My Favorite Ways to Pack

Packing out for you upcoming trip is full of excitement. Excitement because you finally get that time off work, to enjoy your much anticipated trip, and leave your day to day behind for a bit. Excitement for exploring a new place or visiting an old favorite. Maybe seeing family that you have not seen for a while. Either way, it is always something to look forward to. But through all the excitement, nerves always kick in… Do I have enough clothes for the trip? What if it gets colder than I thought? Do I have enough essential items to last the trip? All these questions come up when packing but it does not have to be stressful.

One thing that I’ve learned from domestic travel to across the world, unless you are intentionally going to a remote location, you will be able to get essentials with little effort. Anything from toiletries, diapers, typical food, etc. please do not stress about this, you can always pick up items on your trip in case you run out. I’ve outlined a few ways that I like to prepare for a trip and tips that I’ve given many people over the years.

• Packing cubes : These are my absolute favorite item when traveling. If you do not have them or have not heard of them, they should be in everyone’s possession even for weekend trips. Basically, they are individual cubes that divide your clothes and/or belongings and keep them in a nice, neat cube. I will divide my clothes out into these cubes before I pack them away to give me a lot easier time to unload/load my belonging. You can dig through your suitcase or backpack without messing up all the clothes inside and removed/replace them with ease. These are the cubes I recommend :

• Suitcase or backpack : I am a huge fan of a backpack. I have, over the years, converted to only using backpacks when I travel and half-way converted Christy. We have every size of backpack, it seems, to travel with… Everything from an 18L to a 55L and about every size in between. To me, this is an easy, hands free way to travel. You never have to worry about uneven ground, curbs, dragging it for long stretches, etc. However, both of our boys now ride on our wheelie suitcase so that makes it not only fun for them, but easy that we do not have to carry them. To each their own…
  

• Toiletry bag : If you don’t have a toiletry bag, I would recommend getting one. Especially now I have kids, we keep all of our toilets contained in one bag divided in separate compartments. I will keep basic medicine, band-aids, deodorant, toothbrush, fingernail clippers, etc in one easy to access location. This is alway where I keep my kids medicine and vitamins so they don’t get lost in their luggage. Something like this is the best :

• Easy to access chargers : This one is pretty obvious but it’s always good to have a charger for your electronics where you can access it easy. The last thing you want to do is have to unload your suitcase looking for a charger that you buried in the bottom. Keep it on an outside pocket or similar to avoid unloading your suitcase (unless you have packing cubes, then it’s easy!)
  

• Travel adapter : If you are going International, there is a good chance you’ll need a travel adaptor. A lot of the Caribbean counties will have US ports for their customers but outside of that, you will probably need an adaptor. Get a universal adaptor that will fit most countries outlets. Here is the one we have :

• Wet wipes : This has been another item I have added to my packing list since I have had kids. Even when you don’t have kids, its always nice to have a small pack of wet wipes to pack with you for easy cleanup in airports or when out and about. They come in handy much more that I would have thought

• Snacks and food : Airlines and TSA allow you to bring dry food through security. You can always pick some up in the airport but it’s easy just to throw in a couple snacks so you don’t have to stop and grab something on your way to the gate. You can avoid paying the high costs of the airport as well, so that’s a plus.

• A plastic reusable water bottle. Disposable water bottles are ridiculously expensive at the airports, but most airports have a water dispenser to fill up your own bottles. It is better for the environment, but also really can add up in cost savings. You can also refill it before you board so then you do not have to buy water on the flight either.

Hopefully this helps you get on your way to a little bit easier packing for your next adventure!