Hello everyone! As you may, or may not, know I will be traveling back home to Chicago in a few days! While packing for this trip, I've been met with so many challenges concerning how to fit everything in a carry-on and dealing with flight restrictions. After much trial and error and about 3 days of packing, I finally have everything stuffed in my suitcase and ready to go! Here are ten tips I found super useful to pack right and make it all fit!
Tip 1: Flatten out your clothes as much as you can, or roll.
I find flattening out your clothes the best way to save space. If you're traveling alone, I highly recommend stuffing your carry-on as much as you can since, typically, there are no weight restrictions on carry-on's! Don't waste extra money checking in a bag. If flattening out is not an option, or you're just not savvy at folding clothes, go ahead and roll your clothes! This will save you some space and will not wrinkle your clothes.
Tip 2: Place chargers in old glasses cases.
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| Woo glasses! |
I don't know about you, but when I travel I bring all of my electronics. I need my iPad charger, laptop charger, and most importantly, my phone charger! I used to stuff all of these into a bag and place it in my carry-on, but they would get so tangled inside and it was just a mess. I have tons of old glasses cases because my family was blessed with imperfect vision. I stick the wire and the wall charger in them and bam! They save space and they don't get tangled. Plus, they're super organized.
Tip 3: Don't bring anything that's unnecessary.
This might just be the golden rule for any trip, but trust me, you probably do bring tons of unnecessary things. Don't bring your toothbrush/toothpaste! Hotels ALWAYS have toothbrushes and toothpaste you can use. Some even have mouthwash and floss. I never bring mine because it's just unsanitary. Don't take the entire bottle of contact solution/hair products especially if it's just a weekend trip. Don't bring your entire jewelry/makeup collection. Try to pick a few pieces of jewelry that fit with almost every outfit and wear them to the airport! It saves you the fear of them breaking. Also, I recommend buying small eyeshadow pallets that are in neutral colors so you won't have to bring every color out there. Bring one or two lipsticks, one eyeliner and maybe even some mascara. My BB cream that I use from Rimmel London is already travel friendly so try to pick up a smaller bottle of your foundation or BB cream.
P.S. if you'll be attending a wedding at your destination, do not follow this tip because girl, you need your entire jewelry/makeup collection and your closet to come with you.
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| I believe this was on sale for maybe $7? |
Okay so this tip is kind of cheating the system, but hey, they allow it. For travel, I don't bring my purse. I usually put my purse in my carry-on and my personal item becomes a small backpack I bought from Clarks. I place everything that doesn't fit inside my carry-on and other delicates into this bag. My jewelry, iPad, phone, wallet, and other just random small things go in it. I recommend buying a small backpack or larger purse to place everything else into. As long as it stows, it goes.
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| Honestly, I squish my shoes in by laying them on their side. They look like all nice due to pictures. |
I'm a shoe addict. I have to have a different pair of shoes for every outfit and if you're like me, it becomes an issue. Packing shoes is not an easy task. I found that placing my shoes either together or individually into shower caps protects my clothes from getting dirty and it allows more leeway for me to stuff my shoes into smaller corners and nooks.
When you're low on space, I highly recommend wearing some of the clothes you were going to pack, to the airport. For example, I packed two cardigans which were taking up quite a bit of space and I had packed my pajamas. To save space, I wear my pajamas to the airport with one of those cardigans and change into my nicer clothes when I land at my destination. I also wear the same thing when I come back home. This saves tons of space and honestly, who cares what you look like at the airport? It's the airport, not a fashion show.
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| Favorite book + representing Samsung |
Long flights are THE WORST especially if you're sitting next to somebody who may be snoring or making odd noises. Personally, I've always sat with my sister on flights so I've never had a problem. However, that could change in the future! Either way, it's always a good idea to bring a good book or magazine. I also love to bring headphones for music and audio books! Plus, they block out most airplane noises.
TSA has a rule against liquids higher than 3 fl oz. They never said I couldn't bring an empty water bottle to fill water with! So on my flight departing from Sea-Tac, a TSA agent kindly told us that they will let empty water bottles go through so you can fill it from a water station in the terminal. I find this so helpful because I drink water ALL THE TIME and I'm not about to pay for overpriced water at the airport or on my flight.
A while back, my dad found this travel weigher thing at Kohl's. All you do is strap is onto your suitcase, lift, and it will tell you the weight in kilos and pounds. It's so helpful if you're like me and always worrying whether your checked baggage will be overweight or not (hehe overweight...).
Last but not least, double and triple check that you have EVERYTHING. I forgot my facial moisturizer when I went to Vancouver and it was not okay. I always forget the tiniest thing when going on trips and it's the worst. I now use travel apps such as PackPoint to create a checklist so I will no longer forget and regret.
Hopefully these travel tips are helpful to at least one of you out there! Let's share travel tips together :D
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