My Best Packing Tips

Are you looking for some good packing tips that will keep your luggage organized and fresh during your travels? Whether you’re packing for a weekend trip or a 6-month trip around the world, there are some packing tips you can follow to stay organized and stress-free during your travels.

I’ve been traveling full-time for years, and I’ve tried different methods when it comes to packing and organizing. During these years I’ve come up with the ultimate way to stay organized.

Here are my best packing tips while traveling the world:

Buy a lightweight and durable suitcase

During my travels, I’ve had several suitcases that have become broken after just a couple of trips. It’s a hard balance between lightweight and durability since the soft suitcases are less durable but more lightweight – and the other way around with the hard suitcases.

A “lightweight” hard suitcase weight around 1-2 kilos more than the soft ones, but for me, it’s worth not paying for new suitcases all the time.

I’ve got two suitcases from AWAY, one large and one medium, and I’m super happy about them. I have two different sizes depending on how much I need to bring with me

These suitcases are very durable, not to heavy, and looks great as well!

Make a packing list

To make sure that you haven’t forgotten anything at home, make a packing list.

Making a packing list and checking all the things off will make it much easier to remember to pack down important things such as passport, toiletries, medicines, and other important stuff.

Bring half of what you initially packed

One thing I’ve learnt during my travels is that it’s common to bring too much stuff with you. Trust me, I know from experience.

During my first long trip through Asia I packed quite light in a 30L backpack (I was recommended to have a 50-60 L or bigger backpack), and I didn’t use half of the stuff.

Lay everything down on the bed or on the floor that you’re planning to bring with you and take away half of it. It’s a great way to figure out what you actually need for your trip and to only bring the essentials.

Choose travel-friendly fabrics

If you want to look good during your travels, bring clothes of wrinkle-free/resistant fabrics.

I know from personal experience that you don’t use clothes that are too wrinkly, so it’s better to leave them at home and bring something else.

Stay organized

My suitcase is always organized when traveling. When living out of a suitcase and traveling from destination to destination, it’s annoying when everything is messy and you cannot find anything so you have to take everything out and repack.

Down below are some products that I simply cannot live without when traveling since they make my suitcase so much more organized.

Packing cubes

I’ve got packing cubes from Eagle Creek for all of my clothes. One where I have dresses, one for tops/sweaters and one for jeans/shorts. I also have 3 smaller packing cubes where I have my underwear, swimwear, and socks.

Packing cubes are seriously the best, and without them I would freak out during my travels. A tips is to mark the packing cubes so you easily know what you’ve packed inside them.

Toiletry bag

This is the bag where I store my schampoo, conditioner, body wash, facial creams, and so on. I have those kinds of products in the biggest compartment, then I’ve also got more compartments where I keep things like toothbrush & toothpaste, band-aids/painkillers, nail clipper, nail file, hair ties and so on.

It’s great to have a big toiletry bag with several compartments so it’s easy to stay organized.

Jewelry organizer

If you’re like me and like to bring some selections of jewelry, then you should invest in a travel jewelry case.

I’ve tried different jewelry cases during my travels, and the one I currently have from Case Elegance is the best I’ve had. It keeps my necklaces from getting tangled and my jewelry safe from scratches, which is great!

Stay fresh

To prevent your suitcase from getting a bad smell or getting dirty on the inside, I’ve got some tips and tricks to share with you:

Shoe bags

I always have my shoes in shoe bags. It’s a great way to prevent your suitcase from getting dirty on the inside. They’re inexpensive and can be washed in the washing machine after every trip.

Laundry bag

One thing that you have to have is a laundry bag. Something that doesn’t let out the smell of your dirty laundry.

Some suitcases include a laundry bag, but if yours wouldn’t have one, you can always buy a laundry bag online.

Lavender sachets

One thing that I’ve always had since I was a kid are lavender sachets. I remember having these in my wardrobe among my clothes and it smelled great.

So recently I thought, why not have them in my suitcase? It works great and keeps my suitcase and clothing fresh while traveling.

If you’re not a big fan of the lavender smell, then you can always buy some drawer liners in a fragrance that you like.

Pack your hat so it doesn’t get damaged

One of the things I almost always bring with me during my travels is a hat – either a straw hat for warm countries or a wool hat for cold countries.

It’s one of my favorite travel accessories, so of course I do not want them to get damaged in the suitcase – which can happen easily if you don’t pack it right.

The best way to pack your hat in your suitcase is by filling the brim of the hat with clothes and then put it in a bag so it doesn’t get dirty. Then you put it on the flat side of the suitcase and pack your other clothes and things around the brim of the hat so it keeps its shape.

It’s important to pack that side of the suitcase tight so the hat doesn’t move around.

I always travel with my hats like this, and they haven’t been damaged so far. This way you don’t need to buy a hat storage box which will take both space and weight in your suitcase + cost you extra money.

Invest in your hand luggage

For me, my hand luggage is one of the most important parts of packing. It’s in my hand luggage where I store all my valuables such as jewelry, passport, and electronics.

I always travel with a backpack, since I think carry-on suitcases are way too bulky and heavy – which means less space for my things.

I have two backpacks in different sizes from the brand ISM. It’s a durable, organized, lightweight backpack that I personally think is perfect to travel with. It’s also very stylish and minimal, so it looks great with every outfit.

Here are some of the things I love about the ISM backpack:

• Separate padded compartment for laptop (makes it easier in the security control at the airport)
• Main compartment with pockets for organization
• Front pocket with zipper
• Padded back and shoulder straps for comfort
• Durable materials so it will last long
• Stylish and minimal design so it can be worn with every outfit

In addition that I use the backpack when traveling from destination to destination, I also use it for day trips, hikes, and other adventures when I want to bring camera gear etc.

Pack all the essentials in your hand luggage

When I say essential things, I mean important documents, passport, medicines, money, tickets, jewelry, and electronics. All the things that are important to you during your travels.

You never know if something would happen to your checked bag while traveling, and therefore it’s important to pack all valuables in your hand luggage. Also, try to pack an extra set of clothes and some underwear if your suitcase wouldn’t arrive on time.

This is no doubt one of the most important packing tips.

Last but not least I would like to mention that it’s important to weigh your luggage before going to the airport, both your check-in suitcase and your hand luggage. Do also check that your hand luggage doesn’t exceed the rules for both measurements and weight.

The airport staff can be really picky about it which can result in you paying for overweight or not boarding the plane because your carry-on/backpack can’t fit in the cabin.

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Do you have any other packing tips? Leave a comment below and share with other travelers!