What to Bring

Before we can break down the best way to stuff as many clothes into your carry-on luggage or checked luggage, the most crucial step is knowing precisely what you plan on bringing. One handy trick to reducing travel anxiety is starting a list of items to pack a day or two before departure. Break down that list into three categories: essentials, needs, and wants. Prescription medication and contact lenses are essentials, generally considered items unique to you. You cannot simply purchase these items at the airport shopping mart. Think of needs as your toothbrush, phone charger, clothes, and shoes, items that are guaranteed to be used on your trip but not necessarily irreplaceable. Finally, wants are like the straw hat, GoPro kit, or that sweet pair of kicks you may use once for a few hours. Will they make or break the trip? Absolutely not. Will they make it more fun? Absolutely.

How to Fold

It all depends on the type of clothing. While rolling up items tightly might be the most efficient way of cramming clothes in, you're better off not taking a rubber band to your freshly pressed dress shirt or skirt. Instead, it's best to mix up the folding tactic based on the type of clothing article. The rolling method receives the thumbs up for wrinkle-resistant items such as cotton shirts, underwear, and sweaters. Diligently folding and flattening to keep in tidy order for things you're hoping to stay crease-free. Another consideration is the type of bag you're using to travel. Utilizing a hardside piece of luggage offers less leniency, but as we discussed in our December Travel Tips, the upside of polycarbonate and aluminum products is the protection it provides. But while hardside luggage is restricting, softside suitcases may offer a false sense of hope. A hardshell suitcase presents instant feedback concerning capacity. A softshell suitcase or duffel bag can be overloaded, making it difficult to know if it will meet the necessary dimensions to qualify as a carry-on. A good rule of thumb, if the zipper is hard to close, you may have too many clothes.

Order to Pack

If you're interested in bringing the most clothes possible, the order you pack will play a prominent role. Explore the bottom of your bag, filling in every nook and cranny with soft, tightly rolled items. Start with more oversized clothing such as sweaters and sweatpants before filling in the gaps with t-shirts, underwear, and socks. The second layer of clothing will consist of items you're hoping to keep crease-free. Lay jeans, slacks, button-ups, blouses, and jackets as neatly as possible, alternating directions to keep from bunching up fabric on one side. Finally, finish your packing pyramid with a water-proof bag containing shoes, your toiletry bag, and any other non-breakable bulk item.

How to Protect Valuables

Not mentioned above? Your valuable, breakable items. Electronics and accessories can often rise to the level of essential, just like medication and contact lenses. Depending on the nature and accessibility needs for these items, you'll be able to insert them at different stages of the packing process. For articles needing to be readily available at a moment's notice, consider placing them in a backpack instead of your checked luggage or carry-on. For items that won't be required before arriving at your destination, consider putting in your checked luggage between your soft, rolled-up items and your more delicate clothing items, ensuring padded protection from above and below. If you are storing electronics in carry-on luggage, place them near the top, allowing for easy retrieval during the TSA screening procedure.

What About Shoes?

As mentioned above, placing shoes in a separate bag within your luggage will keep dirt and bacteria from leaching onto your clothes. Concerning space, consider minimizing the number of shoe options to keep your bag from overflowing. At the minimum, be sure to pack a utility shoe, slip-on shoe, and a more formal shoe. If traveling with softside luggage, storing shoes along the sides helps optimize space by creating more rigid walls in the bag. When using hardside luggage, placing shoes on top will work just fine.

Toiletries

One of the best strategies for travel is to have a toiletry bag always prepared and stocked with essentials. Doing so will reduce stress when it comes time to prepare for your trip. Having a dedicated bag that houses toothpaste, a toothbrush, contact solution, travel-sized bottles of shampoo and soap, plus any other type of toiletry, will keep you organized before, during, and after your trip.

Dirty Laundry

Lastly, consider bringing plastic bags for transporting dirty clothes on the return trip. Nothing is worse than having an article of clothing render half a suitcase of clean clothes unwearable. Reduce the amount of laundry required upon return by separating the dirty clothes and keeping your unused garments clean.

Summary

Ultimately the goal is to avoid airline fees for extra or oversized bags. By maximizing space with the luggage you have, you can travel with confidence, knowing you have everything you need and then some.

Whether you're traveling with one neatly packed bag or five, reserving your parking space in advance means you have one less thing to worry about when it's time to leave. With open-air, covered, and even valet parking, we can get you the spot you need to make your trip that much easier.

For additional travel tips for airline travel, see oursafety tips and tips on how to pack a carry-on bag for five days.

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