Whether you’re traveling internationally or just on a short weekend trip, packing is usually not the most fun of tasks. Suitcase space is almost as important as an airplane’s legroom, and you definitely want to make sure you’re using every inch that’s available to you. Being big travelers ourselves, we’re sharing our top ten packing tips that’ll make you a true packing professional!
Roll Your Clothes to Save Space
The number one most important tip for becoming a packing pro is to roll your clothing instead of folding it! This way of packing takes up much less space and can prevent some fabrics from wrinkling.
Pro tip: For more delicate fabrics or items you hope to keep unwrinkled, wrap them in a few layers of tissue paper.
Put a Piece of Plastic Wrap on Your Toiletry Bottles to Prevent Spills
One of the worst things you can discover when you get to your destination is a shampoo or moisturizer explosion in your bag. While we always think we’ve screwed the lids on super tight to avoid it, sometimes this travesty still occurs. A great way to help prevent this debacle from happening in your luggage is to cut a small piece of plastic wrap and place it under the lid of your screw top toiletries. It’s still not a 100% guarantee that there won’t be spills, but it’s just about as good as you can get!
Put the Heaviest Items at the Bottom
Especially when it comes to rolling luggage, you should pack your bag with weight in mind. As you’re carrying the luggage around the items on top will put pressure on those at the bottom, so you should avoid putting anything delicate or breakable down there. Instead, put your shoes or bulky layers in that location.
Personalize Your Luggage
Imagine grabbing your luggage off of the baggage claim only to get home to realize it is someone else’s similar-looking bag! A surefire way to ensure that this scenario doesn’t happen to you is by purchasing custom luggage or by personalizing your existing hard-sided set with contour stickers.
Cover Footwear in Bags or Shower Caps
No one wants their dirty shoes rubbing up against their clean clothes. Prevent this from happening by covering the bottom of your shoes with a plastic shower cap or by putting them into shoe bags.
Pro tip: Most hotels give away shower caps for free, so if you pick a few of them up on your trip, you’ll already be prepared for the next one!
Put Smaller Items Inside Your Shoes
Don’t let the space inside your shoes go to waste when you’re packing! Pack smaller items like socks or undergarments inside your shoes to use up that space efficiently and to make everything easy to find.
Use Packing Cubes to Keep Organized
Ordering a set of packing cubes might seem silly but once you have them, you won’t know how you ever traveled without them! Organizing your items into these cubes keeps like-minded things together and it ensures that you don’t have to dig through your entire bag just to find one thing.
Pro tip: As your trip carries on, dedicate one packing cube to be your dirty clothes container. When you arrive home, all you have to do is dump the entire cube into the laundry!
Use a Reusable Luggage Tag
Sure, the airlines will give you a paper tag if you want, but these can easily come off in your travels or with inclement weather. Instead, pick a luggage tag that coordinates with your luggage and use it every time you travel to make sure your bag never escapes you.
String Necklaces Through a Straw to Keep Them From Tangling
Not sure what to do with all the plastic straws you have lying around now that you’ve switched to metal ones? Your jewelry knows the answer! String your necklaces through the straw and connect the ends back up to keep them from getting tangled up during your travels.
Make Copies of Your Identification
Especially if you’re traveling internationally, losing your personal identification can be a disaster. While losing the actual item is still a big problem, it’s less of a problem when you have a photo of it at your disposal. Take a picture of your important documents before you leave home and should you lose the originals, you’ll have the photo readily available to make it much easier when you attempt to replace them.
Before you embark on any journey, you have to tackle the task of how to pack your suitcase. In turns out, not all luggage is packed equally! With our top ten packing tips, you’ll keep your items clean, wrinkle-free and ready for you to grab and go when you reach your destination. Do you have any other packing tips to share? Write them in the comments below!
Erika focuses on email marketing, copywriting and merchandising at Zazzle, but she has a secret obsession with all things wedding! During the week you can find her writing punny subject lines while also pinning the latest wedding trends, and outside of the 9-5, she is usually cheering on the San Jose Sharks, reading a good murder mystery, or hunting for the best Philly Cheesesteak in the Bay Area.
