As a girl, we all have fallen victim to our needs to squeeze as much as possible into a bag. I am the queen of over packing and it took a lot of traveling to finally figure out that I really didn’t need to bring that “extra pair of brown boots just incase my black boots wouldn’t end up working out with one of my outfits.” Here are some tricks I have learned over the years about necessity over quantity and organizational skills that could leave you with some extra room to bring new things home…now would you look at that!
1. Roll don’t Fold:
· Rolling your clothes tightly up will provide you with 10x more space than folding ever will. Plus when you go to unzip your bag and obtain your things your friends will be impressed with how organized and tidy everything looks inside. Whether or not it stays that way during your trip is the ultimate challenge, however rolling everything tightly back up when it’s time to leave will quickly turn that clutter around.
2. Wear it instead of packing it:
· Always check the possible weather outcomes of your destination. If it is going to be cold ONE pair of jeans and ONE jacket is Plenty! If you plan on taking boots, wear those along with the jacket on the plane with you to keep your bag light and to save space.
3. Plan:
· Write down the number of days and nights you will be there. Plan out your outfit for each day and night. Although this might take a little effort it will be well worth it! That way you know exactly what is in your bag helping you spend less time trying to figure out what to wear for your days and nights of exploration and more time actually exploring.
4. Go with the basics:
· You don’t need to pack that extra case of eye shadow because “you think you might wear it.” If you don’t wear it at home you won’t wear it while traveling, so leave it. Also Make up wipes over facial creams and mini tester bottles of perfume over your big bottle of perfume are great for traveling. I know somewhere in a random bag you have testers of moisturizers, perfumes, nail polish remover and so on… make use of those things while traveling. They are super easy to bring along and disposable!
5. Small roller vs. Small over the shoulder duffle bag:
· Always go with the small roller bag. I have had multiple friends try and travel with a small over the shoulder duffle bag thinking it won’t be an issue, it always is. More times than not they end up asking me if I can put their bag on top of my roller and roll it for them. I would highly suggest purchasing a small roller bag that can fit in an overhead bin on the airplane (like the one seen in the picture). Not only is it way more convenient, but your shoulders will thanking you by the end of your weekend.