Travel Easy: Top 10 Tips to Pack Light and Enjoy

Best Tips For Packing A Family; Woman Packing Suitcase
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Packing for one person can be a chore. It gets even more difficult when you have to pack for a whole family. This is because there are so many things to consider.

When planning a holiday, it’s helpful to have some simple tips to make packing easier. For example, you can start by making a list of everything you need. This helps ensure that nothing important is left behind.

Using a few tricks can make packing for your family much simpler. For instance, you can use separate bags for different types of items, like one for clothes and another for toiletries.

Start planning your family’s next holiday today and make packing a breeze with these simple tips!

Storage for washables

Close-up of a pink mesh laundry bag with a zipper, containing assorted colored clothing.
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Get a small mesh or fabric bag for your dirty clothes when you travel. This keeps the rest of your clothes clean and fresh.

Don’t use a plastic bag or something else that doesn’t let air in. This can make damp clothes get moldy. If you have a wet swimsuit, use a waterproof bag to keep it dry until you can wash it.

Check for weight

Woman packing a suitcase in a living room, surrounded by clothes and accessories on the floor.
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Put your biggest things at the bottom of your suitcase to keep it balanced.

A suitcase that is not balanced is harder to roll and might fall over. Also, remember to check the weight on each side of a suitcase that opens like a clamshell. It’s easy for all the weight to be on one side.

Roll Your Clothes

Person packing a suitcase with neatly folded clothes on a bed, next to a camera and a strap.
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Roll your clothes up to save space. This is a great way to pack bags and one of our best tips. Before putting them in a suitcase, each item is rolled up.

Rolling clothes makes it easy to pick what you want because you can see everything at the top. It also helps keep clothes from getting wrinkled.

Pack Less Shoes Than You Want

Hands placing white sneakers into an open suitcase on a wooden floor, with clothes and a map visible inside.
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If you want to travel light, don’t pack more than two pairs of shoes. Keep it to just two pairs. Shoes take up a lot of space. Try to bring the least number of shoes you can. Bring your most comfortable walking shoes and a nicer pair if you plan to go out.

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Carry Your Shoes

Person packing white sneakers with orange socks in a suitcase, alongside folded clothes.
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Make the most of the space in your suitcase by packing a pair of shoes. Shoes often cause problems when packing a backpack because they are heavy and take up a lot of space. If you pack carefully, you can use the space inside your shoes.

You can fill your shoes with socks, a glass item like perfume, or a cologne bottle. This helps save space and can protect fragile items during travel.

You can miss out on toiletries

Hotel toiletries including two shampoo bottles, a conditioner bottle, and a bar of soap on a tray, with two inverted glasses in the background.
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Hotels usually provide basic things like soap and shampoo for all hair types. So, you don’t need to bring them. Instead of packing items like facial creams, toothpaste, face wash, and deodorant, you can get them at a local store.

You might pay a bit more, but buying local helps make your checked luggage lighter when flying.

Pack For Only A few Days

Best Packing Tips To Pack Whole Family; Family Packing Suitcase
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No matter how long your vacation is, pack only what you need for a week. Many places have laundry facilities. This means you don’t need to pack as much for a two-week trip. Renting an apartment with laundry facilities is a good idea.

Always keep An Extra Bag

Person putting a silver water bottle into a beige tote bag.
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You should bring a clear, empty bag or tote with your other belongings. The empty bag can be used as an additional carry-on when you return home for the unavoidable excess of items you acquired while there.

It can act as your day bag when traveling, containing everything you’ll need for your excursions. Travelers almost always need more space on the way home because of souvenirs, a lack of organization, and fundamental packing fatigue. That is made simpler by the empty bag.

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Pack Versatile Clothing

Person packing folded jeans into an open suitcase, surrounded by items like a laptop, sunglasses, a phone, and a tie.
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When choosing what to pack, selecting a week’s worth of versatile clothes is preferable rather than bringing items that will only be useful sometimes. Pack a pair of sturdy pants and a button-up shirt appropriate for a formal dinner and a jungle expedition.

Pack a variety of clothing that you may mix and match. Remember that black complements everything, and steer clear of clashing hues. Plan your dress so that you can easily combine them.

Small packets are important

An open pill organizer with assorted pills and capsules scattered on a pink surface.
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If you usually take vitamins, supplements, or medications, split them out for your trip rather than taking the entire bottle. Place it in a little bag or pill organizer to reduce bulk.

Just make sure you have the label if it’s a prescription! Try using little pill packs if they are the correct size.

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Enjoy Your Trip

A family of four, with two adults and two children, wearing casual summer clothes, walks out of a building carrying luggage and smiling.

Packing is not the best part of a trip. Using these tips will help you avoid extra baggage fees. You also won’t have to carry so much weight. The less you worry about luggage, the more you can enjoy your trip.

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