A well-packed suitcase is one of the key ingredients for a successful trip. Taking everything you need, staying within the weight limit, and doing so without wrinkling or spilling anything is no easy task. But there are several life hacks to make this process as easy as possible. We’ll tell you about them below.
- Buy a convenient suitcase. If your suitcase is many years old, it might be worth considering a replacement. Modern models often turn out to be more convenient, lighter, and more maneuverable.
- Don’t travel with half-empty hard shell suitcases. In this state, they are easily damaged during transportation and sorting at the airport. If you plan on shopping and want to leave space for future purchases, put something bulky but light in the suitcase. For example, an inflatable travel pillow.
- Don’t just throw everything into the suitcase. Make a list of items, lay them out in front of you, and this way you definitely won’t forget anything, and you might even notice that you’ve packed a skirt that goes with nothing else, or 2 identical tops.
- Think in advance about what you will wear with what. The ideal option for a suitcase is a capsule wardrobe, meaning a set of items that combine with each other. The number of items in the capsule depends on your lifestyle and the place you are heading to. It is recommended to assemble a capsule so that for one bottom there are at least 3–4 tops.
- Use sealed bags for cosmetics and hygiene products. No matter how well tubes and jars close, there is always a risk that the container can break, burst due to pressure changes, leak, and ruin the rest of your luggage. To avoid this, use zip-lock bags for all liquid and potentially messy items.
- Use travel-size formats of care and hygiene products or decant cosmetics into special containers.
- Put soft textiles, such as socks or rolled-up t-shirts, into shoes and bags. This will protect them from creases and save space in the suitcase.
- Use fabric pouches. On marketplaces, there are whole sets where each pouch is labeled by purpose: “Shoes”, “Underwear”, “Cosmetics”, etc. This will greatly facilitate finding the necessary items after arrival or during an inspection, if requested at the airport.
- Try the rolling method. The essence of this method is to roll each item into a small bundle and pack it tightly into the suitcase. This way, clothes practically won’t wrinkle, and you can fit a larger number of items.
- The vertical method. If you prefer the traditional way of stacking things in piles, fold items parallel to the bottom, and not to the back of the lying suitcase. This way, stacks of clothes wrinkle less during transport.
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