Are you looking for some packing hacks to help you travel with just what you need?
I’ve been travelling professionally for 30 years, I’ve learned lots about packing – mostly the hard way!
Let me share with you my 9 Packing Hacks to shortcut you to happy packing!
So let’s jump into my list of packing hacks to help you travel more lightly on your next trip, but also ensure you have everything you need.
Table of Contents
1. Packing Hacks – Take Two Pairs of Shoes & Wear the Heaviest When Flying
I have to confess I am not a shoe addict – if you are you might find this packing hack a bit tricky!
If you are travelling for a short trip then you probably only need 2 pairs of shoes. Of course that depends on the type of trip a little bit too. If you are going on a cruise with formal dinners to attend two pairs of shoes won’t cut it! Likewise if you are planning on walking or hiking you will need different shoes. However, for a trip up to around 5 days a couple of pairs of shoes can be enough.
A good tip is to wear the heaviest pair when you are flying to help make your suitcase a little lighter. You can easily change your shoes when you get your luggage back if it is checked, or once you are past check in and security if it is hand luggage.
I’m not including flip flops (or thongs as they known in Oz) in my shoe allowance and I often include a pair of these in my case for walking around hotels, pools. They are so lightweight and take up so little room that they really don’t count.
There are also some great lightweight shoe options available. Skechers have a good range of comfy yet supportive shoes and sandals that are lightweight too.
2. Packing Hacks – Use Packing Cubes
Packing cubes were a bit of a life changing thing when I found them some years ago. They are simply little bags that you can pack different items into, generally with zips and handles to keep them organised and make it easy to get out of your case.
Packing cubes are one of my favourite packing hacks!
For many years I had used those vacuum bags that sucked the air out of the bag and kept everything nice and squished so it didn’t crease. However, that often meant rolling around on the floor trying to get the air out of the bags to pack them and it meant doing that every time the bag needed closing again.
Packing cubes don’t require any of that.
There are two types of packing cubes. Regular cubes and compression cubes. Compression cubes generally have another zip to squish the clothing down further so the cube takes up less room in the case. This can require quite a bit of strength to do and a bit of squeezing the zip along – having tried them I’m not a fan as I’m not convinced the compression is worth the effort.
Packing cubes are great because you can organise you clothes. I organise daytime, evening and underwear separately so I easily get to everything.
3. Packing Hacks – Take Easy to Wash Underwear
Without sharing the details of what underwear I wear, which would just be too weird, when it comes to travelling I like underwear that washes and dries easily, something lightweight.
Having lightweight easy to wash and dry underwear means you can take less with you and wash and dry as you go along.
I know some people who just take a couple of pairs and wash and dry every couple of days – whether that is practical for you depends on your trip and your itinerary. Personally the thought of only travelling with 2 or 3 pairs of knickers terrifies me but each to their own!
Shampoo and soap work well for washing so there isn’t really a need to take washing powder or gel with you – it’s just something else to worry about.
The other thing to consider is disposable underwear. There is plenty of disposable cotton underwear available which seems a bit extreme to me, especially given the environmental cost of making cotton. There is also disposable paper underwear. My Dad used this when he travelled all over the world for business in the 70s to save him having to bring back underwear for washing.
If you interested in disposable (paper) underwear you can find some here!
4. Packing Hacks – Stuff Your Shoes
Shoes can be quite awkward to pack and can take up quite a bit of room in your case.
Use that room by stuffing your shoes full of socks or underwear. It’s a great way to get more room in your case which you can use to bring back some nice treats or gifts.
If you have lightweight underwear like I have mentioned above then you can get quite a lot in your shoe!
5. Packing Hacks – Roll or Tightly Fold Your Clothes
Rolling clothes can be a good way to avoid creases in clothing when travelling and also a good way to get more things in your case or packing cube. Rolling also means you see items more easily rather than having to leaf through a pile of folded items for example.
6. Packing Hacks – Put a Dryer Sheet in Your Case
If you want your clothes to smell nice why not add a dryer sheet to your case or bag?
If you are checking luggage it can often get quite cold and sometimes your clothes can end up with a bit of a damp odour as a result. A dryer sheet should help your clothes stay nice and fresh smelling – infact smelling like they have just come out of the laundry.
7. Packing Hacks – Use Hotel Toiletries
If you are staying in the sort of hotel that has toiletries then why not use them and save yourself some luggage space?
If you are staying in a nice hotel why not take the toiletries and use them for your next hotel?
If you are planning on taking hand luggage only you are going to be limited in relation to the amount of toiletries you can take. Taking your own toothpaste and deodorant means you don’t need much space in your bag. If for any reason your hotel doesn’t have toiletries then just buy some while you are there. If there is some left and you can’t bring it home because it’s too big for the hand luggage requirements why not leave it for the housekeeping team with a little note?
8. Packing Hacks – Take a Roll Up Toiletry Bag
If you are travelling on a longer trip and you are going to need more toiletries, medication etc then a roll up toiletries bag is a great idea.
If you get one that has a hanging hook you can easily hang it up when you get to your hotel bathroom and easily find everything you need.
Hanging your toiletries also means that housekeeping can clean your bathroom and they don’t have to move or rearrange all your toiletries to do so (meaning less risk of any cleaning chemicals ending up on your toothbrush).
9. Packing Hacks – Ticketless Travel
Oh tickets seem so old fashioned don’t they? Especially in the world of apps.
Apps are fantastic for facilitating ticketless travel – lots of airlines now do ticketless travel which saves the palava of having to print out a ticket somewhere before you get to the airport if you are doing online checkin.
If you want an app that you can send all your itineraries too and it will keep them in one place so you can access all your passes and travel documents then Tripit does exactly that. It’s a trip planner and flight tracker app combined to make everything super simple and finding everything very easy too.
One of the issues with ticketless travel is that you need enough battery to scan in and out which can be tricky if you are flying on one or more flights during the day. If you are worried about your battery not making it then perhaps book a battery booster. You need to be careful with some of these to make sure they don’t contain lithium, as some planes don’t allow lithium batteries in your hand luggage.
Check out a selection of mobile battery chargers here.
Further Reading
If you have found this article about packing hacks useful then check out my tried and tested travel essentials to help you travel with just what you need.
Page Links
Other Articles
- Airport Lounge Membership Comparison: Which is Best for You?Are you looking interested in airport lounge access? Are you a regular user of lounges and looking for airport lounge membership comparison to find you best option? Great! That’s exactly what you will find right here. First let’s answer one of the most common questions when it comes to airport lounge membership plans. What’s the… Read More »Airport Lounge Membership Comparison: Which is Best for You?
- Coach Holiday Hacks10 Coach Holiday Hacks based on over 25 years taking coach holidays all over the world. Some hacks I have gleaned from my guests and some are my own. They will help you travel like a Coach Holiday Expert
- 12 Happy Travel Hacks To Leave a Trail of Beautiful SmilesDo you like to enjoy happy travel? Do you want to leave a little trail of smiles wherever you go and spread a bit of love and positivity? Then check out this list of happy travel hacks! Table of Contents Happy Travel Hacks 1Learn a Few Words of the Local LanguageHappy Travel Hacks Number 2Take… Read More »12 Happy Travel Hacks To Leave a Trail of Beautiful Smiles
- 6 Amazing Flight Hacks for Cheap Deals To Great PlacesAre you looking for flight hacks to find cheap flights? Great – I’ve got a list of them right here! Read on to find some great tips to help you save money. Table of Contents Fab Flight Hacks for Finding Bargains Number 1 of Flight HacksSearch Everywhere from Starting AirportNumber 2 of Flight HacksReverse SearchNumber… Read More »6 Amazing Flight Hacks for Cheap Deals To Great Places
- Easyjet Baggage – Allowances, Costs & All You Need to KnowTable of Contents What is the Easyjet Baggage Allowance?1. Easyjet Baggage Allowance – 2022 Policy2. Easyjet Baggage – What Size Bag is Free on Easyjet?3. Easyjet Baggage – Underseat Bags/Cases Pro’s and Con’s4. Easyjet Baggage – Underseat Bag What is the Easyjet Baggage Allowance? The allowance varies depending what type of seat or fare you… Read More »Easyjet Baggage – Allowances, Costs & All You Need to Know
- 9 Tried and Tested Easy Travel Packing HacksAre you looking for some packing hacks to help you travel with just what you need? I’ve been travelling professionally for 30 years, I’ve learned lots about packing – mostly the hard way! Let me share with you my 9 Packing Hacks to shortcut you to happy packing! So let’s jump into my list of… Read More »9 Tried and Tested Easy Travel Packing Hacks
- 10 Reasons To Love Gatwick Airport – Family Friendly & Great Hotel OptionsAre you going to be travelling through Gatwick Airport? Are you staying over? Well it’s a lovely airport, so here are my 10 reasons to love Gatwick airport! Table of Contents 10 Reasons to Love Gatwick AirportReason 1 – Onsite Hotels10 Reasons to Love Gatwick AirportReason 2 – On Campus Hotels10 Reasons to Love Gatwick… Read More »10 Reasons To Love Gatwick Airport – Family Friendly & Great Hotel Options
- Impress Your Fellow Flyers with This Simple Plane Seat Flight Hack!Want to impress your fellow flyers? This simple plane seat flight hack is something I often get asked to show others! Check it out now to make your next flight much easier (especially in you are in an aisle seat!) 1. Very Easy Plane Seat Flight Hack As someone who has flown I am sure… Read More »Impress Your Fellow Flyers with This Simple Plane Seat Flight Hack!
- 8 Mobile Phone Travel Hacks To Save You Time & MoneyLooking for some tried and tested mobile phone travel hacks? These are all the things related to mobile phones that I use, have or do! Table of Contents Mobile Phone Travel Hacks by The Professional TravellerMobile Phone Travel Hacks 1Take a Super Long Power LeadMobile Phone Travel Hacks 2 AroundMe – My Absolute Favourite Travel… Read More »8 Mobile Phone Travel Hacks To Save You Time & Money
- Travel Sickness Hacks – To Help You Travel More ComfortablyDo you suffer from travel sickness? Despite being a Professional Traveller I have suffered from travel sickness my whole life 🙁 Here are my tried and tested travel sickness hacks that help me Table of Contents Tips from a Lifelong Travel Sickness Sufferer1. Travel Sickness – Car Sickness2. Travel Sickness – Sea Sickness3. Travel Sickness… Read More »Travel Sickness Hacks – To Help You Travel More Comfortably
- Tips for Nervous Flyers – How To Conquer Fear of FlyingLooking for Tips for Nervous Flyers? Here’s A Quick List to Help Read up on flying with the Flying without Fear book, written by a pilot. It’s very reassuring Choose your own seat on a plane Enjoy the airport by buying airport lounge access Have all your essentials handy on the plane Take your own… Read More »Tips for Nervous Flyers – How To Conquer Fear of Flying
- Cheap Hotel Hacks – 4 Proven Tips to Bag an Absolute BargainLove getting a good hotel and paying less for it? Great – so do I! Check out my list of cheap hotel hacks for some easy ways to stretch your budget to the max. 1. Cheap Hotel Hacks – Travel Out of Season The reason this is at the top of the list is it’s… Read More »Cheap Hotel Hacks – 4 Proven Tips to Bag an Absolute Bargain