We hope you find these tips from guest blooger Renee Josephine as helpful as we did!
Packing for vacations can be quite the chore (think of all those outfits!). Often, we try to pack more than our luggage can hold, or we manage to forget one thing or another, like an important medication or a crucial accessory for a gadget.
With that in mind, here are some simple hacks that’ll make packing for your next trip a breeze.
Make a Packing List
Frequent travelers know that taking ten minutes to create a checklist is time well spent in order to avoid forgetting anything. I keep a list saved as a word doc in my iPad and iPhone and use it for every trip. This especially comes in handy for those early morning departures from home, when you’re bleary-eyed and it’s really easy to leave something important behind, like your laptop, a power cord, your passport, etc. (During one 5am departure, I left my phone at home. That is now on the packing list.)
Use packing cubes
These are tremendously helpful in both fitting everything into your bag and ensuring easy access. James Gonzales of Daydreaming in Paradise highly recommends packing cubes. Place all your socks in one cube, for example, your underwear in another, and your swimwear in another – thus reducing the stress of figuring out exactly where you placed smaller items. Just as important, you can better see how much space is left in your bag if you use these handy organizers, so you can determine if you can fit other things you want to bring.
Roll your clothes
Caroline Costello of USA Today recommends rolling your clothes rather than folding them. Travel experts agree that rolling is the most space-efficient ways of packing days’ worth of clothing, given that tightly rolled clothes take up less space as compared to folded ones. An added benefit: rolled clothes are less likely to get deep wrinkles.
Put Your Gadget Cords in a Bag
A gallon-size Ziploc bag is great for carrying power cords and (if you’re traveling internationally) converters for your devices. And if you own a travel-size power strip (especially handy on cruise ships, where electrical outlets are fewer), this should fit in there, as well. Alternatively, you can use a spare packing cube.
Bring a Carry-On Pouch for the Plane
Look for a small, lightweight pouch or bag that will fit your in-flight needs. Inside my carry-on, I keep a little Cole Hahn bag (the amenities bag from a business class flight) in which I store my iPad, sleep mask, toothbrush, power cord, etc. This way, when you board, you’re not rifling through your carry-on searching for half a dozen scattered items.
