5 Ways To Pack Efficiently For Your Next Vacation
If you’re stressing out about how to pack for your next vacation, don’t worry– we got you covered! Here are five ways you can pack efficiently for your upcoming trip!
1. Know Whether Or Not You’ll Be Checking Your Bag
This is the first step to start when you’re going to pack efficiently for your trip! Knowing whether or not you’ll check in your bag before actually packing is necessary to determine what size your liquids will be. If you’re checking in your bag (not having to take it through TSA) liquids don’t have a size limit, but you should put them in a couple Ziploc bags for the chance that they might explode due to the changing air pressure.
That happens quite a lot during long-distance flights, so be extra cautious! You don’t want the possibility of your shampoo staining over all your clothes or leaving any unwanted stench either.
However, it’s a different story when having a carry-on bag (going through TSA and taking it with you on the plane). For this, you’ll have to make sure you have a quart-sized bag and liquids 3.4 fluid ounces (100 mL) or less. It really helps to have a TSA approved clear bag like this one to guarantee durability and easy opening when you need to grab something out.
If you have bottles bigger than 3.4 fluid ounces, buy leak-proof travel-sized containers from Amazon ahead of time so your liquids are TSA compliant. Also, most airlines allow one carry-on bag and one personal bag, so it would be best to put your liquids into your personal bag for even easier access and to save space in your carry-on for all of your clothes.
2. Plan Out Your Outfits Ahead Of Time…
This might be difficult at the moment, but it would save you a lot of time and trouble on your trip. Make a list containing each day you’ll be on your trip and try to think of outfits that could best match your itinerary. If you don’t have an itinerary planned, think of outfits that would feel comfortable wearing to be ready for whatever spontaneous activities or adventures you might decide to do.
You can base your outfits based on the vibe of your destination. For example, if it’s more of a warm-weather island/beach type of vacation, sandals and dresses are probably the way to go. If you’re having trouble coming up with outfits, you can always look up YouTube travel or fashion vlogs for some inspiration!
3. …Or Bring Pieces You Can Mix and Match Together To Create Many Outfits
If you’re unsure about what to wear on certain ambiguous days of the trip, bring pieces that match well together! Most of the time these kinds of pieces consist of neutral tones (black, white, brown) and are usually basic wear (jeans, trousers, t-shirts, etc.) that can be interchangeable with each other. If you’re trying to save space in your luggage, having interchangeable pieces can be very helpful so you can re-wear some items for multiple days.
Your accessories can also be versatile too! Stick to minimalistic, simple kinds of jewelry instead of statement pieces. For hats, shoes, and purses/backpacks, keep them in neutral colors as well so they can pair with any kind of outfit you’ll wear!
4. Roll Up All Your Clothes
Rolling clothes is a great trick to use when you pack in order to save a lot of space in your luggage. Rolling them up as tight as possible creates tons of space for more clothes and accessories. You’ll be surprised how much space you’ll have left just by simply rolling up your clothes!
For thicker items such as jackets, it may be best to just leave them folded so you can compress them later on. Also, make sure your thicker items stay at the bottom of your luggage so it creates more of padding for any fragile or delicate items you may need to bring.
5. Use Packing Cubes
In order to save even more space and get organized, try using packing cubes for your luggage! There are many options of packing cube sets you can choose from on Amazon, and a lot of them even come with dirty laundry bags like this one!
Staying organized with packing cubes while going on a trip is not only convenient but also time-efficient so that you’re not spending precious relaxation time digging through unorganized luggage for a certain blouse. With packing cubes, you can organize things either by outfit or type of clothing item, as well as keeping your shoes separate so the rest of your clothes don’t get dirty.
