We often find ourselves baffled when we are packing for a family trip for maybe a week or more. Of course different people have different needs and you have limited space in your luggage. Some of you might want to consider the idea of sharing any free space left in your parents or sibling’s luggage but it’s not very helpful. Travelling light is not an option when you are on a trip with your family but you can obviously save some space and your luggage won’t be over-flowing and you wouldn’t even have to jump on it to close it.
- Choose the correct suitcase. Don’t choose a suitcase that is so big that it can be called a second home for your cat! A suitcase that is medium in size and also lightweight will do just fine. Also try to choose a suitcase that has 4 wheels because they are easier to roll than the ones which have 2 wheels and often get dis-balanced.
- Trying to fit our outfits is the biggest problem we face. Most of us just discard some clothes from our list after we see that we can’t fit all of them in our bag thinking we won’t be needing them. A common mistake we make is to fold the clothes. Rolling them is a better idea (Of course, excluding your ironed and expensive formals). It saves a lot of space and we can take more clothes with us.
- Try to keep the heavier items like your shoes towards the bottom of the bag close to the wheels so that the weight is distributed equally by maintaining the balance making it easier to roll.
- While packing shoes, use a draw-string fabric bag to cover it. If you don’t have it then just use a shower cap. It will help keep the dirt and filth away from your clothes.
- Slip your socks or your make up products that won’t burst in your shoes if you are low on space. You can even keep breakable objects like perfume bottles inside your socks or your shoes to save space and also to give them an extra coverage so that they don’t break.
- Use a water-proof transparent grab bag for your make up products and toiletries so that you don’t have to huddle in your make up bag when you are in a hurry and even wait for your toothbrush to dry. If you don’t have a bag like the mentioned above then just use a zip lock pouch.
- To travel light, use old pill case containers or lip balm containers or even a clean contact lens case to store small amounts of make-up and other cosmetics so that you can avoid carrying big bulky make-up bottles that take up a lot of space. You can even use similar containers to store your jewelry so that you don’t lose them in your make-up bag.
- For clothes that get easily wrinkled you could reuse old grocery bags that are made of plastic. Just lay the item on the plastic bag and fold it normally along with the bag. The plastic bag will guide you through and help your clothes keep wrinkle free. You could also use a wrinkle release spray. Spray it on the outfit 30 minutes before wearing it so it has time to dry and de-wrinkle.
- For formals that came washed and ironed, you could lay them on the top of your rolled clothes after all your packing is complete. Or you could just box it up and put it in your bag directly if you have enough space. You could even put your belts in the empty space of the collar of your shirts to save space and also to maintain the shape of the collar.
- When all is done organize all your things properly. Check the weight of the bag. If there are still important things you need then you can put them on the sides of the bags which generally can still hold items. You could even put some between your rolled clothes. For breakables you could stuff them between your clothes for extra protection. Use a separate bag or pouch for gadgets like chargers and aux cords as they are prone to entangling or even an old Sunglass case to put them inside. You could stuff them inside your clothes in different locations of the bag, that will prevent them from entangling with each other. Once all is done you are good to go!