Pack Your Suitcase Like a Pro
Tired of being the one with excess baggage? We asked three different types of pros — a flight attendant, an expert organizer, and a pair of travel bloggers — to share their suitcase-stuffing wisdom. Follow their tips for painless packing sessions.
We’ve all been there: Before each big trip you resolve the same thing — you definitely, absolutely won’t overpack. But then you find yourself stuffing in your favorite clothes like they’re security blankets, fearful that the thing you leave out will be the exact item you decide you desperately want to wear, and you end up lugging around a 50-pound suitcase containing several pairs of jeans, far too many shoes, and absolutely no sign of organization. There’s a better way, swear the pros — the ones who expertly fill their travel bags like it’s their job because, well, it is. Here are their secrets to the perfect pack(ing) mentality.
Tips From a Flight Attendant
Follow a Routine
Delta flight attendant Torey Stockwell stocks his suitcase in the exact same order each time. “I’ve learned that when I’m consistent, there’s less room for error,” says Stockwell, who also makes lists before he packs and then double checks his work. (Always in his stash: a compact umbrella and a light jacket for unexpected weather changes and particularly chilly conference rooms.)
Go Tiny
With your toiletries, that is. Three-plus years of flying the friendly skies have taught Stockwell that most people go overboard when it comes to packing their personal items. Pare down to just the things you truly need and then spring for travel-sized versions of your favorites, saving yourself the hassle of having to check a bag.
Get Personal
Depending on plane size, you may end up having to gate-check your roller bag. Prep for the inconvenience (and potential lost luggage) by stocking a smaller carry-on, like a backpack or tote, with essentials: toothbrush, snacks, a change of clothes. Include an external battery so you’re never scouring the airport for an outlet.
Roll With It
When it comes to the age-old clothing debate — roll versus fold — Stockwell is a fan of the former. “Rolling allows you to get more pieces of clothing in,” he says, “and it helps prevent creases.”
Tips From the Travel Bloggers
Stick With the Six-Day Rule
Even on lengthy trips, Dave Bouskill and Debra Corbeil are committed to traveling light. The couple behind the adventure blog The Planet D never pack more than six days’ worth of clothes. If they know they won’t have access to a washer and dryer, they’ll pack detergent sheets and a universal sink stopper for hand-washing and a clothesline with suction cups for air-drying in the shower.
Pad Your Packing Time
More than a decade of seeing the world has taught Corbeil exactly what she needs for adventures — must-haves include lightweight microfiber shirts and a Vulcan mini surge protector — and yet, she admits: “I always find when I first pack, it’s way too much.” So she makes it a point to pack a few days in advance, and then typically pulls out some items the night before. “People tend to go overboard with shoes especially,” notes Corbeil. Her footwear formula: sandals, ballet flats, and comfortable walking shoes.
It Pays to Be Square
Color-coded packing cubes are the key to this pair’s streamlined system. They use the nylon compression sacks in various sizes to hold shirts, socks, underwear, and more to economize their space and make unpacking more efficient. And when they share a bag, “I can have my color of stuff and Deb can have hers,” says Bouskill.
Tips From the Professional Organizer
Plan Around a Limited Palette
Beth Penn, founder of professional organization company Bneato Bar, packs just one pair of pants for every three tops. The trick to making it work (and not look like you’re rewearing the same stuff each day): Choose neutral hues and change up the looks with colorful accessories, says Penn.
File it Away
A proponent of Marie Kondo’s teachings long before her Netflix series, Penn subscribes to her system of “filing” clothes, folding an item in half and then in half again before placing it in her suitcase vertically as if it were a folder in a drawer. “This way, everything sort of stands up to greet you, as Marie would say,” explains the author of The Little Book of Tidying: Declutter Your Home and Your Life. “The suitcase sort of acts as a drawer, and you can actually see everything and pull one item out, which you couldn’t do if you were just laying everything flat.”
Leave Whatever You Can Behind
When traveling with her toddler, Penn cuts down on their baggage by buying diapers and other necessities at their destination. She also relies on travel-size toiletries and checks on whether their Airbnb has a hairdryer or other must-haves. “It definitely requires planning,” she notes, “but I think you reap the rewards when you’re not lugging a giant suitcase through the airport.”
About the author: Sarah Grossbart is a Michigan-born, New York-based writer-editor who has written for Us Weekly, E! News, HGTV Magazine, Real Simple, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Glamour. When she’s not busy running or yelling at a Michigan State basketball game, she can usually be found watching bad reality TV.
