10 Tried-and-True Packing Hacks

Traveling comes with its quirks — weird sleep schedules, ambiguous foods, routine misunderstandings. But perhaps one of the biggest problems travelers acceptingly endure is packing luggage. Depending on how long your trip is, you have to determine how frequently you’ll be able to wash your clothes, what the weather will be like and what style of clothing is appropriate for the location you’re visiting. It can be pretty overwhelming. To make your packing experience a little less chaotic, here are 10 of our favorite packing tips to get the most out of your suitcase space.

Roll your clothing. Even though this tip is in every single packing how-to everywhere, people still fold their clothing. Why? We don’t know. Rolling your clothing not only saves space, it also makes things way easier to find later on.
Utilize shoe space. Help keep the shape of your shoes and fit more into your bag by storing small items, like underwear, socks and other small accessories inside your shoes. If you’re worried about odor transfer, you can place the items in Ziploc® bags before sliding them into your shoes.
Pack a laundry bag. Opt for something lightweight, like a netted drawstring bag that won’t add bulk. This will help you separate your dirty clothes from your clean ones once you’re on the road. Bonus tip: put a dryer sheet inside your suitcase to eliminate odor transfer.
Protect your toiletries. Place a piece of saran wrap in between the bottle and the lid of your toiletry bottles to prevent spills. Then, pack all your toiletries into a gallon-size Ziploc® bag to eliminate pressure-change explosions.
Cover your shoes. Use shower caps to cover the soles of your shoes and protect other items in your bag from the grime.
Safeguard your razor. Put a large binder clip over your razor blade to keep from unexpectedly slicing your finger when you reach into your bag later on (we speak from experience).
Keep jewelry untangled. Save yourself the time unknotting by running one end through a straw before securing.
Organize outfits. Pick your outfits before you pack them, then roll each item and place it into a gallon-size Ziploc® Voilà! No more shuffling to find the right shirt.
Keep shirt collars structured. Place a rolled-up belt inside the collar of a folded shirt to make the most of space and keep your dress shirts from losing their shape.
Minimize, minimize, minimize. Pack everything you need. Then remove three items of clothing. It never fails that there’s a few pieces of apparel you won’t wear your entire trip. Get rid of the unnecessary weight before you leave!