I just don’t know about you, but when it comes to me, I need about a couple of hours to pack, no matter if I leave for two days or two weeks. Well, all of this after I’ve tried, more than once, to pack in the very day of my flight. A complete fiasco. I found myself in the middle of Dubai, 35 degrees Celsius, without sunglasses, or in Paris, with nothing more than summer clothing – it was raining with cats and dogs in the middle of July. So, after all these troubles, I’ve done my lesson and learnt to pack like a pro.
- First step: I choose a big and colorful luggage. Big, so I don’t find my clothes crammed and wrinkled. Colored, because it simply cheers me up. And it’s so much easier to spot it on the luggage lane.
- I make lists. Not one, but two J. On the first, I write everything that can be placed in checked baggage, but mostly the things I can easily forget: for instance, my umbrella or my hair straightener. On the second, I put down the things that I really need to pack in the morning: my phone charger or my electric toothbrush. And yes, I add there too whatever needs to be bought in the duty free.
- My hand luggage is by far the most organized. Each item has its own place in a special compartment or pocket. It has to be this way, as I really don’t enjoy spilling my hand luggage in front of the security checkpoints.
- After my unfortunate New York experience, when my checked luggage was brought to my hotel three full days after my arrival, I’m much more careful in regard to my hand luggage. I always have some medicine, travel size cosmetics, and even a T-shirt. Who knows?
- I just don’t randomly squeeze clothes in my luggage – T-shirts, dresses, jeans. I “built” my outfits, making sure that all the pieces fit together, and that I have not taken on unnecessary stuff.
- I never travel with a stuffed luggage. And that for the mere reason that wherever I have traveled, I’ve always done some shopping. It’s really unpleasant to leave want the most beautiful shoes from Century 21, in New York, and go home without them.
These tricks have worked for me, no matter where I’ve traveled. They are worth trying and improved. I, for one, I’m still working on it.
Pack efficiently and have a great holiday.
