10 Secret Tips that Seasoned Travelers Use To Guarantee Expert Packing
Almost all airlines are charging for checked and even carry on bags. These days, it costs a lot of money to check bags on a flight — even just one bag. Check two or more, and you can easily start racking up fees that are half the price of a plane ticket.
Plus, as many international travelers find, that huge suitcase on wheels that rolls effortlessly through airport hallways suddenly becomes a major hassle and backache on uneven, narrow sidewalks, in tiny taxi cabs, or in utterly charming 17th-century hotels with no working elevators.
New York Times writer Susan Heller famously said, “When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money.”
Even when we have great intentions, it’s easy to overload our suitcases. We wind up dragging a lot of stuff around. There’s more to keep track of; it winds up being a lot of physical and mental clutter. And, of course, we wind up paying a ton of extra fees for the additional weight and luggage.
So, rather than viewing efficient packing as a practice in minimalism, I like to think of it as a challenge that helps you make the most of every vacation: you have what you need, you’re freed up to not have to lug around a bunch of extra weight, and you can put that saved money towards a special souvenir, a nice dinner out, or another cool experience.
So what are the secrets that seasoned travelers use to guarantee expert packing? Here are the top 10:
Find a folding method that works and stick with it. Jeans and t-shirts respond well to rolling. Tutorials like this one on how to fold dress shirts abound on the Internet. There’s more than one way to banish the wrinkle!
Avoid over-packing. Cramming clothes together crushes the fibers and causes wrinkling. Clothes, like everything else in life, need a little breathing room.
Get more great travel tips at www.petersontravelpros.com
Plus, as many international travelers find, that huge suitcase on wheels that rolls effortlessly through airport hallways suddenly becomes a major hassle and backache on uneven, narrow sidewalks, in tiny taxi cabs, or in utterly charming 17th-century hotels with no working elevators.
New York Times writer Susan Heller famously said, “When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money.”
Even when we have great intentions, it’s easy to overload our suitcases. We wind up dragging a lot of stuff around. There’s more to keep track of; it winds up being a lot of physical and mental clutter. And, of course, we wind up paying a ton of extra fees for the additional weight and luggage.
So, rather than viewing efficient packing as a practice in minimalism, I like to think of it as a challenge that helps you make the most of every vacation: you have what you need, you’re freed up to not have to lug around a bunch of extra weight, and you can put that saved money towards a special souvenir, a nice dinner out, or another cool experience.
So what are the secrets that seasoned travelers use to guarantee expert packing? Here are the top 10:
- Remember the 80/20 Principle — that is, 20% of what you pack will be 80% of what you actually wear. If you’re like most people, you’ve already noticed this. You pack four pairs of shoes, but you really only wear one pair every day. You pack three sweaters and a shawl that you never use, because you wind up just wearing your favorite light jacket that goes with everything you own.
- Don’t pack for every possible situation. Pack for an average day. There’s no way you can cover every contingency. Look at the forecast, the average temps and weather for that time of year, and go with that. If there’s a freak week of rain in what’s normally a sunny season — unless you’re headed to an extremely remote area that sees few travelers, it’s very unlikely that you won’t be able to purchase a rain coat or an umbrella where you are. If there’s a cold snap, there’s probably also a store nearby with just the thing you need.
- It’s okay to wash. If you’re going to be gone for three weeks, pack enough clothes for one. If you’re a hardcore DIYer, almost every resort or town in the world has a Laundromat or laundry service. If you’re feeling like you want break from daily tasks and routines and you’re really looking forward to the luxury of having other people pamper you, have your clothes laundered and folded for you. It’s still often cheaper than luggage fees!
- For warmth, go with layers over bulk. Pick several thin layers with insulating, wicking fabrics — merino wool is a great one — over a big jacket. Heavier items like jackets and sweaters don’t offer the flexibility. They’re just hot, and when the sun comes out, then you have to cart around a huge coat. But a compact zip-up fleece can roll up easily into a bag or backpack in the afternoon and then come back out again for that sunset walk on the beach.
- Think: mix and match, simplified palette, and multi-function items. If three tops match three bottoms, you’ve got nine possible outfits. Bring pieces, not outfits. Always think “multi-use.” It’s tempting sometimes to just pack that one extra sweater because it’s so great. But are you going to wear that sweater more than once? Does it go with the pants you’ve packed, or the skirts? Does it work with the shoes you’re bringing? What inevitably happens is that you wind up packing other things to go with that one extra thing — and that’s how over-packing starts.
Make a list. Find tops, bottoms, and shoes that are versatile and that you can easily mix, match, and layer. Accessorize with light, easy-to-pack things: scarves, neckties, fabric belts. - If you’ve got to have something bulky and heavy -- wear it, don’t pack it. Hiking boots, down jacket, that awesome cable knit wool cardigan — these might very well have a great place on your trip, but they shouldn’t be in your suitcase. Wear them on the plane. You can easily pack several versatile layers for the space that one sweater would take up. The bulky jacket, the long sweater, men’s dress shoes, the knee-high boots, the shoes with chunky heels, the big purse, the hiking boots — these are great candidates for wearing rather than packing. They take up a lot of room in a suitcase, they’re unusually heavy, and they’re not worth the extra heft and money.
- Use technology to your advantage. You likely know that you can bring a library’s worth of books and magazines on an e-reader or iPad.
But a tablet can also house handy travel apps that can make your trip more efficient and can store vital information. For example, you can scan copies of your driver’s license, passport, or credit cards and securely email those images to yourself, for easy access in case they are lost or stolen. There are apps for reservation and flight information, train schedules, best gas prices in your area, best food where you’ll be staying — all right at your fingertips, which can save you the weight and hassle of hard-copy documents and folders. - Hit the thrift shop. If you’re heading to a cool city, get the skinny on the best thrift stores or local shops in the area, and find something that can serve as a boost to your traveling wardrobe and a unique souvenir of your visit. (The money you save on over-limit fees can go a long way to having a wonderful piece from your destination!) Donate something you brought with you and take home something new-to-you. Of course, depending on your budget, you might prefer a high-end boutique to a second-hand store — but the idea is still the same. Arrive light, leave light. And every time you put on your great find, you can remember the fun you had on your trip.
- Mail your stuff to and from your hotel. This might sound like a pretty kooky suggestion, but if you’re going to be staying in one place for a while — say, 10 days at a resort or something like that — consider what Caroline Costello from SmartTraveler.com points out: “It costs $39 to ship a 15-pound package from Boston to Los Angeles if you use an Express Mail Flat Rate Box from U.S.P.S. Comparatively, a third checked bag on a domestic flight can cost as much as $150.” If you plan ahead and just use simple ground shipping, you could save even more money. Pack a few essentials in your carry-on, and you can easily be set for a week
- Pack so clothes don't wrinkle.
Reduce friction. Clothes get wrinkled essentially because the fibers stick slightly to one another, and then when the clothes shift around — especially when combined with a warm or humid environment in the suitcase — the “sticky” fibrils (tiny pieces of fibers) crumple up against each other. If you can reduce friction, you can reduce wrinkling.
One way to do this is to choose fabrics that have stronger polymers. Polymers form the basic structures of fibers, which are what fabrics are made of. The polymers in 100% natural fibers like cotton, linen, and hemp break down at a much lower temperature, which makes them wrinkle much more easily. Fabric blends (like a cotton/Spandex blend, for example) and regenerated polymers like bamboo, Tencel, and Modal keep their shape at higher temps, helping them resist wrinkling.
Another way to reduce friction is to use plastic. If you have dress shirts or blouses that you want to keep looking pressed, wrap them in thin plastic dry cleaning bags as you pack them. This keeps the fibers from sticking to one another, allows some airflow, and will increase the chances that your garments will arrive looking great.
Find a folding method that works and stick with it. Jeans and t-shirts respond well to rolling. Tutorials like this one on how to fold dress shirts abound on the Internet. There’s more than one way to banish the wrinkle!
Avoid over-packing. Cramming clothes together crushes the fibers and causes wrinkling. Clothes, like everything else in life, need a little breathing room.
- Before you pack, you can check out a site like Clothes Forecast http://clothesforecast.com/, which allows you to check the forecast of your destination and can help you plan what to pack based on the temperature and conditions that might await you upon arrival.
Get more great travel tips at www.petersontravelpros.com
