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Packing for a trip can raise all sorts of anxieties. There are questions like how to avoid wrinkles, what to pack, how to have a lot of clothing options without bringing too many items and how to keep essential items handy.
Never fold clothes in half—doing so will only ensure a fold line directly in the middle of the article of clothing. Slacks, for example, should be folded in three parts. To start, place the pant flat. Then put a lighter object such as a T-shirt in the middle of the leg, so that the T-shirt covers the part above and below the knee. Then fold the cuff of the pant upward toward the knee. Next fold the waist to the knee. Your slacks will be folded neatly, but the T-shirt will allow the pants to never flatten. When clothes are not flattened, they will be more wrinkle resistant. The same rule works for blouses, dress shirts and other items. Rolling tops in each other or by themselves will be helpful for two reasons. First, rolled items tend to wrinkle less then folded items. Second, rolled items, when packed in a row in a suitcase, will prove easily accessible because they are never hidden under other clothes. Another tip to help avoid wrinkles when traveling is to pack clothing made of microfibers, polyester or wool, since cotton can be prone to wrinkling.
To have a lot of clothing options without bringing too many items be sure pack dark, solid bottoms such as navy shorts, black pants, and gray skirts. Keeping your bottoms simple and classic will allow you to look polished for every occasion. To spice up these bottoms, bring patterned accessories, like shirts and scarves.
The key to looking like you packed a ton of outfits is mixing and matching clothing items. The solid bottoms can be the worn with different tops and you can avoid bringing entire ensembles. Navy trousers, for example that are worn for that Monday business conference, can also be worn Thursday for that corporate dinner. The accessories and the dress shirt or blouse will make the outfit will look different because those new items, either the accessories or the differing top, will be the memorable features of the ensemble.
When it comes to shoes, bring as few as possible. If traveling on business, bring professional shoes that match with most if not all of your business clothes. For leisure, the same formula applies: bring as few pairs as possible and choose shoes that match the majority of your clothes. Remember to choose shoes that ensure comfort. It’s impractical to pack shoes that aren’t comfortable, that hurt your feet or that you do not like.
When packing, remember that you’ll want to have necessary travel items handy. Keep the items you may need in a pinch readily accessible. That means that you should have a sweater in case you get cold, as well as some health needs like bottled water, medicines and snacks. Keep your passport, license and wallet in one compartment so that you always know where these important items are. Pack the heaviest items on the bottom, like shoes, hair dryers and thick clothing, such as sweatshirts. It might help to wear your heaviest clothes on travel days because that may lighten your suitcase load and help you fit more essentials in your bag. A trick for lightening the weight in your suitcase is to pack old underwear for the trip and then throw that underwear away once you’re done with it. This will give you more room in your suitcase for souvenirs and it will help ease the need to wash dirty undergarments.
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