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If you have not traveled by airplane much before, it can be a little overwhelming to figure out what you need to pack. You might find it difficult to imagine how you can go from having a house full of stuff to only a suitcase of your belongings during your time away. This article will help you understand key things to take with you and provide practical air travel packing tips to make your experience great.
Important considerations
First off, before you even start packing, consider the following:
- How long are you leaving, and will you have access to a laundry service?
- What is the weather like at your destination? Any significant fluctuations between morning and night?
- What types of activities will you be doing? Mountain hiking? Mostly city walking? Laying on the beach? Attending fancy shows?
- Are you taking a carry-on only or planning to check a bag?
First, consider these key questions. They will help you determine what you need. If you have only traveled by car in the past, you are likely not used to restrict what you bring. Your motto might have been, “when in doubt, just bring it”! Well, that doesn’t work with air travel. Focus on packing light.
After you’ve answered these questions, start making your packing list. Organize your list so that it is easier once you get to packing. Common categories are clothing, toiletries, electronics, travel documents, and last-minute items.
As a general rule, you should never pack more than seven days of clothing. If your trip is longer, you should plan to wash clothes and wear them again. Many hotels have laundry services. If you stay in an apartment rental, you might have a washer. You could even hand wash clothes.
Remember that because you are limited in what you can bring with you, it is critical to find versatile clothes and shoes. Be selective! Let’s now look at the best packing tips for travel.
Packing tips – WHAT to bring
- Pack 1 outfit per day. The only exception would be if your evening event is highly different than the daytime event. For example, if you plan to go deep-sea finish during the day and eat at a fancy restaurant for dinner, you will need 2 outfits.
- Plan evening or “nicer” outfits that you will wear multiple times during the vacation. You can usually get multiple uses out of them because you don’t wear them as long each time.
- Plan your clothes by color palette. Bring mostly neutral colors and choose 1 color to be your accent during the trip. This will be helpful for a longer trip as you can mix and match and won’t feel as if you are wearing the same outfit.
- Pack travel-friendly fabrics when possible. Think about a fabric that doesn’t wrinkle easily and dry fast if you have to wash it and won’t have access to a clothes dryer.
- Pack extra underwear. This is the only thing you should pack extra. You can wear a pair of shorts again even if you didn’t get to a laundry mat, but nobody wants to wear dirty underwear twice.
- Limit the shoes to a maximum of 3 pairs. If you planned a pair of shoes for only 1 moment of your trip, you should rethink it.
- Bring extra plastic bags. You never know when you will need them. Whether it is to replace a broken pouch or bag you brought, or use to carry small electronics on a rainy day.
- Bring a laundry bag. You can buy a travel laundry bag or just bring a trash bag. Hotels will give you a small laundry bag, but if you are traveling as a family that will likely not be sufficient.
- Pack a small dish of laundry detergent. This will come in handy if you have to wash something in your hotel room.
- Bring a light rain jacket or plastic poncho. Vacations are short and you won’t want to waste a day because it’s raining.
- Bring sunscreen. You will likely spend a lot of time outside no matter the type of vacation you are taking. Items like sunscreen can be quite pricy in touristy spots.
- An empty, reusable water bottle will save you money during your trip. You can find some great collapsible ones online that take up hardly any space at all.
- Consider a fanny pack or money belt. Okay, they can be tacky but they are so useful. If you are traveling in a big city, you want to limit your chances of getting rubbed. Some fanny packs are extra thin and nobody can tell you are wearing them under your clothes. Here is a favorite of mine.
- Do not forget your chargers AND travel adapters if going to a different country.
- Consider bringing a power strip if traveling with a family. Newer hotels are better equipped from that perspective, but older hotels often don’t have enough available outlets for everyone to charge their electronics.
- Bring basic medicine and emergency kit items. In addition to the medicine you take daily, it is smart to pack a small pouch containing things such as Tylenol, Pepto Bismol, Neosporin, and band-aides. If traveling to a foreign country using a different language, this is even more important.
- Do not forget your travel documents. Make sure to pack your passport (or visa if required where you are going), And make sure you have a photo ID. It is a good idea to have the addresses where you will be going and reservations written down or printed out. You never know if you will have access to the internet when first reaching your destination.
Packing tips – HOW to pack
- Use organization pouches. These could be pouches that you purchase or simple Ziploc bags. They are extremely helpful to organize the items in your suitcase and carry-on. They ensure that everything has a place and is easy to find when needed.
- Use a document organizer for all your travel documents. Keep all the passports, tickets, print out of reservations, and addresses altogether. Here is a favorite.
- Label each pouch when you are packing. Once you are ready to return home, it will help you see what is missing.
- Label all suitcases and carry-on. Make sure your name, phone number, and email address are listed so that you can be reached if your bag is lost.
- If traveling with your family, mix the content of the suitcases. This is especially important on the way to your destination. If a bag gets lost, you don’t want one person with no clothing at all. Once you get to your destination, you can always reorganize if you want each family member to have their own suitcase.
- Have a dirty suitcase on the way back. Put all dirty laundry in the same bag. If you have clean clothing items, they won’t be smelly when you get home and you won’t have to rewash them.
- Speaking of smelly, always put shoes in plastic bags or shoe bags. Nobody wants to wear a shoe-smelling shirt!
- Pack toiletry in smaller containers. It might be tempting to just bring the full bottle of shampoo, but if you do this with all items, you will load up your suitcase with mostly toiletry items. You can buy small travel containers at most pharmacies, grocery stores, and online. Here is a good option.
- Make sure all liquid is stored in your checked luggage or that you are not over the quantity limit if packing liquid items in your carry-on bag. Additionally, always put things that could spill into a leak-proof pouch or bag.
- Roll your clothes. You surely heard this one before. Rolling clothes give you more space in the suitcase and keep the clothes from getting too wrinkly.
- Wear bigger clothing during travel days to make space in your luggage.
- Put heavy items at the bottom of the suitcase to ensure it doesn’t crush everything else. Also, make sure your suitcase is full enough. It will ensure everything doesn’t shift around during the flight. However, it should not be so packed that it is difficult to close. That would only cause your clothes to be extra wrinkled.
- Weigh your suitcase before arriving at the airport. Most airlines have a weight limit per bag. You do not want to be that person reorganizing their suitcase while trying to check in for their flight. I’ve been there, this isn’t fun.
Packing tips – What goes in the carry-on
As a new air traveler, here are several packing tips that are important to follow for the plane ride.
If you plan to only bring a carry-on, it is a good idea to have a smaller personal item with you where you can have all of the in-flight essentials easily accessible. Alternatively, if you are going to check your luggage and bring a carry-on with you, here are the key things that should be in there.
- Travel documents
- Money currency if you are going international because the use of credit cards in some countries is not as widespread.
- Phone, tablet, and computer
- Chargers
- Headphones
- Empty water bottle (that you can fill once you are through security)
- Sanitizing wipes
- Snacks
- Lip balm (it gets really dry during the flight)
- Chewing gum to help with pressure and ear popping
- Daily medicine you could not go without (in case your luggage doesn’t arrive on time)
- Prescription glasses and contact lenses
- A compact change of clothes (in case your luggage doesn’t arrive on time)
- Deodorant, toothbrush, small toothpaste, and make-up that could get ruined if checked (make sure to follow airline regulations).
- Valuable or sentimental items should be with you (you should pack as few of those as possible).
- If the flight is overnight or long, you can pack a travel pillow or some comfort items such as warm socks. Make sure they are compact. Also, check with the airline as some of them offer blankets and pillows for overnight flights.
In conclusion..
Start by creating your lists. Layout everything you plan to bring and ask yourself if you truly need each item before packing your suitcase.
Make sure all of your last-minute items to pack are listed separately. It will greatly reduce the chances of forgetting something important at home. Review this list multiple times before leaving your house for good.
I also recommend having a “last things to do” list. On this list, you can have things such as emptying the trash, turning off all lights, closing curtains, watering plants, etc.
The opportunity to travel is a gift. It can enrich your life and create memories for a lifetime. This article was all about the best packing tips to help you make your experience memorable.
Thank you for reading and please share your best packing hacks.
Safe travel!
Cat xx