9 Expert Packing Tips for Traveling With Luggage

Save Space With These Packing Tips

Now more than ever, packing light and packing smart can impact your ability to look good, feel good and be prepared for anything on your next trip or vacation. Small airlines are becoming more and more popular these days, they offer economical fares to short to mid-distance high-traffic destinations. Whilst traveling through Europe, I learned how the travel pros pack and prepare for trips where luggage space and weight come at heavy premiums. Small airlines are becoming more prevalent in North America, especially in smaller, regional airports like the Ogden, UT Airport. With flights being cheap, smart travelers looking to cut costs, need to know all the tips, tricks, and hacks to saving space in their luggage.

Wear Bulky or heavy clothing items on the plane

Take it from me, the Queen of Overpacking, bring the bulkiest items on the plane with you to avoid overweight luggage fees! As long as your carry-on items fit the dimensions specified by the airline, the weight of the bag does not matter. I put my heavy items that are sure to put my checked bag over 50 pounds into my carry-on instead. Since I get cold on planes, I also take out my bulky jean jacket (that travels with me everywhere) to save space in my checked bags for smaller items.

Save Space with Compression or Vacuum-Sealed Bags

Have you ever seen the infomercials about the bags that you can compress the air out of for storage? These bags work like magic when trying to get a lot of clothing or items into a small space! When I took a trip to 5 different countries in Europe only using a smaller carry-on, compression bags allowed me to have many more outfits than I typically could have fit. There are travel versions of these bags that only require rolling and pushing the air out manually, no extra equipment is required.

Packing Tips to Prevent Smelly Travel Bags

Keep Your Travel Bag Fresh with Dryer Sheets

Let’s get real, everyone has dealt with a stinky luggage bag! It’s inevitable when we’re carrying clothing around, often that has already been worn on the trip! We want to gather memories from around the world, not odors.

The secret to keeping your suitcase smelling fresh is to throw some laundry sheets in there! They’ll make you clothing have a delightful scent when you arrive at your destination, and keep the odors to a minimum once dirty clothes get back into the mix. The best part? They are cheap, available in most grocery stores, and don’t take up any space!

Place Shoes in Purse Dust Bags 

If you’ve ever bought a higher-end purse, chances are you received it in a fabric purse dust bag to protect it. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t ever treat my handbags with that much care! However, the mid-sized totes with drawstrings make the perfect carrier for shoes when traveling! Although I often clean my sneakers and boots, I still would rather keep them separated from touching my clean clothes with their dirty soles. Along with holding shoes, dust bags can double as a dirty clothing hamper in your hotel room! This is a crucial travel must-know when trying to keep your clothes from smelling like shoes!

Packing Tips to Keep Clothing Looking Fresh

Prevent Wrinkled Clothes While you Travel

I didn’t know about this until my most recent trip out of state for a wedding! I kept my wedding guest dress inside its dry cleaning bag inside my suitcase and was stunned to find it without wrinkles when I reached my hotel! Using dry cleaning bags truly keeps clothing crisp and wrinkle-free, even when folded up in luggage. 

My husband is also a big fan of Downy wrinkle-releaser spray, found in the laundry aisle of most grocery stores. Simple spritz your wrinkled clothes with a few pumps of the spray, fluff a few times, and voila, your clothes will be looking, and smelling, freshly laundered.

Avoid Tangled Necklaces when Traveling

Anyone that wears jewelry has spent a good 30 minutes untangling a necklace! The chains have a knack for getting wrapped around themselves! One trick to avoid tangled necklaces while traveling is to use a straw! Feed one side of the chain through a straw— reusable works, too — and connect the clasp on the other end.

Keep Your Hat Shape without packing a hat box!

Traveling with an expensive hat can be a bit nerve-racking because there are so many chances to ruin the shape!  I’ve found that it’s possible to travel with my wide brim fedoras (without a hat box) and they still look fabulous!

All that needs to be done is cradle the hat with clothing around the base. I flip my hat upside down, and place it in the middle of 4 stacks of clothes so that the base goes right in between and the brim sits on top of the stacks. Similarly, I stuff the inside of the hat bowl (base) with socks and underwear to prevent it from getting dented. If all else fails, most felt hats respond well to steamers and will regain their shape if steamed.

Packing Tips to Avoid Spills and Disasters

Place Heaviest Travel Items Near Wheels

Rushing through the airport is never fun, but it is much easier when your suitcase you’re dragging cooperates! There are few things more flustering than having an incident, like a suitcase struggle, when walking to your gate. To  help keep your suitcase from becoming top-heavy, place the most weight near the wheels. This will prevent toppling over, and will help the wheels roll smoothly. 

Avoid Spills While Traveling with Plastic Wrap

Honestly, as someone who always travels with liquid beauty products, this hack was a game changer!  To keep product inside their bottles, even under pressure, simply unscrew the cap, place a small piece of plastic wrap over the opening, and screw the cap back on over the plastic wrap. This will act as a second seal and prevent shampoo or conditioner from accidentally soaking your clothes while in the luggage bins.

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