Anticipating your upcoming trip’s one of the best parts of planning a holiday.
Psychologists say that dreaming of your upcoming getaway’s a type of self-care. It helps boost your mood and combat stress.
Thinking about all the fun things you’ll do and planning your wardrobe accordingly are fun and constructive ways to pass the time before you leave. So it’s disappointing to hear the term ‘pack light’ when it comes to travel.
We say – it’s not what you pack, it’s how you pack. Read on for the top ways to save space travelling so you don’t have to leave home without your favourite outfits.
Planning is key in travel packing
The laws of physics dictate that the more you can fit into your suitcase, the more you can take along with you. Try some of these packing hacks to help you make the most of your space.
Step one is planning your outfits for the duration of your stay. Lay everything out on your bed, or the floor, and study it closely.
Do you have any duplicate items? One pair of black pants or denim jeans can work with a lot of different looks. Do you need to take three different pairs of brown shoes?
Embrace the power of mixing and matching items to help you cut down on what you take along with you without sacrificing on style.
Leggings are a wonderful travel companion. They work well with a wide range of looks and if you’re travelling to a cold place, they double as an extra warm layer underneath baggy clothing.
Once you’ve narrowed down your selection, the next step is choosing the right size suitcase and packing it like a pro. Keep reading for more of the best tips for saving space.
Pack light vs pack right
While you’re planning your outfits, set aside what you’ll be wearing during the journey.
Select some of your heaviest items and your chunkiest pair of shoes for this task. A warm coat that you can take off in transit will serve you well if the weather turns nasty during your holiday.
Wearing these bulky items means you’ll have them to hand when needed during your holiday, but they won’t take up space in your suitcase. That means you’ll benefit even more from the following space-saving hacks.
Roll up your clothing
This is one of the oldest and best packing hacks ever. Instead of folding your clothes flat, roll them up into tubes. They’ll take up a lot less space and won’t wrinkle as much during your journey.
Rolling doesn’t work well for things like wrinkle-prone dresses and shirts, or those made from stiff fabrics. That’s okay though. You’ll have plenty of space left for them thanks to your clever packing tactics.
As an extra precaution against wrinkles, you can also seal these flat-folded items in suitcase vacuum storage bags.
Use your shoes
Most shoes have plenty of space inside them and they can overcrowd your suitcase too. Squish whatever you can into your shoes.
Socks work best, but underwear will also do. You can either squish it in or fold it into neat little squares so it takes up even less space.
If you’re travelling with small children, their shoes will fit inside yours.
Precision packing
If you’re good at puzzles, you’ll shine at this part of your packing task. Pack your shoes in the bottom of your suitcase and fill them up with whatever you can first.
Then, turn them sideways and lay them alongside one another so the heels and toes meet. Fill in any gaps with any small items you have left. Wrap your belts around the inside or your suitcase instead of rolling them up.
Layer your rolled-up clothes on top of your shoes, making sure you don’t leave any gaps in between them. Then, layer the folded items on top. Lastly, seal your towel in a vacuum bag and tuck it neatly over the top of all your clothes.
Use small spaces for small items
Avoid packing air. There are ways to make use of small empty spaces or avoid them altogether.
Sunglasses are essential for seaside travel and your sunglasses case is a great place to stash small items like earrings, lip balm, or your cell phone charger.
Tips for packing cosmetics and toiletries
Cosmetics and toiletries can take up lots of room in your suitcase. Don’t take half-full bottles along with you. Rather buy small quantities of soap, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion on arrival at your destination.
If you’re heading off to a remote destination, or on a tight budget, you can decant travel-size quantities of these products into smaller containers.
Don’t add more bags, like toiletry bags to the inside of your suitcase. Rather squish small bottles of makeup and toiletries into the corners of your suitcase.
If you’re worried about your bottles breaking along the way, wrap them in socks to protect them from rough handling, or roll one of your t-shirts around them.
Pack a few cotton swabs into a pill bottle instead of bringing the whole box. This way, they won’t get bent out of shape en-route either.
For overnight trips, a recently-scrubbed contact lens case is the perfect size for one application’s worth of foundation and concealer.
Packing jewelry
Leave your jewellery box at home. Rather, lay out all your jewellery items as flat as you can and vacuum seal them into one flat unit.
This fits easily on top of all your clothes and will prevent tangles in transit. You can also pack earrings and rings into a pill case or attach your stud earrings to buttons on your clothes.
Save space travelling by plane, car, or train
Your mode of transport determines how to best save space while travelling. Aeroplanes are notorious for their high extra baggage charges, but every type of transport has it’s drawbacks when it comes to extra luggage.
Once you’ve mastered all the handy tips mentioned above, there are still more ways to cut down on space. Here’s how to pack for air, car, and rail travel:
Packing for airline travel
When you’re travelling by air you’ll have to pay extra if you have more than one bag, so it’s really important to cram as much as you can into your suitcase.
Hybrid luggage with vacuum technology is your go-to for packing as much as possible into your suitcase. You can get as much as 50% more into your suitcase thanks to this technology.
Packing for your journey by car
More luggage means less legroom when you’re taking a road trip.
This translates into discomfort and stress during a time when tempers are often already frayed by traffic congestion and delays. Stress is the leading cause of road rage incidents which in turn cause a third of all traffic accidents.
Help save space in your care with innovative packing systems like vacuum storage boxes. These can help you cut down on 75% of the storage space needed for clothes while you’re in transit.
Saving space on your travels by train
When you choose to go by train, you’ll face many of the same restrictions associated with air travel when it comes to baggage.
A carry on bag will help you reduce the number of things you need to pack into your suitcase, so invest in some vacuum bags for clothing to help you get more into your backpack. These waterproof bags will also protect your gear from spills while in transit.
Packing your camper to save space
Taking a trip in your RV or campervan can save you up to 64% on your trip, according to a study by the international hotels advisory group, CBRE.
You’ll need a lot of luggage and equipment, and even bedding on these travels though. Home storage tips and vacuum storage packs for duvets can help you save plenty of space in your campervan or RV.
When you save space on essentials, you can bring more of the fun stuff along on holiday with you, like sports equipment.
Get more space saving tips
If you’ve followed all these travel packing tips to the letter, you might even manage to fit in a few more of your favourite outfits when packing for your trip.
Savvy space saving doesn’t end with hacks to save space travelling. Maximizing space with efficient storage tips can also help keep your home looking it’s best.
We’re the space-saving and organizing experts. So, take a look at our product range and read some more of our blogs for all the best ways to save space travelling wherever you’re going in the world.