It’s taken me many, many years to learn the art of packing. You don’t want to see the size of suitcase I had when I went to Europe 14 years ago. It was ridiculously large!!! Not sure what I was thinking!!! Just my shoes took up 50% of my suitcase. Now I’m older and wiser and since having my son, I’ve had to learn to really only pack the essentials.
Above are 8 items that are must have when packing. They facilitate packing and help keep your things organized and easy to find.
Having a large tote when travelling is a must!!! I can’t travel with anything smaller than a tote. It allows me to pack my passports, travel information, make up, book, phone, charger, magazine, IPod and many other things. I hate travelling with a bunch of carry on bags. My one tote is the perfect size to fit everything that I need to carry on the plane.
I purchased a passport holder a few years ago when we had my son and I had to carry 3 passports, plus other travelling documentation and information. I even use it when we are travelling within the country. It just keeps our information organized and together and I don’t have to worry about losing something.
I purchased this make up bag a few years ago and I don’t know how I travelled without it. It keeps all my make up and toiletries together. The best thing about this bag is that it can also hang, making it easier to store when you’re travelling. You can just hang it on something. For a girl that has a lot of make up, this bag is perfect. It even holds my travel size shampoo/conditioner, moisturizer and face wash.
Toiletries bag is the next must have to help you pack. I like this florescent yellow one (please excuse the water stain on it, it’s well loved :)) because it’s big enough to fit the rest of my toiletries that don’t fit into my make up bag. Ie my razor, perfume, soap, deoderant, contact solution, glasses, etc… You get the idea.
A shoe bag is super important. I only recently discovered them when I bought my first pair of Toms. I love them because they keep your dirty shoes away from your clean clothes. I used to just used plastic bags, but these ones are much cuter and environmentally friendly.
I purchased this jewelry roll last Summer and I’ve used it countless times. I used to travel with jewelry boxes and jamming all my earrings into one box, my bracelets into another and my necklaces into another. This way I can keep all my jewelry together, neat and organized. Less chance to losing something.
Travel size toiletries are also a must. Try finding your products in a travel size or purchase plastic containers and fill them with your shampoo, conditioner, soaps, face wash, face moisturizer, etc. Again these are a must!!! You can also find many of your favourite products in travel sizes. It’s much easier to pack, store and travel with.
Other suggestions to make packing easier:
Make a list of things you need to pack and include everything and I mean everything ie. underwear. This makes packing easier and less stressful because you have a list of everything you want to pack.
Plan ahead. Know what the weather is going to like at your destination. It will prevent you from packing many unnecessary things. Plan your outfits ahead of time, again making it easier to pack and dress once you’re on vacation. If you’re like me and some days you have a hard time deciding what to wear, allow yourself one extra outfit, that way you won’t feel like you don’t have “anything to wear”. Also pack clothes that can multi-task and be worn with other items. This also will reduce too many things that you won’t really wear or need.
Don’t pack at the last minute!!! Give yourself time to pack in peace and quiet, without interruption and the fear that you’ll forget something. Even if you have your stuff picked out and in a laundry basket ready to be put into a suitcase is a great start and will be extremely helpful when you pack.
May this blog inspire you to use this as a guide to help you pack. Packing is not easy and can take years to learn how to do it efficiently. Believe me, it’s taken most of my adult life to figure out how to pack properly.
I hope the next time you’re planning a trip, these suggestions will help make packing easier.
Please follow me via Facebook, Bloglovin, Pinterest or Twitter.
Happy Friday & Weekend Everyone!!!!!
