It is rightly said that “Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer”. Whether it’s exploring new locations, or visiting the same city again and again because it’s your “happy place”, traveling should be declared essential to one's wellbeing, don’t you think?
Traveling has an array of benefits: it helps you achieve peace of mind, broadens your thinking horizon, hones your communication skills, helps you find yourself or recreate a bond with your loved ones, and more... The list is endless! Traveling is synonymous with therapy, we’d say!
Not to forget, traveling also involves prior planning. A lack of a good plan before traveling often leads to budgetary issues, or you being trapped in an unforeseen situation and not knowing what to do, or missing out on seeing famous spots, or issues owing to not finding a good hotel to stay in. Therefore, having a good plan much ahead of your travel dates always helps.
Once your tickets are booked, and an itinerary is prepared, the most vital task is packing! You should bring your camping gear, including an air pump, an air mattress, a light sleeping bag, or a sleeping pad.
To pack your bags in a hurry is never advised (unless of course, it’s an emergency). Here we have listed 10 brilliant packing tips and hacks that will help you pack without missing out on anything. Check it out!
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Start with a List
Just like you have a shopping list before you go grocery shopping, ensure to have a packing list before you’re off for traveling. This ensures you do not skip packing any basic essentials, or things that you want to carry but miss packing in the end time, thanks to your forgetful mind!
Once you have packed all your items, don’t forget to review the same packing list to see if all the items you included have been ticked off.
Choose the Right Luggage
Ensure to carry the right bags that would suit the nature of your travel. For example, if it’s a backpacking/hiking trip, carry a hiking backpack. Also be mindful that airlines have a baggage allowance limit, and it could be expensive to pay penalties when your bag weighs beyond that limit.
Roll Up Your Clothing Items
When your itinerary is set, start deciding what you’ll wear on the first day, the second day, and so on. The outfits you’ll wear first should be placed at the top, with the heavier items at the bottom. To save space, roll your clothing items!
You could also use packing cubes to pack your delicate underwear or other smaller items to find them easily. Also, always select travel-friendly fabrics that wouldn’t wrinkle. If you need to wear your favorite linen/cotton outfits at all, don’t forget to carry a mini-iron!
Avoid Over/Under Packing
When you’re overly excited for a trip, you always tend to pack extras! You tell yourself, “What if I have nothing to wear when I visit the Eiffel tower”, “I need to keep an extra pair of jeans cause what if the other one gets dirty”, well, these what-ifs are the reason why most of us end up paying penalties for crossing the baggage limits.
This again doesn’t mean you should under pack thinking you don’t need enough. Take notice of the weather reports, carry that fluffy jacket because it may get colder in the city you’re visiting.
Carry Totes and Extra Zip Lock Bags
Tote and zip lock bags can easily glide into your suitcases or bags and have negligible weight. Totes come in handy when you need to take back souvenirs for your friends and family, while zip lock bags can be used for literally any unforeseen situation or let’s say to carry your used underwear/dirty clothes!
Keep Liquids Separately in a Bag
Some airports pose a limit to the quantity of liquid that you can carry while traveling. Try not to keep liquids in your check-in baggage, as you never know when the bottles would leak and spill all over your clothes due to a mishap!
It is always advisable to carry 10-15ml of liquid items packed in mini bottles. Place these bottles in a small pouch and keep them in your hand baggage. These will be scanned during security-check in.
Keep the Meds in Your Purse
Travelers who are on medication should pack their meds and ensure there’s enough quantity to last a few days extra. Keep the medicines in a small pouch/purse and place them in your hand baggage to make them easily accessible.
Keep a Scarf/Jacket at Hand for the Flight
Wear travel-friendly clothes, especially when it’s a road trip or a long flight. Those ill-fitting jeans and the tight shirt might appeal to a few eyes, but it’s going to make your journey super-uneasy! Also, whenever you’re traveling on a plane, keep an extra jacket or a scarf handy, in order to beat the chilling winters that you experience post onboarding.
Bring a Reusable Water Bottle
Who doesn’t know water is a necessity! It always saves you extra bucks when you carry a reusable bottle. At least you do not have to purchase one as and when you’re thirsty (so eco-friendly, right?).
Empty water bottles can easily pass the security scanning too, so no worries!
Place Electronics in Hand Baggage
Don’t forget to consider your electronic items/gadgets while packing! If it’s a mandate to carry your tablet or laptop while traveling, slide them safely in the padded sleeve of your laptop bag. If you’re a health freak who cannot live without their favorite smoothies/shakes, carry portable blenders for traveling. Earphones, chargers, speakers, or other gadgets; if you’re carrying these, place them all carefully in your hand baggage.
Packing your bags always seems like a tedious task before you travel, but it doesn’t have to be so. Follow the above tips, put on your favorite playlist, and get ready to pack your bags! Happy holidays!
Read more:
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