5 Packing Tips You Didn't Know You Needed

Many of us love to travel. We get to see new sights, meet new people, and experience new things. It's exciting and adventurous! Getting all the details exactly right, well, that is reserved for the few of us who are conscientious enough to keep track of everything.

The rest of us get by with tips like these.

1) Roll 'Em Up!

The bottom of a suitcase is almost always shaped a little curiously. Sometimes folded clothes fit right in, other times, it's space that isn't used to its fullest potential. Try rolling up your smaller items like socks, underwear, or even women's T-shirts and putting them in first.

If you lay it out well, you can have a layer of rolled-up clothes which can provide you with a relatively even surface to start placing your bulkier folded items like your winter jacket or the dresses in your hanging bag.

Additionally, rolling your clothes can save space and help you pack around oddly-shaped souvenirs you bring back. If the souvenirs happen to be breakable, your rolled clothes can even provide a packing cushion to protect your things from potential damage.

2) Have Your "Basic" Bag

No, not like "basic black," but an accessible carry-on bag for all of those basic necessities you want at your fingertips. A good "basic" bag has a strap that is long enough to be worn cross-ways, to keep it secure. It is also small enough to fit in your lap without covering your entire torso. One with numerous pockets can also be useful since most of the basics tend to be small things you don't want to dig around for.

Some of those basic necessities may include chapstick, earplugs, money, tickets, a phone charger, IDs, and a book or two for the ride. It may be a few hours, but there are some things we can't live without. That's what goes in your "basic" bag.

3) Extra Sealable Bags

These are useful to separate and organize your clothes. Some people like to pack outfits in their own bags. Others prefer to have a bag of tops or bottoms so they're easily accessible when you're changing. These bags can also keep dirty clothes or wet clothes to themselves.

Plus, if you suck the air out of the bag right before you seal it, it can compress your clothes even smaller, allowing for a better fit in your suitcase. Whether you use them to pack for the trip there or to pack for the way back, consider taking advantage of sealable bags.

4) Use Smaller Accessories as Your Statement Pieces

Every outfit needs something to catch the eye. What this usually depends on your style and what part of your figure you like to emphasize. Some people feel confident in flashy blouses, others prefer to shake things up with capris or patterned bottoms.

However, when packing size and versatility are paramount. Consider making accessories your outfit's interesting feature.

A patterned scarf, a foldable hat, colorful jewelry, all these things are small, compactable, and fit better than that pair of bright red pumps. You can bring more items because they're small, and they can be worn with different combinations to liven up your outfits. It's a great choice to give you options.

5) Neutral, Dark, and Easy to Clean

When you travel, there are a lot of things out of your control. You don't have your laundry room to save your nice things from a mess. Instead of worrying about your clothes, try choosing clothes that are dark or neutral, ones that are more likely to conceal a stain and less likely to be permanently ruined should an accident occur.

Also consider more hardy fabrics, like jeans, and leave the nicer things for when you have more of your resources available to you. Plus, if you've decided on accessories as your statement pieces, neutral and dark colors will match well with those colorful earrings or set off that floral scarf.

Now that you've chosen your clothes, rolled them up, maybe organized them in bags according to outfit or placement, arranged your accessories, and packed your bag of basics, you're ready to go!