It’s no surprise that in the distance, staff are passionate about travel. Whether we were on reporting trips or exploring the world with our own PTO, we packed and unraveled hundreds, if not thousands of bags. In short, many of us have become packaging experts over the years. I also learned a lot from interviewing professional organizers, flight attendants and other frequent travelers. Here are our best travel packing tips to bring your life on the efficient and stress-free paths possible.
1. Build a travel capsule wardrobe
An important idea for capsule wardrobes is that you can scrape your closet into just 30 pieces of clothing to mix and match 1,000 outfits. You can also translate this tidy technique into a suitcase to reduce packaging. Wendy Mac, an Australia-based professional stylist who wrote a book on the concept of minimalist style, recommends using this formula.
“You can literally travel with six tops and four bottoms or less, and as long as all 10 pieces work together, you’ll give 24 great outfits,” Mak told AFAR in 2017.
2. Fold and roll clothes
It’s an old debate: Will rolling or folding your clothes save more space in your suitcase? Aislyn Greene is the associate director of the podcast and asked the flight attendant’s mother for her opinion. “If you put foldable clothing flat in your suitcase, you may be wasting valuable space.
However, Japanese organising expert Marie Condo uses her own Konmari method to fold clothes in a neat vertical stack of home that easily moves into a suitcase. “This folding technology not only keeps clothes clean and wrinkle-free, but also maximizes the space in your suitcase,” Konnd told AFAR in 2019.
When testing both methods myself, I found that the rolling and folding combination was the best. So do whatever you feel right to you.
3. Use packing cube
Whether you fold or roll your clothes, using a packing cube (like the Cotopaxi above) will help you organize your belongings neatly and easily organize them.
Both Joanna Teplin and Clea Shearer, co-founders of Home Edit Organizational Empire, pack Cube followers. But they use them in two very different ways. Shearer’s system involves classifying her belongings into cubes divided into categories such as daytime clothes, pajamas, underwear and socks. Meanwhile, Teplin may use more than three cubes per day for each outfit, but each outfit will sort it into cubes that pack outfits in different colors, such as marble patterned outfits for pajamas or black ones for workouts.
“Joanna and I do that differently, but if it works for her, she should do it that way. What should work for me, I should do it that way,” Shearer told AFAR in 2021.
>>Read more: 9 Best Packing Cubes for Travel
4. Do not use one big bag for toiletries
Instead of packing one large DOPP kit, Shearer and Teplin recommend separating hair products, skincare products and cosmetics into various toiletry bags. Don’t want to bring multiple bags? We use kits that come with separate compartments, such as Calpak’s clear cosmetic cases, so one side can be used for hair products and the other side for skin and dental items.
5. Keep your fanny pack all Your valuables
Losing valuables is easy while rushing through the airport. Most scanners won’t be able to store anything in your pocket, so don’t lose small items like phones and passports while passing security and put everything in your fanny pack. This is a hack where Aversiner Designer Elizabeth sees the oath. “After seeing a friend experience a nightmare losing his passport while traveling, I developed a bit of a paranoia about losing it,” she says. “To keep mine close to my chest at all times necessarily Keep your fanny pack convenient while traveling. It’s the perfect solution to reassure my mind during the sometimes rich travel process. ”
6. Decant all toiletries into travel-sized containers
Not only do you leave a full-size shampoo bottle at home, but you also adhere to TSA liquid restrictions on carry-on baggage. It also means that you are not wasting space to bring more products than you need. “When you’re really paying attention, you might be surprised at how little shampoo and face wash you actually use in a week,” says Jessie Beck, Associate Director of SEO and Video at AFAR. “Instead of making the most of the 3.4 oz rule, I try to pack only as much product as I need. On a week’s trip, this generally means decanting shampoo and conditioner into a 1.7 oz bottle with a hamer. Total I was able to halve the size of my toiletry bag. ”
7. Remaining remaining items will also be made into a parcel
Kondo says he never travels without a case like a ventbox full of jewelry. “When we arrive at the hotel, we use the case as a designated location for the gem,” says a compartmentalizer. Both the Cuyana Travel Jewelry Case and Away Jewelry Box have rings, earrings and necklaces organized, with interior bands that do not turn corners and elastic pouches.
To compete for other small items like chargers, cords and more, I like Baggu’s 3D Zip set, which includes three versatile pouches in various sizes.
8. Prevent wrinkles with a dry cleaning bag (and socks!)!
“If you want to protect blazers, slacks, or dress shirts, you’ll stuff them in plastic bags that you get from dry cleaners,” says Joe Diaz, co-founder of Afar. And to protect his relationship and knowing, he offers this clever hack: “Curl them and hide them in socks.”
Or, if you travel frequently for business, consider investing in blazers and work clothes that don’t even wrinkle. Bluffworks is one of my favourite brands of technical workwear designed to handle the rigour of travel.
9. Plan to do laundry on the road
By working with former editors Bailey Berg and May Hamilton’s One Bag Travel Guide, you can travel only with carry-on vehicles. Instead of packing one pair of underwear and socks every day, they recommend packing fewer pairs than you need and washing them to be cleaned in hotel tubs or laundry bags. These biodegradable pocket-sized detergent sheets make the task simple, but you can also accomplish your job with an old bar of soap.
10. Invest in Merino wool
Packing several pairs of merino wool socks and t-shirts is another great idea. Thanks to the hydrophobic properties of wool fibers, BO particles have a hard time absorbing into wool garments, so they can be worn over and over again before they need to be washed.
11. Bring a carabiner with you
Even the most dedicated one-bag travelers sometimes run out of rooms. A carabiner clipped on the outside of the bag is useful. Can hold extra shoes, water bottles, hats, or jackets.
12. Use multipurpose travel accessories
Pack multipurpose accessories and integrate your belongings. For example, a multi-port charger is two USB-C ports and one USB-A port, such as the Anker 3-in-1 737 charger. This means you can charge your computer, iPhone, and other devices from one charging brick. Not only does it save space on your tech pouch, it also uses one plug for your hotel room.
Similarly, quick-drying Turkish cotton towels can also be used as a beach blanket to dry your whole body in the pool.
>>Read more: Travel Accessories Distant Editors Will Not Leave Home Without
13. byoblanket
Airplane blankets are unlikely to be reused in between flights without being cleaned. But if the thin sandbar texture of constantly re-washed fleece rubs you in the wrong way, we get it.
“I always bring a Lingua Franca Travel set. It’s cashmere and comes with socks, blankets and eye masks. Because the blanket on an airplane is gloss. This blanket, well, it’s mine.”
We are also fans of sleeping bag-inspired travel blankets by Rumpl for those who want even more warmth on a frigid plane.
14. Wear the bulkiest item during transportation
Alternatively, you can skip packing your travel blanket, wear a bulky winter coat on your plane, keeping you warm in that chilly cabin air and saving space in your suitcase. (We also recommend wearing the biggest shoes and boots on your plane to save valuable packaging space.)
15. To lightly pack, get a small bag
“We’ve all been guilty of packing extra t-shirts and books just because we have room in our bags,” Beck says. “Is this one of the best ways to avoid overpacking unnecessary items? Get a small bag. If you don’t have the space, you’re less likely to throw things just because you can.
16. Leave time to “edit” the packing list
For overpackers, one of the best ways to beat bulk is to pack the bag a few days earlier. Distant contributor Kelly Dawson says he will set aside the extra time during the packaging process and “edit” the original pull from the closet. “I’m the first to pull clothes out of my closet. If I can only use an item once, I’m out except for my underwear,” Dawson says. “If it’s too casual or too formal, you may not be able to wear it all day long. For a long time!
17. Shower caps are your best friend
Have you stepped into the mud (or worse!) on your trip? If you’re not investing in reusable travel shoe bags to keep your suitcase organized and hygienic, the solution to the problem is in your hotel bathroom. Green uses the hotel shower cap as a wrap for his shoes. “They are especially suited to running shoes that get a little muddy, and they are ubiquitous so you won’t be at risk of not being away from you,” she says.
18. Are you planning on shopping? Pack the extra baggage
Even if you dial the packing system completely, you may come across souvenirs that you cannot leave behind. Traveling with a suitcase that comes with an expandable zipper is one solution, but the smartest thing on vacation is an empty suitcase or a folding duffel bag.
“I’m a huge fan of folding bags.
If you really promise not to check your bags, what Kondo of another packaging secret swears is to empty 10% of your luggage. That way you’ll have room to pack new treasures and souvenirs to bring home.
19. Keep packing your bags
The easiest way to pack your suitcase is to keep stuffing it in. “I tend to have suitcases of clothes so I don’t constantly unpack and pack them,” British aviation pilot Cat Woodruff told AFAR in 2018. If your travel uniforms aren’t as consistent as the pilot, consider at least constantly packing toiletry bags into your suitcase. Decant your favorite toothpaste, makeup and other skincare items into reusable containers and store them in toiletry cases, and are always ready.
This article was originally published in February 2024 and updated in March 2025 with new information. Additional reports by Jesse Beck, Mike Arnott, Eislyn Green, Daniel Walsh, May Hamilton, Baileyberg and Catsposato.
