Traveling light is a challenge. Even once you have found the perfect travel case, rucksack or compact duffel bag, you still have the challenge of fitting absolutely everything you could possibly need into it.
And even then you will be convinced you’ve forgotten something absolutely vital. Or find out you need something you have buried right at the bottom of your back when you reach the airport check-in desk and have unpacked and repack the entire case in front of an increasingly irritated queue at the check-in desk. Well, fear not. Here are some excellent packing hacks that will take all the stress out of the entire process and leave you to enjoy your traveling in peace.
Write a List
Now this may seem like a fairly simple exercise, but it absolutely will help. Not only will you be able to make sure you have remembered everything, you’ll also be able to plan quantities based on the length of your trip. The general rule of thumb is three tops to every one pair of bottoms.
You will also only take what you need, rather than piling handfuls of underwear into the backpack with wheels that seems to imply you are going to require three underwear changes a day. What you pack also depends on what you’re planning to do during your trip. Are you planning to hike? Heading to the beach at all? Or perhaps you want to run a race? For the latter one, check out Denise’s 10 Proven Packing Tips for Your Next Destination Race blog post.
If you really want to go one step further split the list into categories such as toiletries, clothing, electricals, beachwear, paperwork. It feels good to be organized, you’ll gain some peace of mind.
Protect against liquid and dirt
If you have only packed three t-shirts for a three day trip, the last thing you want to do is pull out your final t-shirt to find it covered in mud, or soaked through from rain or the victim of a shower gel explosion.