If you are traveling by air soon, check out these packing tips and free, printable packing list below. By putting a little more thought into what you pack, you can spend more time enjoying your vacation and less time purchasing things that you forgot. Of course, it also saves you money, freeing up your vacation budget for the experiences and items that you WANT to buy! Have a great trip!
1. A week before your trip, fill prescriptions!
2. Don't forget to check in online if your airline allows it. Set an alarm on your phone to remind you 10 minutes before the online check-in opens up.
3.Use a packing list like the one below. Make copies and keep for future travels.
4. Print out your boarding pass/tickets just in case you lose your phone or the battery dies!
5.Only pack a carry-on if you can.
6. Laying them out on your bed or floor, plan your outfits, down to the shoes and jewelry. Try to pack outfits that all look good with the same pair of shoes to minimize the pairs of shoes you need to pack. Also, a rule of thumb is to pack three tops for each bottom.
7. By packing accessories such as scarves and jewelry, you can change the look of an outfit so that it can be worn more than once.
8. Pack comfortable shoes. This can't be overstated.
9. Pack and then pack again, removing items you don’t need, then again.
10. Don’t forget cooler weather items such as a pair of pants and warm jacket, even if you are going somewhere warm. Nights can be cool and weather can change unexpectedly! I have been burned (no pun intended) on this one before. We visited the Florida Keys in December once during a cold snap with record-low temperatures and I had only packed shorts and tees. I ended up needing to buy extra clothes as a result which was a waste of time and money.
11. Roll your clothes—you will fit more. Look into purchasing "packing cubes." These are soft, expandable containers that can help you organize your suitcase and also fit a lot more in.
2. Don't forget to check in online if your airline allows it. Set an alarm on your phone to remind you 10 minutes before the online check-in opens up.
3.Use a packing list like the one below. Make copies and keep for future travels.
4. Print out your boarding pass/tickets just in case you lose your phone or the battery dies!
5.Only pack a carry-on if you can.
6. Laying them out on your bed or floor, plan your outfits, down to the shoes and jewelry. Try to pack outfits that all look good with the same pair of shoes to minimize the pairs of shoes you need to pack. Also, a rule of thumb is to pack three tops for each bottom.
7. By packing accessories such as scarves and jewelry, you can change the look of an outfit so that it can be worn more than once.
8. Pack comfortable shoes. This can't be overstated.
9. Pack and then pack again, removing items you don’t need, then again.
10. Don’t forget cooler weather items such as a pair of pants and warm jacket, even if you are going somewhere warm. Nights can be cool and weather can change unexpectedly! I have been burned (no pun intended) on this one before. We visited the Florida Keys in December once during a cold snap with record-low temperatures and I had only packed shorts and tees. I ended up needing to buy extra clothes as a result which was a waste of time and money.
11. Roll your clothes—you will fit more. Look into purchasing "packing cubes." These are soft, expandable containers that can help you organize your suitcase and also fit a lot more in.
12. If packing a hat, fill the hat with a tee-shirt so that it doesn’t get crushed under other items.
13. If you’re packing a collared shirt, roll up a belt and put it inside the neckline, it will keep its shape.
14. Pack charger cords inside a hard eyeglass case.
15. Put together an emergency medical kit that includes pain reliever, band aids, pepto bismol and anything else that you personally could need in an emergency based on your own health history. Also, make sure you have enough of your prescription meds. There is nothing worse than getting to a destination and realizing you don’t have enough of your prescriptions to last you. This is a compounded problem if you are traveling abroad.
16. Put necklaces through a straw to keep them untangled or put them individually into a pill box. (This doesn’t work for large jewelry.) And, it goes without saying but don’t pack expensive jewelry to travel.
17. Use a few plastic Easter eggs to pack hair ties and other little things that you don’t want to get lost.
18. Leave hair tools at home, except for a hairbrush. Most hotels provide you with a hairdryer, so you should be able to get away with only packing a brush and flat iron or curling iron.
19. Pack a sarong—it can be used as a scarf, towel, dress, blanket, and even folded up as a pillow!
20. Purchase colorful luggage. I'm sure you've noticed that most luggage is black, and because of this people sometimes take the wrong luggage home. Another idea is to add colorful luggage tags or a bright ribbon to the handle of your bag.
21. Fill a pill case with your medications and label them with a sticker on the outside.
22. Use a contact case to store foundation.
23. Bring a trash bag for dirties. Better yet, wash your clothes while you are there if you can! If you have access to a washer/dryer, you can significantly cut down on how much you need to pack.
24. Fill travel containers with shampoo and conditioner, then keep them in your suitcase so they are already packed when you are ready to travel.
25. Put plastic wrap inside the tops of shampoo and conditioner to prevent leaking.
26. When packing toiletries (especially liquid items that can spill) I like to use travel size bottles, and then pack into a zip lock bag. Then, I place inside a shoebox inside my carry on. This prevents the bottles from being crushed and spilling.
27. Relax, and enjoy the trip knowing you packed just what you needed and nothing more!
Do you have some thoughts on this article or additional packing tips to share? Please comment below!
Print this packing list or save to your computer for future use!
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