12 Top Packing Tips

Whether you're going home for the holidays or on your dream vacation, there is travel—and thus the ever-daunting task of packing.

Because every last inch of suitcase real estate counts, and you don't want to wrinkle your sweaters, break a precious bottle of Chanel No. 5, or worst case scenario: lose your bag at the airport, it's time to streamline/safeguard your approach.

 

• Make sure you provide yourself with plenty of time to pack for your trip. In other words, don’t leave your packing until the night before. The more time you have to pack, the less likely you’ll find yourself carting around unnecessary items and forgetting necessary ones.

• Digitise copies of your ID and travel documents. This enables you to ditch some paper and back up important information should anything happen to your documents. 

• Roll don’t fold clothes - It's faster and will maximize your space! Reserve the classic layer cake fold for more delicate or wrinkle-prone fabrics.

 

• Packing cubes - they really are a life changing travel accessory! You can buy these almost anywhere, and they’re great for keeping everything nicely organized. If you travel with lots of electronics, they’re also great for keeping all the different chargers in one place. Stick the cube in the front pocket of your bag for easy access.   
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• Cover your footwear with shower caps or shoe bags - you don't want dirty shoes touching your clothes, the smell can transfer as well.

•  Put loose wires in a sunglasses case - to avoid messy tangles with your various wires, roll them up tightly and throw them in a sunglasses case, which is easy to open/close and won't allow them to move around on the go. You can also do the same with jewelry.

•  Put breakables in socks - when it comes to breakables, like a glass perfume bottle, take extra precaution by slipping it into a sock. This will also prevent it from scratching or catching on anything.

•  Capitalise on empty space - every nook and cranny counts! So look for underutilized space, like the insides of shoes, for small essentials like headphones or change purses.

• Sarong / Wrap - a sarong is a unisex travel essential that has more uses than people consider.  A sarong has proven on every occasion to have it's uses, no matter where the travel is, nor what season it is. It can be used as a scarf, towel, blanket, privacy curtain or swimsuit cover-up, just to name a few.

• Earplugs - these are de rigueur no matter the destination. Look at it this way: It’s bound to be noisy at some point on your trip when you want quiet. And earplugs take up zero space.

• And to go with that - Noise-cancelling headphones. These are ideal for busy airports and flights of any length. 

• Carry on luggage - it's always recommended to carry any essential medications, along with a change or two of clothes in your carry-on. Nothing's worse than showing up in another country, finding your bag is lost, and then realising you're stuck wearing the clothes you'll be travelling in for the foreseeable future.