Ways to Pack for a Trip

Packing for a trip can seem like a daunting task. Lots of us put it off until the night before leaving for vacation. So when it's finally time to get everything together, how do you pack?

One way we love to pack is with packing cubes. They’re rectangular cubes made of a strong, yet flexible fabric that zip up and keep your clothes all tucked away. They usually come in a pack of 4-6 cubes, with a few different sizes that are great for different things. The smallest cube is great for underwear, socks, scarves, etc. The next size up could be used for tank tops or undershirts. The medium sized cubes are great for regular t-shirts, blouses, button ups, long sleeve shirts, or even sundresses. Pants, shorts, skirts and bigger, bulkier items fit well in the largest cube. Once you have your clothes sorted in the cubes, they're easy to squish down and zip up. Then you just stack them on top of each other in your suitcase - like the game Tetris! We especially love packing cubes because it's easy to find what you're looking for. You can buy packing cubes on Amazon or somewhere like Target or Walmart.

Another method is "flat packing," which is exactly what it sounds like. You lay all of your clothing flat in your suitcase. Typically, you'd start with the longest clothing at the bottom - pants, dresses, shorts, then move to shirts/tops and smaller items. Let the ends of your pants drape over the sides of your suitcase until everything is in there. Tuck curved items, like socks and bras, into the corners and shoes along the sides. Last, you just neatly flip the long garments back over onto the top of everything. You can fit a lot more when each piece of clothing is just a single layer in your bag! The only downside is sometimes you have to search through a lot of layers until you find what you're looking for.

A third option is to roll you clothes. Rolling your clothes can actually be done a couple of different ways. Some people choose to roll each outfit together so in the morning, you just pull out that one “roll” and you’re good to go. Take the largest garment, usually the pants, dress or skirt, and lay it down, then put your blouse on top of that, bra, undies, socks, accessories, etc., then just tightly roll the whole thing up. When you’re ready to get dressed, it’s already put together for you. The other option is roll each garment separately, then put them in your suitcase by type. All bottoms go on one side, all tops go on the other side, and all of the smaller things fill the space in the middle. When it’s time to get dressed, just grab one piece from each side, and the accessories from the middle. As you might have guessed, rolling you clothes works great if you’re moving around a lot and not going to be unpacking when you get to your destination. Many people choose this method, but the nice thing is that with all of these options, you’re sure to find one that works best for you.

Written by Alyssa Nelson and Doug Orens, Plaza Travel