As avid travelers, we’re constantly looking for ways to make travel easier. With Spring Break around the corner, we thought we’d share some of our packing tips inspired by Marie Kondo, a popular expert on organizing, and tested frequently during our travels.
Tip 1: Start with a packing list
A packing list is great for planning out the clothes and accessories you’ll need for the trip. Think of it as your packing itinerary, where you plan out what you’ll need for each day. For example, for the beach day, you’ll need to bring your swimsuit, cover-up, hat, sunglasses, sandals, and sunblock. With an organized list, you’ll be less stressed and less likely to forget the important stuff (e.g., swimsuit) when it comes to the actual packing.
Tip 2: Bring clothes that “spark joy”
The KonMari method starts with only keeping things that “spark joy.” We always say bring clothes and accessories that you love. This way, you’re more likely to wear them. With tighter luggage requirements and higher fees on airplanes these days, you won’t have room or budget for the clothes that you “might” wear.
Tip 3: Roll your clothes
Marie Kondo suggests rolling clothes in sort of a triangle shape that stands upright by itself. The clothes should then be placed side-by-side. This will allow you to more easily see your clothes. We also roll because it provides the added benefit of compressing the clothes and minimizing wrinkles.
Tip 4: Organize by clothing type or family member
We’ve all felt the pain when you’re trying to find things in your luggage, only to see all of the clothes dumped out in a mess. Whether you’re traveling by yourself or with family members, it’s easiest when you can organize by clothing type, or for each family member. So whether you keep all your tops together or clothes for your youngest together, you’ll save a lot of time knowing where things are when it comes time to unpack.
Tip 5: Use packing cubes
Packing cubes are one of our must-haves. They are great for compressing your clothes so that you can fit more. It also makes organizing your luggage a lot easier. You can dedicate a cube for your accessories, medium one for your tops, and another one for your bottoms. I also use them as a go-bag on the plane for an extra set of clothes for long flights or when my kids are with me.