There is nothing better than heading off to our favorite vacation destinations. After the airline tickets have been purchased and hotel rooms have been booked, it's time to dust off those suitcases and begin packing for the upcoming journey.
Here's my 10 favorite strategies my family uses to pack our suitcases in an orderly fashion, maximizing every allotted available space.
Plan ahead for lost luggage - If you're traveling with family members pack a few of your outfits in their suitcase and vice versa. If you're traveling alone, keep a light change of clothes & toothbrush in your carry-on. Since the majority of misplaced suitcases are found within 24 hours, this tip will ensure that you will have an outfit or two to get you through until your suitcase is returned to you.
Items To Pack In Your Carry On Bag- Prescriptions, jewelry, money, cameras, keys, cell phone chargers, itineraries, passports and tickets should be packed in your carry-on and not in your suitcase. Think ahead and ask yourself "What items would I miss the most should my luggage were to be lost?" Better to keep them closer to you at all times.
Here's my 10 favorite strategies my family uses to pack our suitcases in an orderly fashion, maximizing every allotted available space.
Plan ahead for lost luggage - If you're traveling with family members pack a few of your outfits in their suitcase and vice versa. If you're traveling alone, keep a light change of clothes & toothbrush in your carry-on. Since the majority of misplaced suitcases are found within 24 hours, this tip will ensure that you will have an outfit or two to get you through until your suitcase is returned to you.
Items To Pack In Your Carry On Bag- Prescriptions, jewelry, money, cameras, keys, cell phone chargers, itineraries, passports and tickets should be packed in your carry-on and not in your suitcase. Think ahead and ask yourself "What items would I miss the most should my luggage were to be lost?" Better to keep them closer to you at all times.
Plastic Can Help Minimize Wrinkles. While folding and packing your clothing neatly, layer them with plastic bags, preferably dry cleaning bags. These bags will help protect clothing from wrinkling.
Keep shoes to a minimum: Shoes can be heavy and bulky - only pack a minimum of two pairs and place them in the bottom of your suitcase. While on the topic of shoes - consider purchasing cheap flip-flops to use around the hotel room and swimming pool area and simply toss them before returning home.
Space Saving Tips: Jeans, t-shirts, pajamas, socks, underwear and other casual clothing can easily be rolled up and placed to fit in small spaces. Socks can also be stuffed in shoes to maximize all available spaces!
Place items you'll need immediately at the top of your suitcase. Our family loves traveling to Walt Disney World in the winter months. Upon arrival we can't wait to change from our sweatshirts and jeans to t-shirts, shorts and bathing suits. Packing a quick change of clothing and sunscreen at the top of the suitcase allows us to quickly change and hit the parks or pools in no time.
Cut your Toiletries In Half: Leave the big bottles behind and invest in small sized travel versions of your favorite shampoos, body washes, etc. If you cannot locate your favorite products in sample sizes, purchase small, travel sized containers and fill them with your favorite shampoo, lotions and creams. Be sure to take the guess work out of what is in each of these containers by labeling them. To keep these items from leaking while traveling, place them in Ziploc baggies.
Ziploc Bags Are Our Best Friends - Always pack a few different sized Ziploc bags to keep dirty laundry and wet bathing suits separated from the rest of your belongings.
Check the weather forecast to your travel destination. The day before you leave, check out the extended weather forecast to the area you will be traveling to and tweak your outfits accordingly. If your destination is just as warm at night as it is during the day, there is no need to pack sweaters or coats. Raindrops in the forecast? Pack an umbrella or light jacket.
Extra Items the Genie Never Leaves Without: A small flashlight (you can get one for $1.00 in most camping sections of any store), small fold-up ponchos, compact repair kit for my husband's prescription eyeglasses, batteries and an extra foldable bag for items we buy while on our trip or to keep dirty laundry in.
These 10 tips will ensure your suitcase is packed and ready to for an organized and magical journey!
Wish you could unlock the secrets to mastering your time? I invite you to free access to my special audio recording with Time Management Expert, Dr. Monique Wells, the Paris Muse of Time Management when you visit http://www.organizinggenie.com.
Debbie Tremblay - The Organizing Genie is a Professional Organizer and Clever Container Consultant at http://www.clevercontainer.com/organizinggenie.
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