packing tips

7 Packing Tips Professional Travellers Swear By

From the busiest airport in the world to the smallest hubs, getting ready to travel through security quickly is all about packing well. These packing tips professional travelers swear by will help tremendously.

Choose bags that are easy to pack and unpack and keep items streamlined to breeze through the airport. You’ll never get hung up with security checks again.

Pack Like a Pro With These Packing Tips

1. Use Compression Bags

Apart from minimising the amount of room your clothes and belongings take up in your suitcase, compression bags help you stay very organised and ready to go at a second’s notice. Some people divide their items by category such as all jewellery, shirts or pants into separate compression bags.

It’s also possible to have individual outfits planned and packed into separate bags too. Whatever system works best for you, it will keep you organised and streamlined–especially if you are moving between several locations or hotels.

packing tips

2. Keep a Dry Bag in the Suitcase

Dry bags are great for a lot more than outdoor adventure. Some are designed to be compact first aid kits to take with you, and many come in a wide variety of sizes from small to extra-large. Dry bags are perfect for not only keep items dry inside the bag, but also outside. Put wet bathing suits or even pack bottles of wine in your suitcase to ensure not even a drop falls on your other clothes.

packing tips

3. Keep Two Clear Toiletry Bags Packed

Pack two clear toiletry bags too. One should include all of your non-liquids either in your check bag or your carry-on suitcase. The other should have all of your liquids in your purse or tote carry-on for easy access through security. This way, if there are any questionable items, it will make the additional security measures that much faster.

packing tips

4. Place Only Flight Essentials in a Carry-On

It’s easy to toss in a few extra items you think you might want or need, but the less you can carry, the better. Only take the essentials in your carry-on purse, tote or backpack for an easy trip through the airport and flight. Extraneous items only get in the way and add weight. So, perhaps leave the second notebook at home.

5. Write Down the Trip’s Occasions

Look at your itinerary or trip plans and think through all of the outfits you’ll need throughout each day. From the gym to work or touring and on to dinner, it’s best to have each day’s outfit written down so you can more easily plan once all your clothes are on the bed.

If you use sticky notes, you can even mark each outfit for the occasion to help you better visualise what’s missing before you start folding things up and placing them in the suitcase.

6. Choose One Colour Scheme

To minimise bulk and even the need for a checked bag, stick to one colour scheme. Whether it’s browns, blacks or greys, having one or two base neutral colours to build on top of will help you get more outfits out of fewer clothes. Add a blouse or two for pops of colour–or pack a couple of statement accessories.

7. Pack Inside Your Footwear

Finally, utilise every last space you have. You’ll likely have at least one spare pair of shoes in your suitcase, so wrap and pack small items inside each shoe. Things like jewellery, socks, belts and underwear can easily fit in without being messed up.

Molly Harris

Molly Harris is a freelance travel journalist dividing her time between the United States and the Western Balkans.

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