Learning how to pack is a skill that comes with experience!
Packing for a trip can be a serious nightmare if you aren’t prepared. It is so easy to forget basic essentials while also taking three dresses you’ll probably never get a chance to wear. Not to mention the stress and panic when you can’t fit everything you need in your bag, let alone within the weight limit!
The disaster continues when you reach your destination and can’t find a single thing and end up with a bomb site on your hands within 5 minutes of opening your bag.
This blog post will go over packing tips and systems acquired over years of travelling. These tips will ensure that you make the most out of your packing space, pack everything you need and find everything you need quickly.
Keep reading to learn 10 tips to pack like a pro!
1. Use Packing Cells & Follow A System
Packing cells are the number one game-changer when it comes to packing for your next trip like a pro! Packing cells are square or rectangle zip-up containers made of fabric. They come in a variety of sizes, shapes and colours.
Packing cells allow you to follow a system when packing, unpacking and repacking. You can organise your clothes & belongings into different categories and have one packing cell for each. For example tops, bottoms, underwear, jumpers & toiletries. This means it is incredibly easy to find what you are looking for and to pack and repack.
The shape of the cells and the fabric means that you can stuff way more items into a cell. You can then stack them in your bag or suitcase allowing you to fit many more items into your bag.
Drawstring fabric bags also work as packing cells organise your suitcase or backpack if you can’t access any packing cells.
These packing cells from Kathmandu are excellent! They’re light and high quality.
2. Take Less Than You Think You Need
This tip can be the hardest one to actually implement. You are constantly thinking of different situations where you might need this or that. There might even be a temptation to pack all these unnecessary travel accessories!
You need to learn to be ruthless with your packing, especially if you are travelling for a long time! Pull out everything you want to take and then remove half of it!
Only take clothes that you know you love and will wear. Comfort is king! If you pack clothes that you don’t really feel comfortable in or aren’t too sure about you won’t wear it, so put it back. Don’t take to many multiples of things (except for underwear!) and really think about what you actually need and what is just a luxury.
And don’t stress! Wherever you are going there will most likely be shops where you can buy anything that you forget or find that you need later on in your travels as the climate and landscape changes. If you are travelling to the East it is likely that these items will also be much cheaper!
3. Plan Your Outfits Before You Leave
Taking less than you think you need is made much easier by planning your outfits! Have a good think about you will wear each day of the week depending on climate and activities and take just what you need to meet those needs. It will be much less than you think! Plan each outfit around basics and mix and match tops and bottoms to create multiple outfits.
Carry washing powder with you and wash your clothes regularly so you can keep re-wearing them! Remember that you don’t have to wash tops and bottoms after one wear unless you’re in a very hot climate, so get the most wear out of them before you wash them.
4. Write A Packing List & Follow It
Once you have planned your outfits write a detailed list of every little thing you need to take with you from a sewing kit to your passport! You can start writing your list weeks before you travel and keep adding to it as things pop into your mind.
Follow this list as you are packing and keep checking back and ticking things off as you go.
You can use an app like Wunderlist to make packing lists and tick things off!
5. Pack Luggage Scales
Luggage scales are one of the handiest tools to take with you on your travels. This is especially if you are travelling for an extended period of time catching multiple flights and accumulating things as you go.
It allows you to fully prepare your suitcase or backpack the night before your next flight. You can ensure 100% that you are within the weight limit to prevent any stressors at the check-in counter. We all know how stressful it is having to throw out a bunch of stuff before you can get onto your flight!
Avoid that stress (airports are anxiety-inducing enough) and carry luggage scales with you! They are cheap, light and the battery will last for a very long time!
You can pick up these luggage scales for less than £10 on Amazon:
6. Use Bars of Soap & Shampoo Instead of Liquid
Using soap and shampoo bars instead of liquid soap and shampoo will save a lot of space in your toilet bag. Plus they will last much longer and are much friendlier for the environment by eliminating the use of plastic bottles.
The ingredients in shampoo bars are usually more natural than liquid soaps and shampoos so are better for you as well
Soap and shampoo bars also reduce the risk of leaking bottles to zero!
Check out these eco-friendly shampoo bars by Alphy & Becs:
7. Use A Clear Zip Up Toiletry Bag
Having a clear zip-up bag is so handy when it comes to packing toiletries. Usually, toilet bags are filled with a mixture of bottles, nail scissors, hairpins and many other random things.
Having a clear zip-up bag means you can easily find what you are looking for from the outside. No more having to pull everything out to find those tweezers right at the bottom! It also is much less likely to leak into your bag then a fabric toilet bag.
Here is a great three-piece set you can pick up from Amazon.
8. Invest In a High-Quality Universal Adaptor With Multiple USD Ports
This is a real lifesaver, especially when you are travelling all over the world!
You only need one plug for everything! You can charge multiple things at once like your phone, portable charger and your camera. This means you don’t need to struggle to find multiple powerpoints and you don’t need to spend so much time waiting for everything to charge!
It’s also super handy if you are travelling with friends because you can all share the same adaptor! You’ll also reduce your risk of being caught out with no battery.
Here is a great universal adaptor which you can pick up from Amazon.
9. Don’t Forget To Take A Lucky Travel Charm!
When you are embarking on an epic journey you should bring a travel charm along with you and keep it close. A Travel charm could be a personalised St Christoper pendant, a rucksack charm a specially engraved ring or a leather bracelet and so much more!
Travel charms bring luck for your epic world travels and good fortune. They are a chance to celebrate the journey and have something to hold the lifetime of memories close!
Off The Map Jewellery has a range of unique jewellery and charms for world travellers that are finished to perfection, personalised and designed to celebrate your landmark journey.
Click here to check out the full range of Off The Map travel jewellery to take with you on your next journey!
10. Protect Your Jewellery And Fragile Items
Jewellery is precious and you want to make sure your special pieces and fragile belongings that come along on the journey with you are well taken care of.
Here are some tips for keeping your jewellery and fragile possessions safe and protected:
- Keep earrings together with buttons
- Slip necklaces into straws
- Keep small trinkets in an old pill bottle
- Don’t mix necklaces with other jewellery to avoid tangling
- Use a hard sunglass case to store fragile items
- Put glass bottles like perfume inside a stock
- Keep your wires protected in a cloth bag
There you have it 10 tips on how to pack like a pro!
Take these packing tips with you and follow them the next time you are setting off on an adventure and you will have a stress free and enjoyable packing experience.
