Wanderlust or Wanderbust? 5 Packing Tips for Trouble-Free Travel

Exploring new places and cultures is a remarkable experience. Every time I go abroad I am amazed by the sheer grandness of this planet and the kindred joys of it’s inhabitants. Whether I’m in Cancun, Melbourne, Prague or New Orleans, I see the commonality of humans; the desire for beautiful surroundings, celebrating with food and savoring experiences with family and friends. Traveling floods my mind with creative ideas and eye-opening thoughts but it can also be quite stressful. Logistics like luggage limits, flight connections and currency changes raise enough anxiety to resign some to the safety of their sofa and the Travel Channel. Never fear, if you are wanderlust these packing tips will have you globetrotting like a pro.

psst . . . there are two new travel videos waiting for you at the bottom of this post. See the wonders of Prague and Kutna Hora; both in the Czech Republic.

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Five Packing Tips For Trouble-Free Travel

Throughout my life, I’ve had the privilege of visiting 15 states in the U.S and 12 countries of the world. I’ve also moved 13 times in 30 years. Consequently, I’ve had plenty of opportunity to fine tune my packing methods and develop a packing system that works well for me. I pack less of what I don’t need, the right amount of what I do need and I do it all in less time. Let’s take a closer look at my top five packing tips.

Of course . . . right after I take care of the required Affiliate Links disclosure.

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Tip One: Dark Clothing

Think of the clothes you are going to wear the most on your trip; the core items of your trip wardrobe. I try to concentrate on darker colors for these primary pieces. Why? Because they stay looking clean longer. International travel often limits you to one 50lb suitcase and one carry-on. Ensuring you can wear your main wardrobe pieces multiple times means less weight in your suitcase (and more room for shopping!) This doesn’t mean you have to roam the streets of Germany looking like a gothic-inspired moody teen. Dark colors can be blues (including denim), browns, deep greens and of course, black and grey. These items make great backdrops for little splashes of color from a scarf, camisole or necklace.

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Tip Two: Use Packing Cubes

Last year, my husband and I were packing for an 8-day trip to Europe and we decided to give these Packing Cubes a try. I’m SO glad we did and now, I will never pack without them.

Why do I love them so?

These Packing Cubes actually HELP you pack more efficiently. You get six cubes to a pack; two large, two medium and two small. I use one large for jackets and sweaters and the other one for tops. My pants go in one of the medium cubes and dresses/blouses go in the other. One of the small cubes is perfect for underwear and bras while I pack the other one in my carry on with an extra change of clothes (in case my luggage is lost). By looking at my packed cubes, I can tell if I’m too heavy or light on one type of clothing (bottoms, tops etc.)

The beauty of traveling with these packing cubes is evident when you arrive at your destination. Just un-zip your luggage, pull out the cubes and slide them into drawers. Voila! Unpacked in under five minutes. When I pack up to return home, I reconfigure the cubes, putting my dirty clothes in the two large cubes and clean clothes in the medium/small ones. This way, my dirty clothes don’t contaminate my clean ones and I know exactly what needs to be washed when I get home.

A frivolous perk – the packing cubes are available in SIXTEEN colors, which makes me oh so happy.

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Tip Three: Protect Yourself, Protect Your Stuff

Protect your stuff –

Through my travels, I’ve experienced some unfortunate packing mishaps. Sweaters snagged by luggage zippers. Shoes I wore to tromp through an Irish golf course (aka cow pasture) soiled a favorite shirt. Shampoo leaked, heavily dyed jeans bled, and my personal favorite . . . melted chocolate souvenirs. . .everywhere!

Many of these problems are solved by using the packing cubes mentioned above. They keep your clothing safe from suitcase zippers and if there is a leak, the cube either confines or protects. Another trick I’ve learned is placing my shoes into shower caps. This keeps those soiled soles (not souls) off your clothes. I like THESE because they are durable yet cheap (and cute).

My final travel tip for protecting your stuff deals with toiletries. Liquids and lotions are notorious for popping open and leaking all over your clothes. This is why I NEVER place them in the main compartment of my luggage. I PUT all toiletries in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and pack them in the outer pocket of my suitcase. Additionally, I never take full bottles. This allows for expansion due to pressure changes and limits the mess if the bottle does leak.

Protect yourself –

Your health and well-being is very important when traveling. This is why I always pack all my medications – both prescription and OTC, in my carry-on. Yes, I could probably buy some version of Imodium wherever I’m traveling . . . but believe me, if I need Imodium I don’t want to be running around trying to buy Imodium. Just put all medications in a Ziploc bag and carry it with you.

Unfortunately, no matter where you go, there are always one or two crappy people; people who are trying to do bad things (boo-hiss). That’s why, when I’m sight-seeing, I only carry a small cross-over bag. After all, I want to focus on the sights not my purse. My favorite travel bags are PacSafe because they have wire cables in their straps (prevents cutting), RFID compartments for passport/credit cards and discreet and/or locking zippers. I love the DaySafe Cross Body Bag for shorter excursions or shopping and the City Safe Backpack has room for an umbrella, jacket and water bottle.

Additionally, be sure to take a photo-copy of your passport, driver’s license and credit cards (front and back). Keep these copies in your room safe. Should your purse get lost or stolen, you have all the information you need to close accounts or alert authorities.

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Tip Four: 2 for 1

This travel tip is simple but so helpful. In order to keep the volume/weight of your suitcase down, think about getting 2 for 1 as often as possible. Two outfits from one clothing item, two things packed in one space (pack socks and belts inside shoes) and two uses from one device (use your smart phone as a camera and alarm-clock). Make the items you pack work double duty whenever possible.

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Tip Five: Travel Essentials

Essentials are travel items you should pack in your carry-on rather than your checked luggage. Many of these I’ve already mentioned above but here’s my full list:

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The traveling season is just around the corner so I hope you find these tips helpful. If you like what you see at A Crafty Composition, please like, share, pin and tweet your heart out. Much appreciated!! Also special thanks to Nubia Navarro for making her great toy bus pic available for free via Pexels.

Now, how about a little travel inspiration. I just finished the first two video collages from our trip down the Danube. These first two show the invigorating city of Prague and some of the most beautiful (and interesting) cathedrals. Make sure to view them in full screen and with the sound on. Enjoy!

Interested in other travel posts from A Crafty Composition. Try these:

A Little Armchair Traveling

Portland Saturday Market Rocks My Crafty World

Exploration and Relaxation on the Mogollon Rim

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