20 easy packing tips to remember for your next trip

The easiest way to make sure you have everything is by making a list, checking off items as you pack them, and checking the list once more before leaving. Bring the list with you to ensure you’re taking all your items home with you, too. 

Try rolling them next time rather than folding your clothes, as it’ll save space. This is especially helpful when packing in a suitcase, and it’s a great trick for items that are either made of fabrics that don’t wrinkle much or ones where a few wrinkles won’t matter. 

Packing cubes are great for a variety of reasons. They allow you to organize similar items in the same area, and they save on space. You’ll find these especially useful for undergarments, bathing suits, and baby clothes. 

It can be tempting to grab certain articles of clothing you know you want to wear on a trip, but the most efficient way to pack is by deciding which outfits you want to wear ahead of time. This will help you avoid over- and under-packing, too. 

When you’re physically putting your clothes in your bag or suitcase, arrange them according to when you’ll wear them — the first outfit on top and the last on the bottom. When you arrive at your location, staying tidy and organized will be much easier. 

If you’re on an extended trip, it can sometimes be hard to keep track of what you’ve worn and what you haven’t, and dirty clothes can make a huge mess in your room. Save yourself that trouble by packing a few small laundry bags and putting your dirty clothes there after you’ve worn them. It’ll make post-trip laundry much easier. 

You never know what’s going to happen on a trip. If you get wet, spill on yourself, or do something else that renders your clothing wet or stained, pack some Ziploc bags to store those items away from your clean, dry clothes. Plastic bags work great for packing wet swimsuits, too. 

Clothing is bound to get wrinkled in transit, so pack along a travel-sized steamer to use when you arrive at your destination. A travel-sized iron will work, but not all hotel rooms have ironing boards anymore, and not all fabrics are compatible with an iron, so a steamer might be a safer bet. 

When putting items in your luggage, put the biggest items at the bottom and pack smaller items around them. Shoes, big packing cubes, heavy coats, and more are good items to start with. 

If you’d rather not bring a steamer but want to avoid wrinkles (even if you bring a steamer), pack fabrics that are immune to wrinkles. Polyester, denim, wool, and rayon are among the fabrics that don’t wrinkle easily. However, linens, satins, and pure cotton are more prone to wrinkles. 

If you’re traveling with a carry-on, keep your essentials there so they’re easily accessible. Your passport, ID, wallet, medicine, makeup, and phone should all be kept in your carry-on. A change of clothes in your carry-on is a good idea, just in case your luggage gets lost. 

Instead of trying to think of every toiletry item you need to take with you, pack those items as you’re getting ready so you know exactly what you need. Pack them in your toiletry bag instead of putting them back in your cabinets. 

To avoid over- or under-packing, lay out all your options before you put them in your luggage. Seeing your clothes all at once allows you to keep better track of what you have, what you still need, or what you can leave at home. 

If you’re going to a place where you know you’ll shop, leave a little extra space in your luggage so you can fit souvenirs. This will make zipping your luggage shut much easier, too. 

To make packing easier next time, don’t totally unpack from your current trip. Keep items that you only use when you’re traveling, like a neck pillow and certain headphones, in your suitcase, and leave extra toiletries, like floss picks and cotton tips, in your toiletry bag. 

When you’re flying, it’s often best to use hard luggage when checking a bag, but soft carry-ons are the way to go. They give you a little more wiggle room to stuff as much as possible inside, and they’re easier to stuff underneath the seat in front of you. 

Jewelry is notoriously difficult to travel with, and many jewelry travel cases don’t work well. Pack jewelry in sandwich bags so you can see what you have and your pieces aren’t knocking against each other. If you’re worried about a necklace chain knotting, drape the chain through a straw and hook the clasp so it lays flat and doesn’t wrap around itself. 

If you’re traveling somewhere with a heavy coat or a big hat, wear it instead of packing it. This will free up space in your luggage and prevent those items from getting squished. 

If you have some extra tissue paper lying around, use it to pack your clothes. Place a sheet in between each item to help combat wrinkles. 

Few travel anxieties are greater than waiting to see whether your suitcase is too heavy. Avoid that anxiety by investing in a suitcase scale. At-home scales don’t work well for suitcases, but suitcase scales are made special to weigh as you lift your luggage.