You’ve booked your trip and purchased the travel book, marking up pages with what you plan to do on your well-deserved vacation. Now it’s time for one of the most important parts of traveling that can truly make or break your trip – packing. If not done properly, forgetting essential items can definitely put a damper on your trip.
Luckily, we have a game plan to help make your trip the best it can be with just a few simple tips.
- Checklist
One of the best things to do before you start packing is to create a packing checklist. Start by going through your daily routine to catch everything you use on a daily basis. It’s a good idea to start this list far in advance of your trip, so as you go about your average business you may come across items you’ve left off the list. Leaving your list in separate rooms each day is a great tactic to help follow your routine and continually add to the list. For example, taking your list to your bathroom to follow your morning routine may help document all the products you use so you can include them in your suitcase the day before your trip.
- Start Organizing
Once your list is finished and you’re ready to start packing, it’s a good idea to have everything laid out in front of you before actually placing your items in your luggage. If you lay out your clothes on the bed it can lead to unorganized packing. A simple valet pole in your closet can help in numerous ways. In case you are not familiar with a valet pole, it is one of the most useful and inexpensive accessories you can add to your closet . Basically, it is a little telescopic pole which is 12 – 14 long when extended, and is attached to the vertical partition. The many uses include when deciding what to wear, what to pack for the trip, and when you are bringing dry cleaning home and don’t want to put the dry cleaning away that minute. The valet pole in your closet will allow you to pack for your trip because you can see everything individually, rather than in stacks on the bed. As you go about hanging your packing items on the valet pole, it’s a good idea to organize occasion by occasion for each day. For example, start with what you’ll need for one of your sightseeing days. Will you be doing a lot of walking? Will you be going directly from sightseeing to a nice restaurant? Whatever you’ve planned to fill your day, use your valet pole to organize one day and one event at a time. Once you see everything on your valet pole you will quickly notice if something is right. If you are one of those people who packs within a color scheme this will help you coordinate all your possible outfit options. If possible, even hang your toiletries, shoes, or any other items you may need on your valet pole in order to remain organized. This brings us to our next tip:
- Pack it all in
Hanging toiletry bags is not only a great way to help you during the organization process and allow you to keep everything in one place as you pack, but they’ll also help protect your luggage and clothing from any liquids you may pack. As we all know, it’s best to keep any toiletry bags in your checked luggage, as airlines may confiscate anything with sharp points or that exceed the amount of liquid you’re allowed to carry. Keep your toiletry bag tightly packed in your luggage to help prevent it from shifting and causing a spill as you travel. Written by Bonnie at Lovely Jewelry Organizers. Bonnie has been a designer of organizational spaces for 14 years. She has designed commercial as well as residential offices, media centers, closets, pantries and more. She has designed a jewelry storage system to fit any type of jewelry in varying amounts and with drawers of varying sizes.
