Expert-Approved Travel Organization Tips to Make Your Upcoming Trips Less Stressful
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Having a well-packed suitcase, carry-on bag, or travel backpack is the best defense against the unexpected and frustrating issues that can pop up while traveling.
While getting a luggage tracker, like an Apple AirTag, can help ease your worries about where exactly your bag is at all times, it's not the only thing you should do to prepare for a long flight. Making sure that your travel organization is on point before you leave for the airport means that your important documents are always accessible and easy to find, your clothes stay neat instead of crushed at the bottom of your suitcase, and you'll still have plenty of room for bringing travel gifts and souvenirs home!
We talked to travel bloggers and industry experts about the go-to tips and products they rely on to keep everything in their bags as organized as possible. These six packing organization tips will help you pack smarter, so you can spend less time stressing and more time sightseeing.
Invest in a Set of Packing Cubes
Nearly every expert we talked to recommended getting a set of packing cubes to stay organized while traveling. These versatile, flexible, zip-up containers hold the contents of your suitcase neatly packed together, so even if things get bumpy in transit, everything will stay right where you placed it.
Becky Moore, founder of the travel blog Global Grasshopper, says, “My favorite tip is to use and label packing cubes. Packing cubes are small, lightweight bags that help to keep your belongings organized and tidy. By using labeled packing cubes, I can easily find and identify what I’m looking for without having to rummage through my entire bag. Additionally, packing cubes help to prevent clothes from becoming wrinkled during travel.”
And as Fred Hoffman, founder of the blog The True Wilderness, advises, “You can use them to organize by outfit, by activity, or however else makes sense for your trip.”
Store Your Dirty Laundry Separately
Another reason to get a set of packing cubes? You can use one of the pieces as a laundry bag as your trip goes on. Xanthe Steer, travel blogger at Places Unpacked, says, “It makes it so much easier to sift through your outfits when you have full visibility of what you haven’t worn yet, and it also makes unpacking when you’re home that much easier.”
We've also found that using a spare pillowcase as a laundry bag works just as well and takes up barely any room.
Pack a Capsule Wardrobe
As tempting as it is to pack a different outfit for each day of your trip, most experts recommend scaling back, even if it means there will be a few outfit repeats. Mattis Oppermann, the co-founder and designer of the luggage brand Carl Friedrik, says that sticking with neutrals will help ensure everything in the rotation can mix and match together.
He also has a clever packing trick dubbed the “54321 Method,” saying, “When packing for yourself, your partner, and the kids, remember to pack the following items as a minimum for a 7-day trip, and you’ll never be caught out: five tops, four pairs of pants, three accessories (e.g., hats, sunglasses, and belts), two pairs of shoes, one piece of swimwear. All that’s left to consider are underwear and socks.” It’s also a good idea to bring at least one shawl or outer layer to provide extra warmth on the plane or in a too-cold hotel room.
Roll, Don’t Fold All of Your Clothes
It turns out that folding all of your clothes isn't doing your travel organization any favors. Items get buried, shifted in transit, and hopelessly wrinkled when stacked on top of each other. Hoffman suggests an alternative, "Rolling your clothes instead of folding them can help save space in your suitcase and prevent wrinkles."
The idea behind rolling your thinner garments is that it helps prevent hard creases from forming in the fabric while also taking up less surface area in the suitcase. Hoffman says, “To roll clothes properly, start with the item laid flat on a surface. Fold the bottom up to the middle, then fold the sides in toward the center, and finally roll the item up from the top.” Just keep in mind that your thicker fabrics are better off folded — as Mirela Letailleur, a blogger for The Travel Bunny specifies, “Pants, sweaters, and other bulky clothes are to be folded flat and never rolled.”
Keep Your Documents Organized (and Backed Up)
While technology does streamline a lot of the hassle that comes with traveling, you want to leave nothing to chance, especially when traveling internationally or with a lot of connections to make. Nicole Hunter, an avid international traveler and founder of Go Far Grow Close, says that relying on your smartphone isn't enough. “Make sure that you have copies of all your travel documents. I prefer to print a copy of everything and have it on hand in case something happens to my phone or it needs to be recharged.”
That doesn't just apply to flight and hotel reservations — doing the same with your ID, passport, and health insurance card can help give you peace of mind in case you're separated from your bags. Hunter advises keeping the original of these things on you while the copies can go in a physical file folder as a backup. She continues, “Checked bags get lost. You can easily replace a pair of shoes, but replacing a passport is a whole other level of complexity.”
Use Every Luggage Compartment
If you've invested in a great luggage set, make sure you're using every inch of it — not just the main compartment! As Bryan Mullennix, the owner of Feeling Vegas, recommends, “Use the pockets in your suitcase and bags as much as you can. Some people will stuff the main pockets with everything to the point where the pockets at the end or on the front can’t even be used.” If your luggage has a lot of outer pockets, you can store your socks, tech accessories, or any oddly shaped items there to save you some space.
Speaking of pockets, you may want to check out how many are on your carry-on personal item, especially if it's your main bag for the trip. If keeping your valuables safe is a concern while traveling, consider getting a backpack with a hidden pocket that's located next to your back, as opposed to one with an exposed front pocket. According to Kyle Keersemaker of Exploringo, “This ensures that your belongings such as cash, passports, and cards are all safe, as the pocket can’t be accessed when you are wearing a backpack.”
Pack Your Carry-On Wisely
After landing, as much as we'd love to roll away from baggage claim with all of our things in tow, sometimes it just doesn't work out that way. To give yourself a little insurance just in case something happens to your suitcase between takeoff and landing, pack your carry-on bag accordingly.
As Keersemaker advises, “Always pack 2 days’ worth of clothes in your hand luggage. Bags get lost, and nothing’s worse than arriving to your vacation destination only to realize your bag is lost and you need to wear the same clothes for multiple days as you wait.” You’ll also want to make sure your ID, travel documents, medications, and anything else you don’t think you’ll be easily able to find at your destination are packed in here, too.
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