Travel nowadays is different than it has been in the past, but one thing about traveling remains the same: You have to pack. Packing for a trip can be a huge hassle and extremely stressful, but with a little planning and keeping a few things in mind you can make your packing experience a seamless part of your travel prep.
- Clothing
Your clothing is going to take up the bulk of your packing space, so you want to pack your clothing as efficiently as possible. When selecting the clothes that you will be taking, make sure that they are appropriate for the weather, and pack a few options in case the weather changes. You want to be comfortable, but you also want to be prepared for whatever surprises Mother Nature may have in store. In addition to the weather, make sure that you pack clothing items that will match the formal or casual nature of the occasion. Also, make sure to pack yourself an extra set of jammies and intimates in case you get stuck overnight. The weather can be terribly unpredictable, especially around the holidays.
- Shoes
This may seem limiting, but hear me out. I usually try to limit myself to three pairs of shoes on short trips. I know, it may not seem like a lot but you want to take up as little space as possible. I keep my shoe selection to a formal shoe like a classic heel or cute pair of pumps, a casual shoe like a low heel I can dress down or a pair of flats, and a pair of tennis shoes for excursions. Depending on the length of your trip and the events you will be attending, you may need more pairs of shoes but limiting your number of shoes based on occasions and events is a good rule to use to save space while packing shoes.
- Accessories
Accessories are a great way to tie an outfit together. For smaller accessories and pieces of jewelry, be sure to keep them in a small pouch so that they don’t get lost in large pieces of luggage. There’s nothing worse than only being able to find one earring out of a pair. For winter-wear items such as hats, gloves, scarves, and mittens I would suggest you keep these items packed together. If it’s cold, you may find yourself needing one or more of these items at a time and it’ll save you some time to pack them together.
- Personal Care Items
To save myself from having to clean up spills in my luggage, I like to keep my personal care items in freezer bags. I separate my items based on three categories: hair care, skin care, and dental care. Keeping these items in separate bags makes it easy to find the items I’m looking for depending on which part of my grooming routine I’m performing. I usually keep my make up in an actual make up bag so it doesn’t get mixed up with my other personal care items.
Because of the public health crisis the world is facing, travel looks a lot different. In addition to these packing tips, make sure that you mask-up, wash your hands frequently, and social distance.