It’s important to put some thought into travel packing, what to carry on a trip, and how best to utilize packing space. If you travel a lot and often pack at the last minute, then this article is for you. Let us go over on some packing tips for traveling.
Let’s be real guys, too many of us are fond of packing at the last minute. If you’re one of them (and you probably are) it’s time to repent. Think about it, there are a lot of things that could go awry when you pack at the very last minute. First, you could find yourself running around the house grabbing items you don’t even need. Second, you could forget essential items like your passport–it happens!
When you start traveling often, you begin to realize that packing your luggage requires some pre-thought and even more serious preparation. If you hope to avoid all that hassle and frustration when on a trip, you’ll need to plan your packing meticulously. The following tips are not far-fetched; they’re quite simple. Still, they are very essential, and should you follow them strictly, you’ll see a whole lot of improvement in your packing game.
Want to pack for a trip like a classic man, here’s how:
1 – Pack Only Clean Clothes
In other words, doing some laundry before packing is one of the best ways to get yourself prepared for some packing. If you’re one of those men guilty of stuffing unclean clothes into their luggage, leave the fold (get it?). It’s not cool. What you should be doing is washing all your dirty clothes three days before travel time. This leaves you well-prepared for the packing and lays out all possible combinations of shirts, trousers, and underwear available to you.
2 – Pack Extra Necessities
By necessities, we mean the most essential items available to you. Too often, men see packing as a game of ‘who packs the fewest clothes?’ This sort of thinking is absurd and totally detrimental to the enjoyment of a vacation. You don’t want to be stuck in your hotel room realizing you didn’t bring enough underwear. Packing extra essentials saves you a lot of stress, and of course, unforeseeable circumstances like rainfall or a wine spill. To avoid that, pack some extra pairs of socks, an extra T-shirt (or undershirt), and most importantly, plenty of underwear.
3 – Give Preference to Flexible Clothing
More often than not, you can’t pack a variety of formal and casual clothes at the same time without incurring additional luggage fees. The workaround to this is to pack interchangeable clothes. Examples of these are shoes or sweaters that you can wear to a business meeting and still rock at a bar. Never underestimate the potential of flexible clothes if you want to pack efficiently and stay classy.
4 – Utilize Shoe Space
Remember, you need to utilize every possible space within your luggage. You won’t go very far if you just fold whatnot into wherever. Your shoes are important in this regard. They don’t fold, quit trying. What you can do is to place your shoes at the extremes of your luggage where it can hold in little items like socks, ties, or candy bars. By stuffing your shoes so, you ensure that they retain their appearance when you unpack. The stuffing prevents your shoes from bending or getting creased.
5 – Fold Delicate Fabrics
Only the most delicate fabrics should be folded. You can fold your sweaters, blazers, dress shirts and pants, and trousers. They should go into your bag last and utilize the full width of your suitcase. By folding these fabrics, you ensure that they don’t wrinkle in transit. They also stay smooth as they are the first items to be unpacked. This means you will definitely unpack them (which you should) rather than let them wallow in the deep wrinkling depths of your suitcase until you need them. You should not, however, fold your ties. Tip #6 says why.
6 – Roll Your Ties
Ties are smooth fabrics. They are meant to be straight. What happens to ties when you fold them; they wrinkle. Where ties are concerned, you need to roll and not fold. Rolling your ties ensures that they stay smooth when you unpack them. And we don’t mean balling up your ties ad dumping it into your suitcase. Roll them like you would a measuring tape, and place it in between your delicate fabrics so they don’t get crushed in transit.
7 – Treat Your Cords With Care
Phone chargers are delicate essentials. Ensure that you take one on your trip, along with an extra. You don’t want to the local hardware store to be your stop when you arrive at your destination–you’re jet-lagged enough as it is. To avoid that, keep an extra phone charger in hand; one in your luggage, the other in your carry-on. If you own multiples devices and have to carry many chargers, a drawstring bag can do the trick.
8 – Have a Special Bag for Toiletries
Just as drawstring bags are great for chargers, a Dopp kit or zip-top bag can hold onto your toiletries. You don’t want your toiletries mingling with your clothes. What happens if a loose tube of toothpaste spills in your suitcase; you get toothpaste-stained clothes, that’s what. To avoid all that mess, keep your toiletries like toothpaste, deodorant, lotions in a Dopp kit. You’ll feel a lot better knowing you don’t have to dig through your luggage to get your toiletries.
9 – Do an Inventory of Essentials
Your essentials would include your passport, wallet, keys as well as clothes, devices, and other such belongings. The night before your trip layout all your essentials and scrutinize them. Do you have everything you need? If you do, then you can start packing. Your travel documents are the most important; you don’t want to miss a flight simply because you left your passport on the nightstand.
For our article about Traveling Essentials for Men, click here.
10 – Unpack at Arrival
You may not see this as paramount, but you need to unpack the second you arrive at your destination. Your hotel room has wardrobes and drawers for a reason; make use of them. Living out of your suitcase will get you in a bind. Better to unpack your essentials so you can have easy access to them when you need them. This may just be the best packing tip yet.
