Packing your bags is one of the least enjoyable travel‐related activities. It seems you always forget something and end up having to purchase an expensive version at the hotel or gift shop where you end up staying. Unless you’re a veteran traveler, and in some cases even if you are, you may not know how to pack your bags for maximum space.
Maybe you are tired of your jewelry getting tossed around in your baggage, or you hate the idea of pulling expensive clothes out of your bags and seeing deep-set wrinkles. If you have had these or other issues when packing for travel, use the following 4 travel hacks for maximum space and minimum frustration.
1 ‐ Roll Your Clothes for More Space
It may seem to make sense to layer and fold your clothes when packing for a trip. After all, most suitcases and many carry‐on bags are rectangular in shape. However, this is not the most space‐saving way to prepare your clothes before you pack them. Veteran travelers will tell that rolling your clothes before packing your bags is always the way to go.
Roll and layer, instead of folding and stacking. Try it when you have some free time. You might be surprised by how much extra room you can get by using this bag packing travel hack.
2 ‐ Plastic Wrap Your Jewelry
Jewelry has a way of getting jumbled, scratched, and scraped during travel. If you ever spent some time as a baggage handler, you would understand why. Even if your jewelry is not expensive, you don’t want it tangled or damaged. To keep this from happening, layer your watches, rings, necklaces, and bracelets between two layers of plastic wrap before packing them away.
This prevents almost any movement. It means never again having to spend valuable vacation time untangling jewelry, only to find your favorite necklace has been scratched or otherwise damaged.
3 ‐ Easily Wrinkled Clothes Should Be Placed in Dry‐Cleaning Bags
Clothes that are prone to wrinkling should be placed in clear dry‐cleaning bags before folding them. Not all clothing can be rolled, as we recommended earlier. In this case, if you have fine clothing or clothing which wrinkles, place these items in dry‐cleaning bags before folding. Remarkably, that thin layer of plastic prevents wrinkles from setting into your clothes.
4 – Use the Space inside Your Shoes As Extra Packing Area
Shoes can take up a lot of room in your suitcases and travel bags. If you are short on space, why not use that extra empty air inside your shoes for toiletries, lotions and other small items? If you carry several pairs of shoes on your next trip, this can save some considerable space.