1O TIPS FOR PACKING YOUR SUITCASE

Dear travelers, get organized!

 

Whether you are traveling near or far, preparing your suitcase is not an easy task. Having spent countless hours packing - adding and removing items of clothing, shoes, creams, books, and what have you - I have come up with a list of ten useful tips for a perfectly organized suitcase.

 

Before I start with the advice, I want to emphasize this:

We never leave our country of residence before securing our documents, especially our passport. I know, you’re thinking, “nothing’s going to happen,” but this is the wrong way of thinking.

 

What you can do: Make a photocopy of your passport to always have with you (of course not inside your passport). If you take your laptop with you, you could scan and store your passport copy in your documents, or even send it via email to your personal email account, so you can always have access to it.

 

If you happen to lose your passport, or if it’s stolen, you will save lots of time if you have a copy to present to the authorities.

 

Here we go then:

1. Not to forget...
 

A few days before your trip, make a list with the contents of your suitcase and remain faithful to it! This list will save you from last minute panic, which usually drives you to over-stuff your suitcase, and will come in handy if you lose your luggage. Important: check the weather of your travel destination and pack accordingly.

 

2. Follow the "mini size" rule. 
 

Get supplies of mini bottles for creams, shampoos, and any other liquids you need for your trip. You will save time if you already have a travel kit ready with whatever’s necessary. Advice: don’t fill the bottles to the brim, because airplane pressure will cause them to spill over in your language. Your sweaters don’t need lathering...

 

3. Rolling, rolling, rolling. 
 

Roll some of your clothes instead of folding them. This way you save space and you keep your clothes from getting creases. Once you start rolling, you will never go back to folding...

4. Whatever needs hanging, also needs a plastic cover.
 

Fold the items that need hanging, like shirts, into a plastic bag and, ideally, place a piece of paper somewhere in the middle of the folded shirt. The plastic will prevent your clothes from touching one another and getting creases.

5. Come and play Tetris. 
 

If there’s anything fun about packing a suitcase, it’s how closely it resembles the game of Tetris. This is how you play it: cosmetics, creams and anything heavy goes at the bottom of the suitcase (where the weight will fall once it’s lifted), so that the rest of your contents don’t get squashed. Folded clothes go in the middle, with rolled clothes between them. Shoes and socks fill in the gaps. Don’t forget that we do not pack our shoes in pairs, but one by one, and in plastic or cloth bags, of course, for obvious reasons. Shirts go on top, and we’ve got a winner! 

 

6. If you weigh, you win!
 

Pack lightly and pack cleverly! Keep in mind that it costs extra for every overweight suitcase, and this is a rule that all companies adhere to. Research every company’s regulations concerning overweight luggage, and never surpass the limit. The best scale is your eye, so train yours well.
 

8. Keep all your valuables with you.
 

Never check-in your valuables (passport, ID, money, credit cards, jewelry, etc) together with your suitcase. Suitcases come and go inside an airport, and lost luggage is a possibility. Leave whatever is not needed behind.
 

9. Lock me, Tag me, Find me.
 

Every suitcase should be locked and should always carry a tag with your contact details. Attention: never include your home address. Name, surname, email, and phone number are enough. Find a locket that suits you, get a tag from the check-in desk, and you are ready! 
 

10. Better missing, than superfluous.
 

Last but not least: without doubt you have sneaked something superfluous in your suitcase, probably in the last minute and probably because you panicked. Time to leave it behind. You won’t miss it, rest assured!


 

Do you have anything more to add?

 

Let’s make this list bigger!

***Note: Most of the photos have been found on pinterest.