Are you looking for top tips on how to pack a suitcase to maximize space? These genius packing hacks will make you travel like a pro!
Everyone loves traveling, but very few appreciate the preparation that comes with it. However, packing for a trip does not have to be difficult at all.
Check out the following vacation packing tricks to save time, worry, and cash on overweight baggage fees!
Top Travel Packing Tips: How To Pack A Suitcase To Maximize Space
There are some simple and effective suitcase-packing hacks that will make your life easier before, during, and after your trip. This article is your ultimate shortcut to packing your suitcase the smart way!
Start With A Packing List
Packing your suitcase should always begin with making a list of things to pack. To make sure your list is suitable, factor in where you’re going and what you’ll be doing whilst you’re there.
No two lists will be the same. If you’re heading to New York and have a visit to the cruise pier nyc planned, your packing list should reflect your proximity to the water. This list would then look very different if you had a hotel booked in the middle of London.
Making a packing list in advance will prevent forgetting important items when you have a lot of other things on your mind the night before you travel.
Once your list is ready, go through all the items and be ruthless. Remove anything that, on second thought, seems even slightly unnecessary.
The list will then work as your checklist that will help you ensure you have not forgotten to pack anything.
Use Carry On-Friendly Luggage
Whenever possible, instead of bringing a large suitcase, travel as a minimalist by bringing only carry-on-size luggage.
There are numerous advantages to flying with a carry-on only.
Firstly, you won’t have to waste time checking your luggage at the airport. When you check in online, you may bypass the check-in desk and walk right to security when you arrive at the airport.
Secondly, you’ll avoid the hassle of standing in line at the baggage claim on your arrival. You also won’t have to worry about your luggage being misplaced along the journey. It saves both time and stress!
You are usually allowed to also bring a smaller personal bag on board as part of your carry-on luggage. For that, I would recommend getting an anti-theft bag with built-in safety features that prevent your belongings from getting stolen.
The suitcase packing tips featured in this post can be applied to both carry-on and checked luggage, so if you need to bring a larger suitcase, these hacks will still work.
Forget Chunky Neck Pillows
One of my absolute travel essentials is a neck pillow, as there is nothing worse than waking up with a stiff neck and a headache!
However, travel pillows tend to be bulky and take up a lot of space. This is why I use an inflatable neckrest instead.
Not only does it fold down to a tiny size and fit in the small pocket of my hand luggage, but I actually find it much more comfortable. This is because inflatable travel pillows are more adjustable, and you can change the amount of air to get more or less firmness.
It’s really a game-changer!
Suitcase Packing Tips: Roll It Up
Folding is no longer fashionable.
Did you know the military requires all members to roll their clothes when packing?
Rolling your garments before packing them in your bag helps you maximize your space by filling the bag from edge to edge. It also prevents your clothes from ugly creases and saves you the trouble of attempting to find an iron when you get to your destination.
Always Balance Your Bag
Nothing is more inconvenient than removing your hand from your suitcase for a split second only to have it tip over. It frustrates and disorganizes people, and it’s just plain annoying.
Avoid this by packing your luggage in a balanced manner – your heavier goods (such as shoes, liquids, bottles, or hefty mementos) at the bottom of your bag where the wheels are, and your lightest items on top – and your bag will behave itself when you turn your back.
Separate Your Essentials
Make your journey a breeze by organizing your in-trip necessities ahead of time.
I recommend purchasing a compact pouch that can hold anything you might need during a flight, such as your phone, tablet, wallet, tickets, itinerary, pen, gum, headphones, chargers, lip balm, important medication, and so on.
Keep this pouch nearby as you board the plane, drop it on your seat, and you’re set to go.
Travel Packing Tips: Use Your Shoes
Sneakers and dress shoes are inconvenient to travel with, but they are frequently required for trips.
Stuff socks or undergarments into your shoes to use the vacant space. This will save you some room and help your shoes keep their form in a crowded pack.
Pack Clothes As Outfits
Don’t bring pants unless you also bring the top you usually wear. You’ll never wear them, which will be a waste of space. Make certain that you have packed the entire outfit and that you have an event to attend.
For example, packing a smart dress for a backpacking trip in South America is probably not essential! Consider your trip in advance and plan accordingly.
Planning your outfits improves the chances you will only bring things you are likely to wear, which will help you look better during your trip.
Don’t Go Overboard On Medication
It’s very important to pack your prescription medication and non-prescription pills you take regularly. You should also bring some painkillers, such as paracetamol, in case you get a headache while traveling.
However, don’t try to pack too many other medications that you don’t use regularly “just in case” you need them, such as stomach irritation medicine, cold and flu medications, bandages, or infection/burn/anti-itch ointments.
In reality, you are unlikely to need any of them, and if you do, you can buy them at a local pharmacy.
This is, of course, provided you are not traveling to a desert or abandoned island with no pharmacies nearby!
Separate All Dirty Laundry
Keep your dirty laundry separate on your trip so it does not mingle with your clean garments.
Pack a compact, lightweight bag inside your suitcase for dirty laundry on your return trip. A lightweight canvas pouch or a reusable foldable bag can be used.
You may even check the hotel closet and use the laundry bag provided by the hotel to do your laundry on-site.
Invest In Bar Shampoos and Conditioners
If you are not happy to rely on shampoos and conditioners provided by your hotel and want to bring your own, but you are worried about how much liquid you can bring through security or potential spillage disaster, there is a simple solution.
There is a variety of luxury bar shampoo and conditioners available on the market that you could bring instead. They have the appearance and feel of soap and will easily pass through security.
Bring Your Own Adapters
If you’re traveling abroad, it might be that the electrical outlets at your destination will have an entirely different design.
Before you travel, make sure to purchase a universal adaptor. It’s going to be cheaper if you buy it in advance as opposed to purchasing it last minute at the airport.
Don’t Forget Your Mini Containers
You may want to use your preferred body lotion, and you must take your prescription meds and supplements.
However, this does not imply packing the entire bottle or pill container in your bag. Take only what you need in small travel containers.
Try Packing Cubes
Placing your belongings in zippered packing cubes is a pro tip used by the most organized travelers.
Packing cubes come in various sizes, making organizing your clothes and other belongings easy.
You’ll never have to rummage through another suitcase again. Plus, they fit right into hotel drawers, making unpacking at your destination a one-step process.
Packing cubes are also a game changer if you travel with children. For more tips on baby and toddler travel products, check out this article: Essential Baby And Toddler Travel Gear For An Effortless Vacation.
Wear Your Heaviest Clothing
Wear the shoes that take up the most room in your suitcase if you go with many pairs.
For example, wear sneakers and pack smaller sandals if you’re carrying shoes and flip-flops.
The same reasoning applies to your clothing. Wear your big jacket (especially if you’re flying!) and layer your clothes so you can strip down if you become too hot.
This will protect you from hauling heavy items around in your bag and will save you a lot of space.
Protect Your Valuables
Even if you don’t have anything breakable in your checked baggage, ask the check-in desk attendant for a ‘fragile’ sticker.
For one thing, this will (hopefully) guarantee that your bag is treated with care. Two, luggage labeled “fragile” is usually taken off the plane first, which means you won’t have to wait long at baggage claim.
A “fragile” bag tag, on the other hand, does not ensure that your bag will not be dropped or handled forcefully throughout the voyage.
Wrap breakable items like perfume/cologne bottles, cameras, or ceramic souvenirs (for example) in a scarf, sarong, or sock. Pack them in the center of your bag and surround them with extra cushioning, such as a sweater.
Fill Your Sunglasses Case
An empty sunglasses case is ideal for storing cords, headphones, and small charging gadgets.
It also keeps comparable items together, making them simpler to locate and less prone to getting lost or damaged in the bottom of a handbag or backpack.
Sarongs Are In
Sarongs may be worn by both men and women and are a must-have item for travelers and backpackers.
Sarongs can be used as a blanket during a chilly flight or bus trip, like a towel, as a beach cover-up, or as a shawl to cover the shoulders if you’re visiting a sacred site.
I promise you that on every journey, you’ll discover a purpose for it!
Save Space For Souvenirs
It’s reasonable that you want to maximize your luggage space.
However, you will most likely wish to purchase a plethora of fantastic keepsakes (maybe a bottle of that delicious wine or some local delicacy).
Your luggage is suddenly filled, and you can’t zip it up any longer. To avoid this, set aside some suitcase room for your vacation purchases from the minute you pack to go.
Check The Weather
You checked the weather forecast five days before your trip, and it was sunny all day every day, so you packed only T-shirts.
However, despite meteorologists’ best efforts, the weather may frequently surprise you, so double-check the prediction the night before you go.
Also, regardless of what it says, bring one light jacket just in case. You just never know!
Remember, The Hotel WILL TAKE Care Of You
Nowadays, you no longer have to pack basic essentials such as a hairdryer, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, towels, or cotton swabs, as they come as standard in the majority of hotel rooms.
Therefore, you need to only bring the specialist beauty products you cannot live without and the hair styling tools you use on a daily basis.
If you curl your hair with a curling wand, I would highly recommend trying the latest heatless curling product that has taken TikTok by storm.
Not only is it much lighter than a curling wand, and it takes considerably less space, but it doesn’t damage your hair, saves a lot of time, and is super easy to use. It’s very affordable too!
Shop here: heatless curling rod headband
Find Out If You Can Wash Clothes At Your Destination
It’s just ridiculous to pack one outfit for each day of your trip, especially if you’re traveling on a longer vacation. Sometimes, it’s easier to do a load of laundry.
Check to see whether your hotel has a laundry service or if your Airbnb host has a washer and dryer you can use.
If not, there are still laundromats in certain places, so do a quick Internet search before you go.
Now you know exactly how to pack a suitcase to maximize space.
You may also want to check out these travel beauty hacks that will help you look fabulous after a long flight.
Thanks for stopping by!
Magda
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