It felt like I was leaving a piece of me in London last March when I had to leave a luggage at my Aunt’s place because of poor packing strategy. I brought so many things from home not considering the fact that shopping is an automatic part of most itineraries whether travelling for business or leisure. Trust me, I spent hours strategizing what to leave. I watched various youtubers’ top tips in packing but I guess I was bound to learn a hard lesson. Eventually, I had to make a tough decision – I bought a medium size luggage and left my hand carry size (with some stuffs in it) with my Aunt and hoping to get it back the soonest.
Few months later, I needed to return to London for work and one of the things I thought was – I will be reunited with my luggage! 🙂
And so let’s dive right into my top tips for you to consider when packing specially for long vacation (or biz trip!)
1.Plan your outfits (#OOTD)
And by outfit I mean your total look – clothes, accessories, shoes, etc. What I did in our recent trip to Europe was to take a photo of what I intend to wear each day. Ok, this may sound too organized for you but believe me, it will save you tons of time and luggage space!
When planning for your #OOTD, here are some things you should consider:
• Check the weather forecast. Is it too warm to wear a cardigan or too cold for shorts?
• Do your research about the places you are going. What’s the palette that’ll best match it? Is there a dress code? Will there be a lot of walking? You don’t want to be wearing high heels if you’re climbing up the Elephant Mountain in Taipei right? Imagine yourself already at that place so you know what will be the best outfit to enjoy the rest of your time!
*Although, don’t jeopardize your own style just because you see on IG that dress is definitely the best choice to match that place. If the mirror tells you otherwise, don’t do it! Tweak it with your own style.
• Have contingency plans but don’t overdo it. Depending on how long your vacation is, bring 1-2 extra outfits that will save you from emergency situations (coffee spill, red alerts, etc..)
2. Bring (only) what you need
Ok, here’s where you have to be smart and try not to give in to all those “what ifs”. What if I need a camisole? What if I need shorts? What if I need this orange tshirt? What if suddenly it’s summer? Please, do not bring half of what’s inside your closet!
Few days before your trip, make a list of the items you need to bring and if half your guts is telling you that you won’t need it – leave it at home.
3. Use vacuum bags and clothes organizers
Here in Singapore, shops like Daiso sells cheap vacuum bags. It saves space specially if you are travelling to a cold country. Those coats and downjackets better be packed using vacuum bags so the bulkiness lessens.
Travel organizers could be your bestfriend too. You can still roll your clothes and put them into the organizers accordingly. It makes everything compact which means saving space.
4. Don’t bring your whole set of toiletries
Mini size takes the center stage for my 4th tip. If you are not sure, or not comfortable buying from the country you are visiting, either buy small sizes or put them in a small container which you can get at most drug stores.
*For contact lens users, if you have spare container, you can use it to put some creams specially for short travels.
5. Organize your things
So you thought you packed everything seamlessly but wait until you arrive at your destination. The unpacking sometimes make it more difficult than packing. That’s why, organizing your things is important. This way, you don’t need to struggle figuring out where you put your OOTD #1 and you end up unpacking everything causing you to feel tired even before starting out with your itinerary!
At the end of the day, we all love to travel and next time you do, don’t let the thought of packing exhaust you. Let travelling be an enjoyable experience throughout.
Tell me about your own packing styles by commenting below 🙂
Anjloves 