Packing a suitcase like a pro
During my recent travels, I’ve been wondering why it’s so difficult to pack luggage. I have a packing list that I read through every time I pack for my next vacation, so why do I usually wind up sitting on my luggage to close the zipper?
Do you find it difficult to pack a suitcase for a trip?
I have excellent news for you: there are a variety of techniques to correctly pack a piece of luggage to avoid paying additional fees at the airport. I’ve been looking over the internet for the best method to pack a suitcase in an organized manner without overpacking for each trip I take.
I’ve created travel-specific organizers to store all of your clothes, devices, and toiletries in one place. I’ve also looked into several styles of luggage that make packing for short and long-distance travel easier.
If you keep reading, the piece will go over the various sorts of travel products available to help you stay organized and efficient.
15 Reliable Tips On Packing A Suitcase Like A Pro
Packing A Suitcase Like A Pro – Introduction
As someone who travels frequently, I’ve always had a love-hate connection with my suitcase. Why? Because I know what I should bring, yet I never stick to my packing plan in order to complete my mission. And I’m always on a mission to pack my suitcase like a pro.
When I realize I have to pack my suitcase, the constant buzz of enthusiasm about where I’m going dies. That’s why, in response to my difficulties, I decided to create a packing tips guide for myself to keep me on track when it came to packing.
Things have run more smoothly now that I’ve incorporated my list into my packing, and my relationship with my bag has much improved. This packing list is being shared with you in order to save you time, money, and frustration when it comes to packing.
Make Sure You Have The Right Luggage
Having the correct type of baggage is the first step in packing a suitcase like a pro. Whether you’re packing a suitcase for a week or a month, you want a suitcase that will keep your belongings safe and secure while you’re on the road without having to pay extra baggage fees.
Look for a suitcase that includes extra features such as a laundry bag and a shoe bag. If you plan to travel with only carry-on luggage, make sure that the luggage you choose complies with all airline size regulations.
In this manner, you may avoid the dreaded airport surcharges while remaining well-organized in your packing. The Samsonite Freeform Spinner is a piece of carry-on luggage that fulfills all current airline limitations while still keeping you organized and your belongings safe.
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Leave Your Toiletries At Home
Have you ever noticed how much liquid is taken away at airport security?
When I witness TSA officers removing enormous bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash from carry-on baggage and tossing them into large garbage cans, it boggles my mind. Why not relieve some of the burdens of packing by leaving your amenities at home and requesting them when you arrive at your hotel?
If you can’t travel without some liquid toiletry, get some transparent plastic TSA containers that you can squeeze enough liquids into to last a journey.
Utilize The Freebies At Your Hotel
When I was on my most recent trip to the Crowne Plaza at its San Jose Silicon Valley location. The hotel had a robot, called Dash, that delivered snacks, toiletries, and other hotel amenities right to your door.
That’s when I discovered that hotels provide more than just bedding.
If you’re concerned about the amount of room left in your suitcase and are unsure what to leave at home, call your hotel ahead of time to learn about the services accessible to visitors. This is a terrific packing luggage tip and strategy that I always use to properly pack a suitcase.
You won’t have to bring curling irons, blow dryers, devices chargers, or anything else because most hotels have them.
If you are looking for hotels with great amenities, I suggest the following hotel chains:
Find Clothing That Has Multiple Pockets
Some of us like to bring an extra day bag for our daily adventures while on vacation when packing a suitcase. Any form of travel necessitates the use of a backpack or tote bag. But what if you don’t want to bring a bag along on your everyday adventures?
The good news for individuals who only need to carry a passport, headphones, collapsible water bottle, sunglasses, and wallet on a daily basis. There are a variety of clothing alternatives available to assist you to conceal your valuables in a comfortable manner.
Take the SCOTTeVest Hoodie, for example, which includes multiple pockets lined throughout the jacket to keep all of your tiny items safe and secure. When I’m going to the airport for a lengthy flight, I like to wear my SCOTTeVest Hoodie.
This way, I can easily access my smartphone, boarding pass, and passport when going through security. It’s also an excellent sweatshirt for keeping warm on a lengthy flight. SCOTTeVest also contains hidden pockets to keep you safe from pickpockets who prey on tourists in touristy locations.
Related Article: 20+ Best Travel Products To Help You Stay Healthy While Traveling
Pack Snacks For The Plane Beforehand
Have you ever noticed how expensive food is once you’ve gone through TSA screening? I’m shocked that once you get past security, there isn’t a bank that will give you a loan so you can buy a bottle of water and a bag of chips.
Packing your food before leaving for the airport is one method to reduce some of the expenditures of travel. Going to Costco the day before your trip and getting snack-size food products can help you keep more money in your pocket, trust me on this.
Collapsible Water Bottle Foldable
Don’t be one of those travelers who, as I previously indicated, have their water bottle confiscated at security screening. With the high cost of purchasing products, bringing a water bottle in your carry-on is a smart way to save money once you’ve gone through airport security.
When I’m packing a suitcase, I like to have a collapsible water bottle and a water bottle with filtration. I like to bring a collapsible water bottle because it’s small enough to put into a pair of cargo shorts or a SCOTTeVest Hoodie, which I can take with me everywhere I go.
When visiting renowned tourist attractions such as Disneyland, the cost of water is exorbitant. If you bring a collapsible water bottle with you, you’ll always have access to free water.
Plus, after you’ve quenched your thirst, you won’t have to lug about an awkward bottle.
Leave The Umbrella At Home
A little umbrella is usually an inconvenient item to pack. I can’t understand how a large golf umbrella would fit into a suitcase.
When I was recently in Seattle, I stumbled across this helpful tip for packing a piece of luggage like an expert. Hotel umbrellas are available for guests to use as a packing tip.
So, in addition to all the other freebies available at your hotel, they also supply guests with complimentary umbrellas to keep them dry on rainy days.
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Pack A Flashlight
My next packing tip and trick is to bring a flashlight with you on any trip.
When I arrive late at a VRBO’s that isn’t well lighted, I constantly have trouble. To prevent using my smartphone as a light to type in a key code to get into my VRBO’s, I started carrying a little flashlight with me.
For those who like to stay in hostels, bringing a small flashlight is also a good idea. In this manner, you may use your treasured flashlight late at night to hunt for your bed without disturbing other travelers.
Packing Cubes For Better Organization
Packing cubes are a wonderful method to maximize space in a bag. Packing cubes are useful because they keep your clothes compressed and folded flat or neatly rolled.
Plus, you won’t have to dig through your luggage to find that one piece of clothing you’ll need for a fun night out once you’ve arrived at your lodgings. You can also easily remove your packing cubes from your suitcase and arrange them in the hotel drawers.
Related Article: Packing Organizers and How They Can Help You Pack Better For Your Trip
When In Doubt Buy When You Arrive
When correctly packing luggage, you will find yourself debating whether or not to include certain goods. Consider how much extra fees for checking your luggage can cost you just so you can bring that extra tube of toothpaste or an extra piece of clothing that you may or may not need.
When you buy personal items after you get to your ultimate destination, you risk packing problems like exploding toothpaste tubes in your checked bags.
Pack Multi-Use Tape
“When in doubt, duct tape it!” is a packing tips and tricks slogan I live by. Duct tape for packing is incredibly useful for a variety of reasons when travelling.
First, as you can see in the video above, certain luggage handlers do not look after your belongings. Your bag can be destroyed over time if it is tossed around like a shoe in a dryer.
Keeping a roll of duct tape in your baggage can come in handy if you need to make a quick repair to your suitcase.
Packing Sunscreen In A Suitcase
Consider bringing a sunscreen stick with you next time you pack luggage for a flight. This way, you won’t have to worry about fatty lotions or spray bottles failing to pass TSA screening or exploding prematurely in checked luggage if not packed properly.
Sun Bum Premium Sunscreen Face Stick, which is hypoallergenic and manufactured with reef-friendly, vegan ingredients to protect against UVA rays, is a good choice.
It also fights premature aging and hydrates the skin thanks to its Vitamin E content. It’s simple to use and, like deodorant, it’s simple to get past airport security.
Make Copies Of Important Documents
This is one of those packing suggestions I’d want to share with all travelers. Before your next trip, scan all of your documents and save them to a cloud storage service like iCloud or Google drive. In this manner, if you misplace any crucial documents, such as your passport or credit card details, you can quickly recover them.
Years ago, I was in a circumstance where I misplaced my passport in China. I was trapped in Beijing for longer than I planned to wait for a replacement passport to leave the country since I didn’t have photocopies of my passport.
I would have been less stressed throughout my vacation if I had brought copies of my identification with me.
Packing A Portable Charger
Always make sure you have enough power for all of your equipment while traveling either packing a suitcase or carry-on. There’s nothing quite like running out of battery juice on your smartphone.
Uploading movies to social media, photographing tourist landmarks, and looking up directions on Google Maps are all ways to quickly deplete a battery.
I recently had the misfortune of forgetting to charge my smartphone while flying from LAX to NYC. Because I exhausted my battery playing so much Angry Birds, I couldn’t call an uber when I arrived in NYC.
I had to waste crucial travel time waiting for my smartphone to charge at the airport. You may prevent scenarios like this by plugging in and charging while on the go if you have a fully charged portable battery charger in your carry-on.
Items Not Really Needed
If you have a laptop, it is tiny enough to travel, but if you are thinking of bringing that hefty camera or hairdryer, leave them at home.
In terms of cameras, if you have one of the most recent smartphones on the market today, you will be able to shoot some excellent photographs. When it comes to hairdryers, hotels provide them to all of their visitors.
Side note: If you’re going to a tropical place like Hawaii, local markets will have snorkel gear, sunscreen, children’s toys, and a straw hat.
Electronics Organizer
With everything getting smaller by the day, these goods can easily become misplaced in your suitcase and go missing until you return from your vacation. There are several terrific organizers out there that can help you keep these stuff together and pack smartly so they’re easy to find when you reach your final location.
I recommend getting a Universal Travel Case for Small Electronics and Accessories for flash drives, headphones, and chargers. If you don’t have a travel case, cram your belongings into a Ziploc bag and then stuff the bag inside a pair of shoes.
Purchase Travel Insurance
While this has nothing to do with packing a luggage, I always want to stress the need of purchasing travel insurance. Why? Because things happen that are beyond your control.
Another recent travel event that made me thankful for travel insurance was when I missed a flight connection due to an airline rescheduling and a huge delay.
My trip was delayed by five hours while I was in NYC owing to a connection issue with a late jet arrival. I was supposed to connect in Calgary, Alberta, on my way home to Victoria, British Columbia, but owing to snow, I missed my connecting flight by 30 minutes.
The airline was not accommodating at all, claiming that due to my late arrival, they did not want to inconvenience other customers on the connecting flight. As a result, the 25 people on my connecting aircraft who missed their connections had to book hotel rooms to catch the next scheduled flight the next day.
Unlike many of the other passengers on my journey, I was able to obtain paid for my hotel accommodations through my travel insurance. I’m not going to name the airline, but it’s made up of two words: one is a direction, and the other is a jet. And it’s not in the direction of North, South, or East.
Summary
If you’re planning a trip, I hope these helpful packing ideas will assist you on your next adventure.
Your next vacation will be less stressful if you follow these travel ideas for packing a suitcase utilizing packing cubes, leaving unneeded items at home, and other helpful advice.
If you have other suggestions that I may have missed, please feel free to comment below.
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