25 Expert Packing Tips to Help You Travel Better
- Updated: 04/08/2024
- Janice
I am on a constant quest to shrink and streamline all the prep that comes with travel. To help, I created three essential lists to get out the door faster and with less hassle. They will help you do the same.
Table Of Contents
These travel prep helpers include:
- A universal printable packing list
- A close-the-house printable checklist
- 25 top packing tips for plane travel
Click the links above to access the packing and close-the-house lists. Then, find my top 25 packing tips I compiled after 25+ years of solo, backpacking, business, couple, and family travel in the US and abroad that will help you pack faster, lighter, and travel better, in the article below.
14 Tips for All Travelers
1. Use a universal and reusable packing checklist. Create, or use a list like the one I share in “Pack Faster & Better With This Universal Printable Packing List” that contains repeat items you bring on every trip (e.g., socks, pants, underwear, medicines, etc.). Using this list will help you avoid the work of recreating a list from scratch for each trip and help you remember more things.
2. Buy trip essentials in advance. Purchase the trip essentials you do not have a few weeks before the trip to avoid the hassle of last-minute shopping errands before you leave or the cost of expedited shipping.
3. Pack light and ideally carry on. Light packers are more mobile travelers. Traveling with carry-on luggage will save you time exiting the airport and give you more flexibility to quickly change your travel plans. Additionally, should you need to shoulder your load on public transportation or up and down stairs—your lighter-weight carry-on will be easier to maneuver.
Despite the advantages of carry-ons, my family and I nearly always check a bag for these three reasons.
4. Review the luggage requirements for your airline(s). Especially if you plan to travel internationally and with a carry-on only, confirm on the airline website FAQ section that the size of your bag and its contents—particularly the liquids—meet requirements. Otherwise, you may need to check your bag. While on the site, look at baggage fees to avoid surprises.
5. Employ math. Consider using a ratio of three to one when you pack to limit what you bring. Three tops to one bottom. And three pairs of shoes for one trip.
6. Plan your outfits. Take the time to color-coordinate the clothes you plan to bring. Outfit planning will help you pack less and seamlessly swap items as you layer on or off in changing weather. Also, consider bringing along travel-friendly fabrics that avoid wrinkles and dry quickly.
7. Check the weather. Before you leave, check the forecast for your destination. Bring clothes to accommodate the lows and highs or possible precipitation.
8. Get organized. Use compression packing cubes and a hanging bathroom organizer to keep things separate and make unpacking a breeze. If you use cubes, check out these helpful tips about packing cubes to make the most of these incredible space-savers.
9. Maximize space. Tightly roll your clothes instead of folding them, especially if you do not use compression packing cubes. Rolled clothes will take up less room in your suitcase.
10. Contain contaminating items. Bring laundry and Ziploc-style plastic bags to separate dirty clothes and leaky items. Or, if you are a frequent traveler, get reusable laundry bags or zip-top bags like the ones I share in this traveler gift guide. If you do not have a travel laundry bag, bring a trash bag—this works great too. If you want to keep your shoes separate so mucked-up soles do not touch other items, plan to stick each shoe in a plastic shower cap.
11. Pack the heaviest items on the bottom. Top-heavy suitcases topple over and are harder to maneuver. Ensuring the heaviest items are at the bottom of your bag will make it easier to handle.
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12. Use a distinctive luggage tag. Whether picking up checked luggage from the baggage carousel or setting your carry-on next to you in a lounge area, many bags look alike, so it is easy to grab the wrong one. I share my favorite distinctive tags in this traveler gift guide.
13. Keep your bag subdued. Bright and colorful luggage not only grabs your attention but the interest of would-be thieves as well. For this reason, keep your luggage colors dark or neutral to look like other bags. Differentiate with your tag.
14. Wear your bulkiest items on the plane. If you need a fleece, a parka, or pair of boots for your travel adventure, plan to wear this on the plane to leave more space in your luggage.
6 Tips for Travelers Checking a Bag
For travelers who plan to check a bag, find six more tips below to help navigate potential checked-bag complications.
15. Be strategic about your personal item. If you plan to check a bag, be sure you have what you need in your personal carry-on items in case of a flight delay, cancellation, or baggage loss. See a list of recommended items that are part of my universal packing list here.
16. Always pack a backup outfit in your carry-on. In case your bag is delayed or lost, having one additional outfit on hand will let you refresh more quickly and feel less grubby after a long day of travel.
17. Carry valuables and travel essentials with you. Bags can get lost or delayed. For this reason, avoid packing items such as valuable jewelry or gifts in checked baggage. Additionally, try to carry on irreplaceable gear that is essential for upcoming trip activities if you can manage it.
18. Get a tracking device like an Apple AirTag. If you would like to have the reassurance of knowing where your bags are always, consider using Apple AirTags. Purchase a pack of four for under $100. For non-iPhone users, consider this alternative from Tile.
19. Stay under weight limits. Most US carriers have a 50-pound weight limit for checked luggage. If traveling in a group or as a family, distribute the heaviest items among bags. And if you think you may exceed weight limits, consider shipping items to or from your destination—it may cost less than paying overage or additional bag fees.
20. Buy trip insurance. I buy travel insurance for every international and some domestic trips for several reasons. Though, when it applies to checked luggage, I purchase it to cover reimbursement expenses related to delayed or lost baggage.
To learn more reasons why it makes sense to purchase travel insurance for every trip, check out “Travel Insurance Simplified: 4 Reasons You Need It & 18 Things To Know Before Buying It.”
5 Essential Items to Always Have on Hand
Here are the five most essential items I bring on all trips.
21. High-performance quick dry underwear. If you like to be active on your trips—with long days of walking, hiking, or more vigorous activities—high performers from travel favorite ExOfficio will keep unmentionables fresh and issue-free.
22. Cold suppressant. I never leave home without a pack of UMCKA cold suppressant tablets. The moment I feel achy or a twinge of a sore throat, I take one and nearly always cut off a nasty cold before it starts.
23. Medical Kit. We bring a complete medical kit that can address most typical traveler-related medical ailments for my family on all our trips. It helps us avoid inconvenient, last-minute, and possibly unsuccessful searches for the correct medication. See a complete list of what we bring here.
24. Sunscreen. For my fair-skinned family, bringing a hefty supply of our dermatologist-recommended Blue Lizard sunscreen is a must-have. And the main reason we tend to check our bags vs. carry on.
25. An unflashy crossbody bag. I love this unisex crossbody bag from North Face with its sturdy strap and zippered pockets to safely carry essentials. Low-key bags like this avoid being targets, and their zippers make it more difficult for would-be pickpockets to be successful.
The bonus item I never forget to bring: Copies of all essential travel documents (e.g., passport, credit cards, travel insurance, etc.) and contact numbers. In case of an emergency, non-working bank or credit cards, or theft, I save all necessary documents and contact numbers to online accounts with passwords memorized. I also send copies to a family member.
Related Reading
To further simplify your packing and the getting-out-the-door stage of your vacation—pair the above packing tips with these related articles below.
- Pack Faster & Better With This Universal Printable Packing List
- Pre-Trip: A Practical Checklist to Close the House & Pack
- Itinerary Template for a Trip: Free Downloadable Examples & More Resources
- 49 Things You Need to Do to Plan Your Best Trip (Free Travel Research & Planning Checklist)
- The Top Travel Apps I Use for Better Travel
- 5 Proven Ways to Simplify and Organize Your Travel Research
Additional Trip Planning Resources
To further help you with travel planning, I share my go-to resources for every trip below.
Google Flights. My first research stop for affordable flights for every trip. Learn why here.
Google Hotels. Use its “Where to stay” button to discover the best neighborhoods to base your visit.
Booking.com. For hotel and rental bookings, I appreciate its flexible cancellation, candid user reviews, discounts, loyalty program, and easy-to-use interface.
Viator, Get Your Guide, & Airbnb Experiences. Quickly find and book highly-rated tours and activities on these sites.
Google Travel Things to Do & Google Maps. Find more things to do in your destination on Google Travel, then record where you want to visit on a custom Google Maps list.
AllTrails. Love to hike? Me too. I religiously use AllTrails to discover hiking and biking trails and download its offline maps to manage my hikes.
Guide Along. 5-star self-guided audio tours that are GPS-compatible for US road trips and national parks. We loved the Glacier National Park tour.
Insure My Trip. I never travel internationally without trip insurance. Learn why here. My preferred place to shop and compare policies is InsureMyTrip.com.
Plus, check out the 15 travel apps I use on trips, my preferred guidebooks, and my free customizable travel itinerary template, downloadable in four file formats.
About the author: Janice Moskoff is a travel writer and blogger who loves hiking, exploring the world, and reading. She writes to inspire travel-loving families, adult friends, and couples on her blog, Gather and Go Travel. Check out her bio, learn how she became a blogger, and discover how to work with her. Sign up for her monthly Discovery Newsletter to get her latest travel recommendations and how-to’s.
Love to travel? Sign up for my monthly Gather & Go Travel Discovery Newsletter and get a free trip budget calculator.
Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links on this page may be affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. I only recommend products and companies I use. And the income goes to keeping the site community-supported and ads minimal.
Welcome to Gather and Go Travel, a blog inspiring families, adult friends, and couples to explore US and international destinations and to get outdoors. I am Janice, an experienced traveler to over 50 countries and a travel writer, book lover, and blogger. Learn more about me, read our story, and how to work with me.
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20 Responses
Great article on travel packing tips! Your detailed checklist is a lifesaver, especially the reminder about the essentials that are often overlooked, like adapters and first-aid kits. I’ve learned the hard way how important those can be. Do you have any recommendations for compact, multi-use items that can save space and still cover most needs? Thanks for the insightful post—it’s going to make preparing for my next trip much easier!
Tarandeep, thank you for the positive feedback. Glad to hear you benefitted from the read.
These expert packing tips are a game-changer for travelers! Efficient packing is key to stress-free journeys, and these insights are invaluable. Thanks for sharing such helpful advice. Can’t wait to implement these tips and travel smarter on my next adventure
Thanks, Saurabh. Glad you found it helpful. Thanks for reading.
Your tips are awesome. You have shared in your blog how to pack a backpack and what to pack in it, which is very useful. Thanks for the blog!
Your blog post was informative and practical. I found the tips and advice you provided to be useful and easy to implement. To learn more, click here.
You are welcome, thank you for taking the time to read the article 🙂
“Thank you for the invaluable tip! Your advice about checking airline luggage requirements is a real lifesaver for hassle-free travel. Much appreciated! ✈️🙌
Thank you for taking the time to read the article and share a comment. Good luck with your packing!
Amazing advice! I’ve never been good at packing, but these professional tips make it so much simpler. I appreciate you sharing.
Your tips are awesome. You have shared in your blog how to pack a backpack and what to pack in it, which is very useful. Thanks for the blog!
Thank you, glad to learned it helped!
I never thought about using dryer sheets in my suitcase to keep my clothes smelling fresh during travel! That’s such a clever tip. This article really opened my eyes to some creative packing hacks that I’ve never considered before. I’ll definitely be implementing some of these ideas on my upcoming trip. Thanks for sharing such valuable expertise!
Thank you for taking the time to read the article.
Thank you for taking the time to read it.
Thank you for reading.
Such a helpful blog! Your article provided valuable insights and tips that have helped me plan my travels more effectively and avoid common mistakes that can ruin a trip. I have been following your blog for a while now, and I am always impressed by the quality and depth of your content.
Thanks for sharing this valuable information with us. I am always confused, when it comes to packing and all. But really thanks to your article, it really helps alot.
nice information
Very helpful, keep sharing the good stuff.