5 of My Best Travel Tips that Will Make Your Life Easier

I traveled to Europe this summer and it was amazing, but ask my family members (my sisters especially) and they will tell you I’m the most prepared travel companion of all time. Anything they ever needed on the trip, I had at their disposal. Given this fact, am I the lightest packer? Absolutely not. I am absolutely part of the checked-bags club, and am proud of it. I would rather be prepared and go to the airport a little earlier to check my bags, than try to be a hero and pack as light as possible. Unpopular opinion for some, maybe?That’s fine with me.

Because I’ve made a name for myself in this way among my family and friends, I thought I’d pass some of my best travel tips and knowledge on to you guys! Whether you’re also a member of the checked bag club or insist on carry-ons only, save this post, bookmark it, pin it—whatever—just save it for the next time you’re packing for your next getaway!

Here are my top tips for the prepared traveler:

Pre-Plan and Photograph Your Outfits

Try on all of your outfits while you’re packing and TAKE PHOTOS of every daytime and nightime outfit (create an album in your phone and save them all there). I usually pack a couple of extra outfits just in case I’m not feeling one of my options on any given day, but doing it this way allows you to know exactly what you’re wearing and not overpack. It actually makes your trip easier as you don’t forget what you’ve brought, and you can swipe through the photo album on your phone and pick the curated outfit that’s going to be best-suited for that particular day or night. Leaves the guessing out of it.

Packing Cubes

I swear by these from Amazon and I will never pack without them again. You can fit more clothes into your suitcase and put outfits together more easily. For example, if I know I’m not wearing particular outfits until the end of my trip, I don’t need to unpack the entire suitcase or each packing cube. I can switch out the closet based on what clothes I need for the stage of the trip. If you’re crunched for space (or sharing rooms with siblings as I was), this is particularly handy. And since I have photos of all of my outfits, I don’t need to dig through the packing cubes to see what else I have because it’s all documented in my photos! Another great thing about these packing cubes is that if your bag is overweight and you need to throw a packing cube into your carry-on (I use this carry-on by Beis), you can do this quickly and with ease. EXTRA TIP: I always pack all of my shoes in these packing cubes too.

Pack Light on the Accessories

While I’d love to bring every “perfect” shoe and bag that I own to match all of my cute outfits, this is where, of course, it’s time to pare down and pick the best most versatile shoes, bags, and accessories that will go with as many outfits as possible. I usually try to keep this to one daytime purse and one nighttime purse when possible with potentially a third that can be used for either day or night. If I bring a hat (I will usually bring one), I’ll hook it to my carry-on with this handy dandy hat magnet that’s incredible and so worth the price.

Group Items and Keep Them Contained

I never have anything floating in my bag. I use pouches or little makeup bags and fill them with my supplements, all cords/technology have their own space and go together in one pouch, and I use this sunglasses case so that I don’t have bulky sunglass cases taking up more space. Basically every item needs to have its own home because I want to know where everything is at at all times so I’m not scrambling and digging to find things. It’s so worth making the effort to organize this way up-front. 

Use a Checklist

Use a checklist to make sure you don’t forget anything! 🙂 

Who else packs like this for trips? Lol. I’d to love to hear from any fellow OCD travelers like myself if you have a packing tip you’d think I’d like!

xx Farrah