Travel Packing Tips
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It might sound strange, but packing for my travels is one of my favorite parts of the travel experience. Really. It gets me excited about the trip and gives me something to look forward to. As a family, we travel a decent amount. We traveled more before we had our daughter and as a young, single person, I traveled even more. All that to say, I’m confident in my packing abilities! Whether or not you enjoy packing, there are a few simple tips that should at least make it a little easier and more efficient for you:
Start Early
One of the biggest stressors you can create for yourself when getting ready for a trip is to start packing too late. Unless, of course, you are my husband, in which case you start the night before (or day-of…), throw some stuff in a bag and call it done. I typically start at least mentally preparing and/or laying out pieces about a week before a trip. This gives me time to strategize and figure out whether or not I need to buy anything for the trip which in turn prevents stress buying the night before we’re set to leave.
Map Out Your Days
When possible, outline what you’re going to do each day of your trip because this will help guide what–and how much–clothing you need to pack. Even if your plans are as vague as walking around exploring a new city or going to the beach, try to get a sense of what your days on your vacation are going to look like. I’m admittedly type A so on our last trip to Europe I put together a spreadsheet that outlined what sights we were seeing each day and that helped immensely. Granted, it felt like the first summer since COVID that people were really packing up and traveling in big ways. You may remember hearing about all of the luggage fiascos, especially at airports in Europe. And I kept hearing how important it was to book sights in advance or risk long, long lines and/or not seeing the sight at all, so the fact that I booked all of our activities in advance made it easy to know what we were doing on what day.
Checked Bag vs. Carry-on
Determine whether you’re going to check a bag or carry-on. More often than not, I check my bag for longer trips and/or trips further from home (i.e., Europe); sometimes it’s a necessity. However, for most weekend or long weekend getaways, I opt to carry on. If we have connecting flights within the U.S. (which I try to avoid whenever possible), I also try to carry on my bag. I feel like the fewer people handling my bag to ensure it gets from point A to point B, the better.
Carry-on Essentials
When I check my luggage, I still always take a roomy carry-on bag and all of my essentials go in it. Things like car keys, chargers, important documents like my passport or tickets and medication. I also typically pack an extra top and undergarments in a gallon-size Ziplock bag just in case! I’ve experienced lost luggage before and fortunately, I was going home to my parents’ and could easily buy what I needed, but I’d hate to be stuck someplace where it wasn’t convenient to get what I needed quickly and in a pinch.
Wear and Repeat
Consider repurposing your clothing and shoes throughout your trip. This can be such a space-saver! If you stick with a few neutral bottoms or anchor pieces, like a dress, you can create new looks with different shirts and/or accessories. If necessary, launder some of your clothing while you’re on your trip. Last summer someone gave me the idea to have clothes laundered while on vacation. Novel concept… The suggestion wasn’t to have my clothes laundered at the hotel (because it’s expensive!) but rather to find a nearby laundry service which is pretty common in most major cities. I looked into doing this when we went to Rome and Florence last summer but ultimately couldn’t find a laundry service conveniently located at either of our hotels in those cities. Instead, I opted to pack a small bottle of laundry detergent and I washed out undergarments and some of my lightweight tank tops to re-wear throughout the trip. It worked out better than I anticipated and I’ll continue doing this on longer trips.
Be a Space Saver
Whether you utilize packing cubes or you’re a roller, pick your preferred way to save space in your luggage. I’ve never tried packing cubes mainly because I don’t want to have yet another thing to stow away with our luggage, and because rolling has always worked well for me. I lay out each piece of clothing that needs to go in my luggage on my bed and individually roll each piece as tightly as I can. That’s it! Shoes go in the bottom, on the sides or in outer zippered pockets (and the bulkiest pair are the ones I wear on the plane), and if possible, I stuff things (socks, undergarments, small jewelry pouches, etc.) in the shoes.
Track Your Bag
The Apple AirTag really had a moment last summer when airports weren’t prepared for the summer travel surge and there were lots of lost or delayed bags. Although we carried on our belongings on our trip to Europe that year, we checked a mostly empty bag so that we had space to bring back anything we bought while abroad, and we purchased an AirTag that traveled in that bag. If you’re traveling with anything of value in a checked bag and/or you have connecting flights, I highly recommend getting an AirTag and packing it somewhere safe in the bag. At a minimum, if your bag is delayed or lost, at least you’ll be able to track down where it is!
I’ve also compiled some of my favorite travel items that go hand-in-hand with some of these tips.
If you’re still feeling overwhelmed with what to take on your next trip, I’d love to style you for your travels! Reach out and let’s chat.