From choosing the right luggage to packing like a pro, here’s what every traveler should know!
Smart Planning
Getting ready for a vacation can be tricky. You need to arrange for someone to look after your home, collect your mail, care for your pets, and, of course, you must pack your bags. Many people worry about forgetting important items like medication, but making a packing checklist and ticking off each item as you go can help prevent this. The way you pack matters too, especially if you’re heading out on a long trip or bringing lots of essentials. Here are some tips to help you pack efficiently and confidently!
Do it Ahead of Time
Pack ahead of time to avoid last-minute stress. A packing list helps you organize, prevents forgotten items, and reduces overpacking. Click here for an organized packing list that you can print and use for your next great vacation.
Choosing the Right Size Luggage
Selecting suitable baggage is essential for ensuring a seamless travel experience. Your destination, trip duration, and planned activities should guide your choice. As you set off with your bags for a new adventure, you’ll appreciate luggage that allows hassle-free movement through airports, train stations, hotels, and beyond.
Recommendations Based on Length of Stay
A carry-on or small bag works for short trips, while a medium suitcase is best for a week away. Longer vacations need large luggage plus a carry-on. Minimalists often prefer a small bag or backpack. Naturally, individual requirements should be considered. For example, if you’re going to several work events, you might need to bring some extra items.
Top Tips for Vacation Travel
Vacationers often like to bring home gifts or reminders of their trip. Select a bag that accommodates your necessities and leaves room for souvenirs. Remember, airlines each have specific rules regarding the size and weight of carry-on and checked luggage. Make sure you’re familiar with those specific regulations. This information can be obtained by visiting your airline’s website. The Transportation Security Administration, known as TSA, also has rules about what you can bring through security, so be sure to check that out as well.
Under Packing
While traveling light has its perks, underpacking essentials can cause issues. For example, missing a jacket on a cold night or leaving behind your passport, adapter/charger, underwear, sunscreen, or medications can quickly turn a relaxing trip into a stressful one. Planning what you’re bringing and using a packing checklist, whereby you check off items as they are packed, can help you remember your essentials.
Overpacking
Overpacking makes luggage heavier, increases your risk of injury, strains zippers and wheels, and can lead to extra fees if you exceed weight limits. You can prevent these issues by following an effective packing strategy when preparing for a trip. Also, using the appropriate size and style of luggage is key. Check out our companion article entitled Saying Hello to New Luggage.
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Advanced Preparation
Ideally, you’ll want to:
- Find out if you have access to laundry facilities. This lets you pack fewer clothes and re-wear items.
- Know the weather at your destination. This enables you to pack appropriate clothing.
- Decide which activities you’ll do, like swimming or hiking, so you’ll know what to pack.
- Check what your hotel offers. For example, you may be able to leave your blow dryer and beach towels at home if they are provided.
Clothing Considerations
Put thought into your choices by:
- Opting for wrinkle-free, lightweight, and space-saving fabrics that can easily fit in luggage and be worn in layers as needed.
- Choosing versatile pieces, like a linen cover-up that doubles as a casual dress.
- Adding lightweight accessories for variety, such as handbags, scarves, and jewelry, but only selecting items that easily fit into your luggage.
- Using layers and neutral colors to maximize outfit combinations. For example, packing three tanks (white, black, tan, or navy), three pairs of pants, and three neutral jackets (white, black, tan, or navy) creates 27 potential outfits—known as the 3-3-3 travel packing method.
Other Popular Packing Methods
Ignore experts who say you must pack using a single method. Truth be told, there is no standard way to pack. Do what works for you. In addition to the 3-3-3 travel packing method, here are some other popular ways to pack:
- The 3-5-7 rule: Per Effortlesstyle.com, “This approach helps you create a versatile travel wardrobe using 3 bottoms, 5 tops, and 7 layering or accent pieces – perfect for mix-and-match ease without overpacking. Whether you’re heading out for a long weekend or a 10-day escape, this rule works beautifully for summer and even early fall travel.”
- The 5-4-3-2-1 rule: Islands.com explains, “The rule states that you need five tops, four bottoms, three dresses and pairs of shoes, two swimsuits and bags, and one set of each type of accessory like one hat and a trusty pair of shades. Underwear and socks are up to your discretion, of course, though one pair for each day of your trip is a solid idea. You can also swap out the items as needed, like trading your swimsuits for winter scarves or flats for boots.” They also share that no matter how you structure the rule, your packing anxiety will become a thing of the past. Southern Living shares, “Inspired by the capsule wardrobe, this technique focuses on minimalist ‘less is more’ principles.” This makes packing efficiently easy.
- The 1-2-3-4-5-6 rule: Just like the 5-4-3-2-1 rule, packing minimal clothes is key. General guidelines of this packing method are to pack 1 of each accessory (hat, bag, sunglasses, swimsuit, etc.), 2 shoes and dresses, 3 pairs of pants/bottoms/skirts, 4 shirts/tops, 5 pairs of socks, and 6 underwear. This combination of clothes will last you a week or two, but if you don’t mind wearing the same outfit and you can do laundry on your trip, you’ll be good for a month. Note that other variations of this packing method exist by swapping the number of tops and bottoms, for instance, so go with what works best for you.
These guidelines are designed to help you to effectively and efficiently pack what you’ll need and avoid bringing unnecessary items.
Packing for Summer vs. Winter
In general, preparing for travel during the summer season is more straightforward, especially when visiting tropical destinations. Travelers often select lightweight clothing that occupies minimal space in their luggage. In contrast, winter travel or journeys to cooler climates present greater challenges, as these typically necessitate bulkier apparel such as coats, insulated footwear, hats, gloves, and related items. For winter packing tips, click here.
Traveling with Kids and/or Pets
Kids and pets each require specialty items, from baby bottles and diapers to kibble and dog bowls, respectively. For info on traveling with children and/or pets, visit this link.
Packing for a Cruise
Cruising is an exciting way to explore multiple destinations within a given period. AMAC’s America’s Majestic Untamed Frontier Cruise is one example, providing a week-long trip from Juneau to Ketchikan along Alaska’s wild and scenic natural coast. Trips of this nature feature adventurous excursions plus formal and informal events. This necessitates a variety of apparel, which can make packing light a challenge. For outdoor activities, the key is to pack non-bulky clothes that can be layered to provide needed warmth and/or protection from wind and rain. Footwear can be tailored to activity and weather conditions. For instance, lightweight breathable sneakers can offer cushioned arch support for walks. For trails, good traction is a must.
More Wise Packing Tips
AMAC is sponsoring an exciting Alaskan cruise this summer, but travelers can put these tips to use anytime! Using a checklist, packing only essentials, and considering your itinerary and weather clearly make packing easier. But here’s something not to be overlooked – your technique. Here are some beneficial tips to pack everything you need!
- Keeping your favorite packing method in mind, lay out your clothes and accessories ahead of filling your suitcase. This enables you to see and edit your wardrobe and ultimately guides your luggage choice. Note that there are a lot of luggage options. Lightweight expandable luggage with 360-degree wheels, telescoping handles, and secure storage is optimal. Just be sure it meets your airline’s size and weight requirements and that you are packing according to airline regulations.
- Most people pack by grouping like items together. For instance, pants, tops, and belts are each categorized and placed inside the luggage together. This makes retrieving items easy. Some people take photos of outfits they plan to wear, so they know what looks go best together.
- Another popular way to pack is to group outfit sets together. Here, packers bundle a complete outfit to include a shirt, pants or skirt, undergarments, and socks or stockings, taking the guesswork out of what to wear each day. For extra organization, they put what they will wear first in the luggage last, and continue this so the first outfit is most accessible, followed by the second and third, etc.
- Packing cubes, small bags designed to contain items within a suitcase, are considered a game-changer when it comes to packing. Not only are they inexpensive, but they are excellent for grouping outfit sets by day (or traveler) or for organizing similar items together, such as pajamas or tank tops. In addition to organizing luggage, some can compress to save space and/or keep items wrinkle-free. You can also pop the cubes into hotel drawers for easy unpacking.
- Shoe bags or luggage with built-in shoe compartments can help protect footwear from damage and keep worn shoes from touching and dirtying clean apparel.
- Toiletry bags provide an excellent way to organize bathroom essentials. Waterproof designs are optimal for transporting liquids like mouthwash or shampoos and for preventing leaks from ruining other packed items. Plus, they make transporting and storing items in the bathroom a breeze.
- When introducing items to your suitcase, it’s advisable to pack the heaviest/bulkiest items first, then fit smaller and lighter items in the gaps. Also, place the heaviest items near the wheels. Travel experts tend to agree on this as it prevents luggage from tipping.
- Original medicine containers are designed to contain and keep your drugs safe. Plus, the packaging contains important information on dosages, expiration dates, etc. To save on luggage space, people frequently pack pills into a pill organizer with compartments for each day. When leaving the bottles at home, be sure to bring copies of your prescriptions, indicating what the medications are as well as the dosage. Always keep pill organizers out of the reach of children.
- Downsize electronic bulk. Limit electronics and opt for your iPad or minicomputer over a large one. Also, swap a heavy book for a lightweight Kindle, Nook, or other slim-sized electronic reader. These enable users to browse, buy, download, and read e-books, newspapers, magazines, audiobooks, and other digital media.
- If you’re tight on space or money, cut corners or get creative. For instance, use travel size toiletries, pack a space-saving comb rather than a bulky hairbrush, use your socks to cushion items, place bulky jewelry in empty towel rolls and fold each side closed, bring only one purse with changeable straps to go from daytime to nighttime, pack your belt round the open neck of your dress shirt, use clear resealable zipper bags to contain items in place of packing organizers, pack lightweight laundry detergent sheets instead of liquids, clip your hat to your luggage rather than pack it, stuff your shoes with socks or scarves, and wear your bulky coat or boots on the plane rather than pack it. Thinking outside the box can go a long way towards saving space and money!
Team Fold or Team Roll?
Choosing between folding clothes flat or rolling them is a matter of preference. Both methods help save space in your luggage: folding creates flat layers, while rolling involves compactly wrapping clothes up. Popular techniques include the military-style roll, clown-car style, or traditional folding—find more at buzzfeed.com. Whether you fold or roll, both are effective, so pick what works best for you. Enjoy these expert packing strategies for an easy and smooth trip.
Be sure to check out our travel companion articles, including What You Need to Know About Travel Insurance and Saying Hello to New Luggage.
Disclosure: This article is purely informational. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice or endorsement for products or services.
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