Hi Frugalistas! My travel blogger friends are back with more great packing tips. Take it from the experts, and you too can pack like a travel pro! Your key to successful one bag packing is here…..
Vanessa (@turnipseeds) at Turnipseed Travel is a crafty one. She’s got two great recommendations for travelling successfully with just a tiny carry on bag:
“Burp” the extra air out of your toiletry bottles before you fly so they have room to expand with the air pressure of the plane. Otherwise you’ll have a messy leak!
If you use a rolling suitcase, you might be missing out on some secret hidden storage. If you unzip the suitcase lining you’ll see there is extra space hidden between the bars of your telescoping handle. This is where I stash my mini first aid kit, a deck of cards and other “good to have but rarely used” items.
Sofie from Wonderful Wanderings (@wondwand) is a woman after my own heart when it comes to creating outfits:
Don’t pack anything that you can only combine with one other thing. The goal is to take as little as possible and still have a diversity of combinations you can put on.
Three knits and three long sleeved tees that match everything
She’s also a great organiser and I love this idea:
Make a re-usable packing list and save it on your computer for future trips to make sure you’ll never forget to pack anything.
Diane at Wife with Baggage @wifewithbaggage has got great tips for both men and women:
Being a female, I always pack a long skirt that can also be worn as a dress. Clothes that work double duty are huge assets to any packing list!
My husband loves those zip off pants – shorts and pants in one. He also swears by rolling instead of folding…. it’s an ongoing debate in our marriage! He also packs cash in two to three separate areas, in case of theft.
Lindsey from Chasing the Wild (@lindseyhodder) is also a multitasker when it comes to packing:
I like to use a sarong as a towel as they dry quicker than normal towels, have a dual purpose, and I just don’t like microfibre travel towels
Two skirts, and two pants that go with everything
Over at the Short Road to Happy @shortroadtohappy, Phoebe is a big fan of laying and using scarves – two of my secret packing weapons too!
Layer and bring neutral coloured clothing so you can mix and match. My personal fav – black and grey. Use a scarf to accent. Got small breakable items? Wrap them in your scarf and place them in your shoes for safe keeping!
Jenny at A Taste of Travel (@atasteoftravel) is a long term traveller with some creative solutions to the multiseason trip packing dilemma:
Packing for eight months away was quite a challenge. The best thing we did was to arrange to send our winter clothes to friends in London after we had finished with them at the end of the first few months of the trip. We then picked them up again on our way to New York in October.
Most of the time we travelled with a cabin suitcase each as well as an extra small bag that stayed in the boot of the car with a few things that we did not need all the time. It’s amazing how little you really need. Based your wardrobe around two colours….black and white always work for me….and add a few accessories to change the outfits. I even managed to fit in a silk blazer in the bag in case I was invited to the Ritz!
Clare (@holidayaddict23) at Need Another Holiday is a big fan of jeans when travelling (unlike me), but has a great way of using them:
If you pack jeans, go for black. Wear all day and all night – just swap your jersey tee for a blouse that folds away to nothing and your evening attire is sorted. No need for a whole extra outfit.
Last, but certainly not least, Rosemary (@AussieFrance) at Aussie France has a new favourite gadget – her travel scales are her new best friend. Perfect for weighing that luggage after all that shopping no doubt!
A portable luggage scale saves nasty surprises at check in
If you are looking for a complete blogger packing list, my friends over at I’m Voyager have just published this great packing list of things you need.
I’ve loved sharing my blogger friends’ packing tips with you. What are your favourite packing tips for stress free travel?
I’ve learnt some fabulous tips for packing for the next trip. Thanks for mentioning mine Jo!
You’re welcome, Jenny. They’re a clever bunch, aren’t they?
I agree with the idea of packing a small suite of clothes that all go with one another. I’ve used black and white in the past and it works well. I almost never accessorise even when I am not travelling so don’t have to worry about that (hate scarves — I find that mostly what they do is get in the way of your dinner and interfere with being able to see where you are putting your feet). The one accessory that can come in handy is a wrap, and if you are a scarf person, choose a super fine one that can double as a scarf.
One reason women overpack is because they feel they have to wear something different every day. If you are really travelling it is worth remembering that none of the people you see will ever see you again, so limit your outfits to enough to get you from washing machine to washing machine (about 4 days in my experience).
If you are flying, wear your biggest heaviest shoes on the plane (for me usually my hiking boots).
I agree so much Susan. I found packing light so easy once I realized the only person who cared about what I was wearing was me! Thanks for sharing your experience.
Thanks for including me in this article! I also love the tip about mailing ahead cold weather (or any special climate) clothing. If packed cleverly, it can cost very little to mail a well wrapped bundle – far less than checking another suitcase or buying more things on location.
Yes I agree. I’ve sent things home when I’ve finished with them, but unfortunately I’ve never been away long enough to need to send and then collect….
Oh! You’ve just reminded me to throw my scarf in my suitcase when I get home, before I set off tonight! Can’t believe I almost forgot it!
Loving the tips, I’m always so bad when it comes to packing my things but I find neutral colour shirts to be useful to match with anything. Thanks for collecting these awesome tips!
Great tips! I agree with bringing neutral colours as it makes figuring out to wear a lot easier and you can mix and match more.
Thanks Megan. It’s not necessary to go completely neutral, but basing your list on neutrals gives you a lot more combos.
Great tips – I had never thought to use a sarong as a towel before. I’m a huge fan of those zip off pants too – they were versatile and one of my best investments for my cycling trip across America. Thanks!
These are great tips!
Thank you, they are a great bunch to be so generous with their expertise.
I must admit, I’m NOT a fan of the zip off pants, but then I’m not a cyclist or an adventure traveller. If I was, I would definitely go for a pair though.
That’s a great tip Tess – thanks so much for adding to the collective wisdom of the group!
I take note of what I packed, but didn’t wear on a trip and eliminate it the next time.