Packing Tips for Travel

Packing is arguably one of the most stressful aspects of traveling, especially for international travel. Most airlines have suitcase size and weight restrictions so it’s important to maximize as much space as possible when packing for trips no matter how long. Along with the obvious packing to keep all toiletries in a separate bag in your suitcase, here are some other not-so-obvious packing tricks in order to relieve some of that travel stress

1. Roll, don’t fold. – It’s 2019 people. If you’re still folding your clothes to fit them into a suitcase, please leave that trend in 2018. Rolling saves space, helps with wrinkles, and can even make it easier to find things in a cramped suitcase when you’re in a hurry. For more folding tips: please see the video here: https://bit.ly/2G9jdg7
2. Keep necessities in the front – If you’re bringing a carry-on or only have a carry-on, be sure you keep all your necessary flight items in an easily available location. This means headphones, chargers, medicine, chapstick, snacks, and jackets need to be in the front pockets of your suitcase, on your person, or in a purse/backpack.
3. Consider investing in color coded packing cubes – Packing cubes are a great investment for those of us who are especially poor at maximizing space. These cubes will essentially do it for you and keep your wardrobe quite organized as you can dedicate each color to a different type of apparel. For example: red for shirts, blue for pants, etc.
4. Pack realistically – Specifically all the ladies who are over-packers, please consider what clothing will act as most functional on this trip. Don’t pack multiple pairs of the same type of shoe. Try to limit yourself as much as possible because the pounds on the suitcase scale add up very quickly. Packing by outfit each day is a good method to avoid over-packing and try to be as versatile as possible by mixing and matching apparel.
5. Bring extra bags – Whether it’s to use for dirty clothes or to keep jewelry and beauty separate from clothing, extra bags will always come in handy. Also, they take up virtually no room or weight in the suitcase.
6. Remove at least 5 items after packing – Most of us tend to over pack. It’s simply a fact. So when you think you’re finally done packing, go through your entire suitcase and checklist again and ask, “Am I for sure going to use this?” This question will help you remove the unnecessary items (at least 5).
7. Put your socks in your shoes – This may be another “obvious” packing tip but for those who don’t know, stuffing your socks in your shoes is a great way to save space. A hack like this will also keep you from over packing socks in general.