How to Pack, Part II

This is a companion piece to my other article, How to Pack, Part I. If you don’t have a suitcase yet, this is a great place to start!

Now that you’ve got the brand new suitcase, time to stuff it full of a handful of things you need and a hundred that you won’t. Unfortunately, this part isn’t as easy as choosing the suitcase. And for those of you who are thinking, choosing the suitcase wasn’t easy! Well, you really aren’t going to like this part. 

Step 1. 

I’m very detailed-oriented, almost to a fault. I get stressed if I feel like something isn’t getting done in its most efficient manner. So packing a suitcase drove me crazy. Would the shoes be better if they were around the edges of the suitcase, or neatly lining the bottom? My liquid-proof pocket wasn’t big enough to hold all my makeup. How do I decide what to put in it? And what am I going to do with all these clothes?!? 

It took help from my mother that first trip, not to mention a lot of mistakes every time after that, for me to figure out a system. And boy, can I notice a difference in my stress levels!

The first step every time for me is to gather everything I want to take and placing it in a common area i.e. the dining room table or the floor. It helps if I can look at everything. This way I can use a checklist to make sure there’s nothing I’m forgetting to take, even though there will always be something you forget to take abroad. 

After you check every box of your checklist, click here for a list that works wonderfully for me, then get your suitcases out, both carry-on and checked. Or another, if you have three hands to wheel them through the airport. 

Step 2. 

Now the next question going through your head might be ‘how do I know what to put in my carry-on and what goes in my checked?’ You might be tempted to put all the bulky stuff in your checked or put all the heavy stuff in your carry-on in order to beat the system, but there’s a more efficient way to go about it.
And that’s my next step: separate between the two suitcases. Everything that you would heartbroken to lose should go in your carry-on. Whether it’s sentimental value, like that necklace your grandma gave you, or monetary, such as your laptop, you’ll want it in your carry-on. It’s never happened to me, but luggage is lost often. 

Tip: Luggage insurance is available for a cost from multiple providers. They’ll reimburse you fully for everything lost, though not to the full value you’re claiming due to depreciation. I have mine as an added benefit through my traveler’s credit card. 

Also in your carry-on should be two sets of clothes (though try to mix-and-match so it’s not more than four or five articles of clothing) and any beauty products you can’t go two or more days without. I knew I would be on the flight without makeup, but I wanted to be able to put some on when I landed. What you shouldn’t put in your carry-on are things like shower products, which are usually cheap to buy if your checked luggage doesn’t arrive when you do, or accessories like belts or hats unless they’re essential to the outfits already in the carry-on. Beyond that, deciding what goes where is limited by the size/weight of the individual suitcases. 

Step 3. 

So now you have two distinct piles, maybe with a few items that are still hanging out in no- man’s-land. That’s okay: with your carry-on there’ll be a lot of things that can’t be packed until the day of.
This step is all about the checked luggage. Hopefully, most of the stuff going in there won’t be needed between now and when your flight takes off. If so, you might want to consider putting it in your carry-on, or at very least in the outside pocket if you have one for ease of access. 

Tip: Buy four or five luggage locks. You’ll want one for each pocket on both the carry-on and checked luggage that you have anything in, plus potentially an extra in case one gets lost or the TSA busts one during their searches. 

There’s, of course, rules about what you can take in your checked luggage, but they aren’t as strict as for your carry-on. Regardless, I would highly advise using the TSA’s website to check the things you might not be sure about—safety razors—but keep in mind that every decision rests with the TSA agent on duty. Nothing was more frustrating to me than calling the TSA ahead of time to see if my contact solution would be allowed in my carry-on (they said it would be) only for the agent on duty to nix it at security. 

Here are my tips for how you should pack, though take them with a grain of salt: 

• Put shoes with bottoms facing out in a ring around the edges to keep them from messing your clothes, and put a pair of socks in each.
  
• Put a layer of clothes on the bottom of the suitcase that don’t wrinkle easily i.e. jeans or heavy sweatshirts. The outline of the handle will leave a mark!
  
• Roll any clothes that do wrinkle instead of folding them to avoid lines. These usually make for a good second layer before placing delicate items on top.
  
• Use some of the rolled clothes to make bumpers around fragile items as well.
  
• This is a good stage to take stock of any accessories you’re taking that you might not want to lose their shape, such as hats, which can be filled with smaller pieces of clothes to keep from being flattened. Scarves are good for wrapping things in, and belts are easily rolled and tucked around the edges. 

If you don’t have a liquid-proof pocket, or it won’t hold all of your liquids, then put the ones least likely to break open in the middle layer. By least likely to break open, I mean choose ones that have the least amount of liquid in them or that won’t stain if they do burst.
Lastly, put anything that the TSA might question on the very top. Any medication should go on the very top layer, though putting it in your carry-on with a doctor’s note might be the better way to go. 

Step 4. 

You shouldn’t approach this step until closer to your flight, unless you’re a major procrastinator and you’re doing this all the night before your flight (good luck!).
Packing my carry-on was more of a game of tetris than my checked, and I can’t really give you advice on how to pack it other than doing it however it takes to make everything fit. I did learn a few things, though: 

• Think about how you’re going to be wheeling it through the airport: upright. And then how you’ll be opening it at security: on its side. That’s what led me to putting all my shoes near the wheels, so they’d be on the bottom and not squish everything above them whilst the bag was in motion.
  
• Put everything that you’ll need to take out and put in the security bin in last, so it’s on the top. The quicker you can do that (and pack your suitcase after the fact) the happier you’ll be.
  
• Likewise, if it’s something you think you might need mid-flight, put that at the very top if you can, but not in the pockets. That might seem counterintuitive, but the pockets will be much harder to reach than the inside when the suitcase is feet above your head. And your flight buddies will be grateful when you don’t have to take the whole suitcase down while they’re trying to sleep!
  

The last piece of luggage-related advice I can give is to be considerate of how much you’re bringing. Depending on the country you’re going to, most basic necessities will be available when you arrive so don’t take them on the flight. And always save room for souvenirs!