Do you prefer to travel light or do you enjoy returning from your trip with a suitcase full of gifts? Be that as it may, here are some suggestions for your luggage has plenty of room.
Fitting everything you need for a long trip into a standard sized suitcase is a task that even the most experienced Tetris players can't accomplish satisfactorily – unless you follow our travel packing tips. Read carefully and your biggest problem will be to choose your next destination.
Travel checklist
Wait! Before opening the wardrobe and starting to fold clothes in an optimal way (we'll get to that later), the first step is to know the things you must take with you no matter what. These essential items will always fill the same space in your suitcase, so knowing them well will make much easier to be aware of how much room you have left.
Packing list
Well, this is something you don't actually have to carry in your suitcase, but it’ll make the packing process much friendlier – even if you do it in a hurry. If you prefer to go old school, paper and pen may be enough, although mobile apps are less likely to get lost. If you want to go pro, use a spreadsheet with a color code and different tabs for each trip. You can reuse them and refine them based on your experience.
Layerable and multipurpose clothing
Unless you're traveling to the Sahara desert or Antarctica, it's quite possible that the climate conditions at your destination doesn't match the forecast. But rather than packing a pair of shorts and two puffy jackets 'just in case', pack light layerable clothes. They take up less space and give more outfit options. In addition, garments such as a scarf or a windbreaker can be useful in the most unexpected situations. And always pack a bathing suit, you never know when you'll end up invited to a pool!
A bunch of extra bags
Tote bags and reusable plastic bags are light, can be folded multiple times and have endless possibilities. You can use them on dirty clothes, to keep your electronic gadgets safe and sound or to cover your shoes. They're also handy for carrying souvenirs. And if you forget to get a few, you can replace them with the laundry bags that many hotels offer for free.
Toiletries
Grooming is something quite personal, so the best piece of advice we can give you here is to forget about full-sized bottles. Most products already have their travel versions, and if they don't, there are reusable bottles that you can refill with your favorite liquids.
How to pack
Once you have everything ready – it’s quite useful to lay things out first – it’s time to fill your bag. To fit your items like a pro and save some space, try to apply these travel packing tips. Your luggage will look twice as big.
Roll your clothes
Forget your old habits and start rolling up your clothes. Seriously. Not only is it faster than folding, it also adapts better to any container and avoids wrinkles. A total game changer. Pro tip: roll up trousers starting at the waist. For the less daring, a good alternative is to start using he folding method of Japanese order guru Marie Kondo. It is not so fast but it is also compact.
Use packing cubes
Bags within bags? Sounds redundant, but it works. These lightweight cubes help keep clothes organized, can be filled to capacity and, best of all, make unpacking child's play, as you just need to put them in the drawer to access your clothes. It’s better to pack them close to the wheels, son when the suitcase is upright, they won’t squeeze other stuff.
Pack by outfit
If you don't consider yourself a fashionista, you probably only need one outfit per day. To avoid wasting your time looking through your luggage to find out which trousers match which shirt, select them beforehand and pack them together. This will make it much easier for you to get ready to go out and you'll know at all times what clothes you've put on and what's left.
Fill blank spaces
Even suitcases full to the top have free spaces that can be used. Do you know how many pairs of socks can be stored inside size 9 shoes? Lots of them. Even the small cracks between the different packing cubes can hold that extra underwear that you should always carry. Just don't forget that they are there when you open the suitcase.
Ready to go? The last of our travel packing tips: remember to weigh your suitcase before you travel, unless you want to pay an extra fee.
