Maryal Miller CarterUSA TODAY
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Are you tired of grappling with overstuffed suitcases and annoying baggage fees when you travel? You’re not alone. Efficiently packing and organizing for trips like a pro is an art that we’d all love to master in order to make your journeys more enjoyable and hassle-free. Luckily, there's a wealth of easy, tried and tested packing tips and hacks at your disposal that will revolutionize your travel game and reduce or even eliminate some of those expensive baggage fees. From clever folding tricks that save space and keep your travel outfits organized to ingenious tools for neatly corralling your essentials, we’ve got you covered. Here are the best simple tips for mastering efficient packing before your next getaway.
Watch the video above to learn how to master efficient travel packing.
Efficient packing tips and hacks
- Be sure to check the weather forecast right before traveling to ensure you pack appropriate clothing for all times of day in order to stay comfortable.
- Plan outfits for each segment of your trip ahead of time. This will prevent you from under or over-packing.
- Instead of folding your clothes, roll them. This keeps clothes wrinkle-free and helps save space.
- Roll a whole outfit into one bundle.
- You can also roll your underwear in your outfit bundle so everything you’ll need is ready to go. When rolling, place your shirt on the outside of the roll (which means it will be on the bottom of your pile when you start) so it’s easy to distinguish what the outfit is.
- Use packing cubes to keep things organized throughout your trip. Packing cubes also mean that there’s no unpacking needed - they can go right into a drawer when you arrive at your destination.
- Packing cubes are affordable and come in all different sizes. They even sell special packing cubes for shoes.
- You can also pack extra empty packing cubes for dirty clothes to keep your suitcase and clothing supply organized throughout your trip.
Tips for packing light
- Plan and research your trip carefully. The more you know about your destination and the activities you’ll engage in, the easier it will be to pack only the essentials.
- Travel with a scale so you never have to pay overweight baggage fees. This also helps you audit your gear during the packing process so you can distill it down to only the essentials before you travel.
- Pack versatile clothing. Choose clothes that can be dressed up or down and coordinate with multiple outfits throughout the day, like nice denim, versatile pants and dresses. This will reduce the amount of clothing you'll have to pack.
- Pack layers. Layers are a great way to stay comfortable in any climate or environment because you can add or remove layers as needed and reduce the amount of clothing you'll have to pack. This also adds to versatility - a nice sweater or jacket can be dressed up or down and be made appropriate for multiple activities.
- Pack versatile shoes that can be worn for many activities instead of shoes for each outfit. For example, sneakers can be worn casually for a day exploring a city and dressed up for dinner or a night on the town. Shoes can take up a lot of space in a suitcase, so minimizing the number of shoes you travel with can be key to creating more space.
- Pack smaller, travel-sized toiletries. Skip the full-sized toiletries and pack travel-sized toiletries that take up less space and fall within TSA liquid size limits to avoid baggage fees.
Reviewed-approved travel recommendations
Purchases you make through our links may earn us and our publishing partners a commission.
Reviewed helps you find the best stuff and get the most out of what you already own. Our team of experts test everything from sleep masks and travel pillows to luggage and packing cubes to help you shop for the best of the best.
- Tracking game-changer: Apple AirTags
- Our favorite sleep mask: Mzoo Sleep Eye Mask
- A top wireless charger: Yootech Wireless Charger
- Must-have luggage: Travelpro Platinum Elite Softside Expandable Luggage
- Organization hack: Amazon Basics 4-Piece Packing Cubes Set
- The best portable battery pack: Mophie Powerstation Plus
- Our favorite travel pillow: Cabeau Evolution Classic Travel Neck Pillow
- Top-rated adult coloring book: Cindy Elsharouni Stress Relieving Adult Coloring Book
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