wires
Raise your hand if you’ve ever dug around in your purse or backpack on a plane to retrieve your headphones like me, only to pull out a jumbled snarl containing a pen, a comb, and old gum wrappers. Keeping your cords organized makes your space look tidy. Find out more on travel tips on packing your makeup and toiletries below.
How to pack make-up & Toiletries
Cotton wool
Place a flat cotton wool pad in between the pressed powder and the lid in order to prevent your pressed powder or eye shadow from cracking during your travels.
Organize your liquids bags
Organize your liquid items such as your bath gel, face wash or shampoo, etc. in separate bags. These liquid items may spoil your suitcase. You can get small sachets of essentials from the hotel, or you can buy such sachets of essentials to avoid such mishaps.
Keeping your important documents and money safe is a must when to travel to a new city make sure you know few travel tips on packing and keeping things safe.
How to keep valuables safe
Empty bottles and tubes
It’s better to be inconspicuous in order to avoid the worst-case scenario of being robbed. If you’re worried about valuable stuff in your hotel room such as flat cash or expensive jewelry, hide it in empty cream containers or empty lip balm containers to hide rolled up notes.
Have a Ready-to-go Health Kit
The worst time to go looking for a pharmacy is after you already need one, especially when you’re traveling in an unfamiliar place. I suggest always packing a small medical kit to aid sudden fever, scrapes, cuts, bug bites, and food poisoning during your travel. Always keep a toiletry bag ready to go stocked with Band-aids, pain relievers, cold medicine, medicine for stomach trouble, itch relief ointment, antibiotics, and earplugs for long-haul flights and trains. Avoid extra baggage fees by learning these below travel tips on packing.
How to avoid extra baggage fees
Weigh your luggage
Use luggage scales to weigh your bags on both legs of the journey to see how close you are to reaching the weight limit. If you’re close to the limit, wear some of the heavier items or cut down on what you pack in the first place.
Buy a lightweight suitcase
It’s better to be inconspicuous and go for a lightweight option instead of taking the expensive designer suitcase. It might attract thieves at the airport and on your trip. Using a hard-shell suitcase will add up to 4 kilos of weight, so that is not advisable for your foreign travel.
Know your limits
Make sure you’re aware of the baggage allowance before you reach the airport to avoid costly charges at the gate. The baggage limits vary from airline to airline. Some, but not all carriers will allow you to check in two bags, and the weight allowance can vary. So, it is advisable to pack light.
Here's how the below travel tips on packing can help you from losing your luggage.
How not to lose your luggage
Spruce up your suitcase
Give a little makeover to your suitcase in order to help spot it in the crowd. You can use ribbons, stickers, and label it with luggage tags to make it instantly recognizable. This will help you to avoid the airport baggage carousel crisis where you’re searching for your luggage amidst its identical neighbors.
What are the Packing Techniques?
Packing bag is the most complex task of traveling according to me. Here’re a few travel tips on packing techniques that are quick, easy, and saves space for my other personal items.
- Rolling method: The rolling method helps you save more space than folding clothes. It keeps wrinkles to a minimum.
- Military-Style: Rolling your clothes military-style makes them space efficient and wrinkle-free.
- Clown-Car Style: Pack a suitcase with the clown-car method. It is efficient and fits a ton of stuff into a small suitcase. It maximizes the space in the suitcase.
- Filing Method: In this method, the suitcase is thought of like a filing cabinet with the clothes being the files that are being stacked up
- Compress: While packing bulky clothes, compression bags are handy as they free up a lot of room for other items.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How do I make travel packing easier?
Always start with a packing list to make your travel packing easier.
How do you pack a travel bag?
Start with the heaviest items first
How long before a trip should you start packing?
- 2 Weeks Prior to Departure
How do you save space while packing luggage?
Rolling your clothes will help you save space while packing luggage.
Is it better to roll or fold clothes in a suitcase?
It is better to roll clothes in a suitcase.
How do I maximize my luggage packing?
Put things inside your shoes to maximize your luggage packing.
What should you pack in a travel kit?
You should pack the following things in a travel kit,
- Electrolyte powder
- Mending kit
- Safety pins
- Few zip lock bags
- A multi screwdriver
- rubber bands
- Adapter/converter
- A small flashlight
- Cutlery
- Utility knife
- Laundry supplies
For your next journey, use these travel packing tips to pack a little bit lighter. I hope these travel tips on packing will help you make your travel easier and smoother. Happy Travels!
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