Travel Tips for Packing Luggage

How can I bring all of my toiletries and still have room for my hair dryer? What if I buy too many souvenirs? How do I pack and carry my laptop or other electronics without them getting broken or stolen? These are all common questions travelers have on their mind when packing for a trip. Here are some travel tips for packing luggage that will help you become an efficient luggage packing pro!

Planning your trip

The first thing you need to do is check the weather forecast for your destination and plan out your outfits accordingly for the duration of your trip, including the day you return back home. An easy way to map this out is to make a list. If you plan out your outfits in advance you will be less likely to over pack. The following is a list of travel tips for packing luggage with clothes.

• Underwear and Socks - The general rule of thumb for these two is to pack enough of both for 1 week for every four days you are traveling for.

• T-Shirts and Jeans - Try to stick to a small amount of jeans because you can wear them more than once as long as you are not doing an outdoor activity that will get them dirty. As far as t-shirts go, only bring enough so that you have 1 per day. Bring colors that match, you will have more options and less clothing to lug around with you.

• Dress Clothes - Depending on how many days of your trip you will need to dress up for, try to pack suits, pants, jackets, skirts, etc. that you can wear more than once. Bringing articles of similar color will make it easier to mix and match your outfits. When you get to your hotel room be sure to unpack these outfits and pack a few plastic hangers just incase the place you are stay at does not provide them for you.

• Shoes - Bring a pair of tennis shoes if you are going to be walking around a lot and one pair of dress shoes if you can. Bringing fewer shoes will increase the amount of room in your suitcase.

• Accessories and Jewelry - Remember to pack light. Don't bring any accessory or jewelry that you will be devastated if it gets lost or broken. Get a small zip lock bag and only bring what will fit into it. If you like to wear hats, only bring two at most.

• Workout Clothes - Plan your work out times on your trip realistically. To do this look at your trip schedule. If you cannot see yourself having time to work out everyday, then only bring enough clothes for the days that you know for sure you will have time.

Some other great travel tips for packing luggage include:

• When you are finished packing, take your list and tape it on the inside of your suitcase if you are packing several suitcases. This will make things a lot easier when looking for an article of clothing and prevent you from having to rummage through your entire suitcase every time you go to get dressed.

• When packing try to keep everything organized and fold items that can be folded to avoid wrinkles.

• When you get to your hotel room, unpack your clothes and hang up articles that need to be hung. This will decrease the chance of your clothes becoming wrinkled from sitting in your suitcase for too long.

• If you do not have an iron, hang your clothes in a steamy bathroom to get the wrinkles out.

• Pack one complete outfit in a carry on bag incase your luggage gets lost.

Toiletries

Here are some general travel tips for packing luggage with toiletries, get a small toiletries bag and only bring what you can fit into it. What should you pack in the toiletries bag? Small travel sized items, bottles and dispensers of the following:

General Toiletries Checklist:

• Toothpaste

• Toothbrush

• Body Wash

• Shampoo and Conditioner

• Razor

• Hair Brush, Comb, Gel, Spray, etc.

If you have a small hair dryer, bring that instead of a big bulky one. A lot of hotels have a complimentary hair dryer in each room, but if you want to bring your own or have one just incase the hotel does not provide you with one; try to bring a small one.

Optional Extras

Some optional extra travel tips for packing luggage for all of you shoppers, packing a duffel bag or ultra light back pack in your check in bag will come in handy if you buy more than can fit in your check in luggage. Use this bag to hold your purchases if your shopping accidentally gets out of hand.

Tips for the Business Traveler

When traveling for business we bring our laptops, PDAs, external hard drives and other expensive, fragile equipment. Here are some travel tips for packing luggage for the business traveler to prevent your expensive items from getting lost, stolen or even broken.

• Never store your electronics or equipment in your check-in luggage.

• Keep your electronics and equipment with you at all times and do not store it in the overhead compartment.

• Be careful when placing your electronics and equipment on the conveyor belt to get x-rayed. Place it on last and try to keep it within sight when possible. If your items have a case with a lock on it, keep it locked when you are not using it and stored away in the case.

• Attach a name tag or business card to the laptop and case.

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