Travel Packing Tips
When it comes to traveling, one thing remains the same whether you’re taking a quick weekend road trip or an extended international travel often, the most stressful part of preparing for a getaway is packing your bag.
After all, there’s a lot to think about, from weather to luggage weight limits. But you can now rest easy: We’ve compiled a list of travel packing tips for every type of journey. Read on to learn travel packing hacks and how to pack efficiently and take the stress out of your pre-travel planning.
Introduction to Efficient Packing
Packing efficiently has many benefits. You can save space, reduce or eliminate your baggage fees, and even minimize stress before and during travel.
But before you start folding your clothes and prepping your toiletries, don’t overlook an important initial detail: picking the right bag.
Selecting the Right Luggage
Start your selection by deciding what type of luggage works best for your trip, hard-side or soft-side luggage. There are lightweight versions for each type, but you’ll find a lot of differences in these bags.
Some things to consider:
- Your method of travel. Are you flying or driving? Will you need a soft bag to fit in a small space, or do you need hard luggage to protect your essentials?
- If you need more space. If you plan on doing any shopping during your trip, a soft-sided bag may allow you to stick additional items in your bag as you go.
After you’ve decided which style of bag will work best for your travel style, here are some other considerations to keep in mind:
Bag Weight
If you’re flying, make sure you check any weight restrictions for carry-on and checked bags. But even if you’re driving, consider the heaviness of your bag and how much you’ll need to maneuver it throughout your journey.
You may think that hard-sided luggage means a heavier bag, but there are plenty of lightweight options out there. And when in doubt, use a luggage scale to make sure you haven’t overpacked.
Luggage Size
When it comes to the size of your suitcase, whether it fits into the overhead compartment isn’t the only thing to consider. Before you buy the biggest bag you can carry, think about:
- Where will you store your bag when you aren’t traveling?
- Will it be easy to use in crowded areas like airports or city streets?
- Can you easily lift it for luggage racks on trams or buses?
- Does it easily fit into the trunk of a car?
- If you’re flying, does your airline have size restrictions?
If you’re worried you may need a little extra room but don’t want to opt for the largest luggage you can handle, you may want to get an expandable suitcase, which has a panel that can unzip to give you some breathing room.
Storage
Another important consideration when choosing your baggage is storage. Most luggage has some sort of internal pocketing, but if you need some extra organization, many also have additional storage areas to keep belongings separated or even come with removable laundry or shoe bags.
Essentials of a Travel Wardrobe
One of the best travel packing tips is to create a travel capsule wardrobe. This travel tip allows you to significantly cut down on clothes you bring on your trip without sacrificing outfit options.
If you’ve never heard of a capsule wardrobe, here are the basics: It’s a method of building out a wardrobe by creating a versatile collection of clothes that easily mix and match to make an array of outfits. The formula for packing using this minimalist style is to multiply how many tops you’re packing by the number of bottoms to get how many outfits you’ll be able to make. For instance, five tops and five bottoms give you the ability to make 25 outfits.
The easiest way to find mix-and-match pieces is by using a neutral color as a base. Whether it’s black, tan, or navy, use this color as the thread that ties all your outfit options together.
Once you’ve selected your capsule color, then you can pack pieces based on what you’ll be doing during your trip. Finally, add accessories and layering pieces to give yourself some variety.
Effective Packing Techniques
The debate over rolling versus folding clothes for space efficiency has been going on for years, and there’s no clear winner when it comes to packing. Some say that rolling is better because your clothes will fill out every nook and cranny of your suitcase. Others say folding takes up less space. Both camps claim that their way reduces wrinkling.
To find what works best for you and your luggage, do a trial run to see which method wins out.
Tip: Try a combination of rolling and folding your clothes to make the most of your space.
Try Packing Cubes
Whether you choose to roll or fold, using packing cubes can help keep you (and your clothes) better organized throughout your travels. There are a couple of ways to maximize packing cube usage:
- Categorize your cubes. Assign each cube its own category, like “socks and underwear” or “casual daytime clothes” to keep similar contents together.
- Sort by outfit. Give each of your outfits an individual cube to cut down on precious getaway-getting-ready time each day.
Banish Wrinkles
Packing clothes that wrinkle easily? Keep those items you want to protect in plastic dry cleaners bags. After your trip, fold up the bags and keep them in your suitcase to use the next time you travel.
Packing Toiletries and Electronics
Now that you’ve perfected the way you pack your clothes, it’s time to tackle the more delicate items: toiletries and electronics.
Traveling without using your phone, tablet, or camera will take away from your trip, so make sure you’re carefully packing your electronics in cushioned cases or wrapping them in several layers of clothes. And don’t forget backup chargers!
Travel-Size Your Toiletries
If you’re looking to save space in your luggage, traveling with your full-size shampoo and face wash isn’t going to work. Creating travel sized toiletries is easy, and you don’t even need to buy mini bottles to get it done.
Unless you’re traveling for an extended amount of time, you can repurpose containers from samples or even old hotel toiletry bottles to maximize your space-saving measures and minimize the size of your toiletry bag.
Essentials of Travel Sun Protection
If you’re making a summer packing list, and are wondering can you bring spray sunscreen on a plane? You can! And the one item that can’t be skipped is your SPF. Make sure you’re packing sunscreen with high SPF and broad-spectrum protection for both UVA and UVB rays, and don’t forget suncare for your face and body. Even though you’re trying to save packing space, you want to stay protected from head to toe.
If you’re packing your SPF in your carry-on, check that your sunscreen meets any travel regulations. Our travel sunscreen kits make the perfect carry-on travel mates.
Plus, bringing a smaller bottle of easy-to-use SPF like face mists allows you to reapply on the plane or as soon as you land!
Advanced Packing Tips for Specific Destinations
Whether you’re packing for the beach or the city, customizing your packing for your destination is a vital part of the process if you're a frequent traveler. Always check ahead for weather conditions to ensure you’re packing appropriately for your travels.
Tip: If you get cold on planes, wear your bulkiest layers on your travel days to save luggage space while staying comfortable.
Efficient Packing for Extended Trips
Being away from home (and your closet) for longer periods presents unique sets of challenges. If you’re packing for a longer trip, here are some travel advice and strategies you can try to decrease what you bring without having to re-wear dirty clothes:
Plan for Laundry
Long trips don’t have to mean packing every sock and pair of underwear you own. Instead, pack less and use a bar of soap or detergent sheets to clean your smaller items as you go.
Pack Merino Wool
Bringing merino wool socks can also cut down on your packing list. This material is resistant to body odor, meaning you can wear each pair more than once before washing.
Consolidate Your Accessories
If you really want to save space, consider using multi-purpose accessories during your stay. For example, opt for multi-port chargers to power all your devices, and Turkish towels or large shawls that can double as blankets or beach towels.
Utilizing Organizational Tools and Accessories
Once you’ve determined what you’ll bring on your getaway, it’s time to get organized. Try implementing compression sacks, tech organizers, and toiletry bags to keep your belongings organized in your luggage. This will help you save space and be able to find your items quickly and easily during your travels.
Last-Minute Packing Strategies
Last-minute packing can really add to pre-travel stress. Streamline the process by creating a reusable checklist to make sure you’ve packed all your essentials. If you’re a frequent traveler, you may even create more location-specific checklists for your trips: for example, one for city travel and one for beach destinations, or seasonal summer packing lists and lists for snowy locales.
Another strategy for last-minute packers is keeping a pre-packed toiletry bag handy. Stock your bag with mini sizes of your go-to products that you’ll need no matter where you’re headed—shampoo, face wash, skincare, and SPF (or moisturizer with sunscreen to save space)—then add trip-specific items as needed. You can also pack everything you’ll need for your flight in your travel bag, so you’re always ready to head to your airport gate.
Just remember, after you return home, there’s no unpacking these bags. Keeping them ready to go is the reason you put in the extra work!
Maintaining Your Packing System Post-Travel
Now that you have your travel gear ready for spontaneous trips, what do you do with the rest of your luggage when you return?
Keep It Clean
Before you store your main luggage after you’ve returned home, it’s a good idea to clean your bag first. Shake out any dust or debris that’s lingering on the interior and make sure you leave your bag open to dry if you’ve wiped it down. Lightly wipe the exterior of the bag, then you’re ready to put it away.
Best Places to Store Your Bags
You may think that your garage or attic is the best place to keep your luggage, but temperature fluctuations and humidity can harm your bags. It’s best to keep them in an environment that’s more temperature-controlled, like:
- An interior bedroom or linen closet
- Under your bed
- Under staircases
