Tourist Tuesday... er, Wednesday

Packing Tips

No matter where you're going you'll have to pack SOMETHING! 

For most individuals packing can be a stressful and inconvenient occurance, but with a few simple tips and suggestions, packing will become less of a strain and more of an exciting venture!

To start us off I downloaded a general packing list from the Fun for Less Vacations page:

Now, obviously where you go and the activities you plan on doing will determine what articles you will be packing, but generally it's a good rule of thumb to pack warm and cool weather items that can be mismatched and layered over one another!

And depending upon how long you are traveling for will determine the amount of clothes you'll need to pack... but not by much.

The packing strategy that I use is this:

If I'm staying for a week or less I'll pack 4 days worth of clothes. That means halfway through I know I will be washing everything. This will save you room for souvenirs and allow you to pack everything into a carry on bag (which is beneficial because you now don't have to deal with baggage check and the rotating luggage belt).

If I'm staying for more than a week, no matter where I'm going I plan on bringing 8 days worth of clothing (I will also include a rolled up duffle bag in my luggage). Once a week I'll washing everything and as I'm traveling/sight seeing if I find clothes that I would like to purchase it won't be hard fitting them into my suitcase/duffle.

While packing, if you wish to remain relatively wrinkle free it's a good idea to:

-place nice outfits in dry cleaner bags (these will be placed on top of everything else)

-fold sweaters, button-ups and blouses (these should be places in the middle of your suitcase)

-roll up pants and t-shirts (these should be placed around the folded clothes)

-Place delicates in a nylon mesh bag 

-Socks should be placed in the crevices and shoes (to help them hold their shape)

-toiletries should be at the bottom of the bag when it's standing up (this way it doesn't smoosh everything else)

Other Tips

Always bring a plastic bag to place your dirty clothes in

If you're not sure if you'll have a towel where you're going (i.e. NOT a hotel) then bring a shamwow

If you would like to bring your perfume but want everything to fit into a carry on I'd suggest looking for items such as the Travalo

I'd suggest taking 3 pairs of shoes at the most (1-nice, 1-comfortable for walking around, 1-casual)

Don't be afraid to pack skirts and dresses, not only do they look cute, but they're less touristy

Did I forget anything? Let me know!