Every time you’re about to leave, the problem is always the same: how do you pack your suitcase to make the most of your trip while ensuring comfort and convenience? Very often, it’s not a matter of space, but rather of organization. If you’re looking for tips on how to travel lighter, have enough space for souvenirs and gifts, and travel comfortably while avoiding unpleasant surprises, follow these helpful tips.
The first step to ensuring your trip is perfectly organized is to make the famous packing list. We suggest you start preparing it a few days before departure and avoid filling your suitcase with everyday items and clothing, thinking they’ll come in handy on vacation. A packing list is also a very useful tool for making sure you haven’t forgotten anything.
The space you’ll free up by removing excess accessories and clothing from your suitcase will come in handy when you return, so you won’t have to wonder where to stash your souvenirs.
If you don’t think you can handle this step on your own because you’re not confident in your decluttering skills, you can rely on the resources available online. There are so many of them, tailored to every type of trip and destination.
The time has finally come to pack your luggage with everything on your packing list. At this stage, our first piece of advice is to lay out all your items on the bed, neatly organized so you have a clear view of what you’re bringing and how much space everything takes up. This trick will help you get an idea at a glance of the outfits you can put together and the various combinations to show off once you arrive at your destination.
There are also several methods—some more effective than others—that allow you to save space in your suitcase: the most popular one suggests rolling up your clothes to reduce the overall volume of your luggage. On closer inspection, however, this can be sound advice if you’re looking for ways to pack for a weekend trip; it’s less practical for longer journeys.
In fact, setting off for a weekend to explore a city somewhere in the world is simpler: you don’t have to worry about temperatures or having multiple outfits to wear. The goal of these short trips is to immerse yourself in the culture and daily life of a place, visiting museums and monuments.
However, if you want to travel with more outfit options and don’t want to be disappointed as soon as you open your suitcase, avoid rolling your clothes. You run the risk of ending up with all your clothes wrinkled. That’s a real shame, especially when it comes to evening gowns, shirts, and ties that require perfect ironing before they can be worn.
So, in this case, you should fold your clothes carefully and arrange them in your suitcase in layers, starting from the bottom of the suitcase: heavier items, such as jeans, pants, or skirts, should be packed first. Then, gradually, arrange the other items based on their weight: for example, sweaters before shirts, all the way up to the lightest accessories, such as ties and scarves, which should form the top layer. For suits and your more formal outfits, we recommend packing a handy garment bag along with your luggage.
We’ve seen how to best organize the contents of your suitcase, but if your trip involves a flight, there are additional precautions to take. As for checked luggage:
Our tip: Pack a foldable backpack—it’ll come in handy once you arrive as an extra bag for getting around, and you can easily fold it back into your suitcase on the way home.
Keep in mind that certain items are prohibited in carry-on luggage, including liquids exceeding 100 ml. Airlines may also expand this list further; so be sure to pay attention to the guidelines provided when you book your flight, or, if you’d rather play it safe, check your luggage.
But what should you pack in your carry-on for a comfortable trip without any unpleasant surprises? Here are some essential items to bring with you in the cabin:
Be prepared for emergencies: make sure to pack one or two complete changes of clothes in your carry-on luggage, along with a toiletry bag containing your essentials. That way, even if your checked luggage gets lost during check-in, you’ll have everything you need for the first few days of your trip.
These are just a few helpful tips on how to pack your suitcase. Now all you have to do is try them out and enjoy your next trip!
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