Shoes are usually one of the heaviest items in your luggage. Their volume and often odd shape can make packing your suitcase as efficiently as possible a real challenge. Not only do they eat up precious room and weigh down your bag, but they can also leave your clothes dirty if stuffed alongside them without protection. For your next flight, instead of squeezing your extra pair of shoes into your luggage, try an alternative that can free up valuable space: just clip the shoes to the outside of your backpack.
This packing tip is flight attendant-approved, with one Redditor noting how they "see this all the time and don't care." They add that the only potential problem is that the dangling shoes may swing into other passengers. To solve this issue, make sure that the shoes are covered with a plastic bag or simply unclip and hold them when you're entering the plane. This easy strategy ensures that the inside of your checked luggage is clean and full of other useful things for your trip.
Read more: How To Pack Just One Carry-On For A Week-Long Vacation
Other Ways To Keep Your Shoes Outside Of Your Luggage
Clipping your shoes onto your backpack is already a quick and easy luggage tip, but if you find that this isn't ideal, there are other options. TikTok travel influencers have recently popularized snagging a duty-free bag at the airport and using it to hold your shoes. This is coincidentally approved by the flight attendant on Reddit, who explains how "[it] looks like you bought stuff at the airport and the agents almost never care about those bags."
It really is as simple as purchasing a small item and then tucking your shoes in the duty-free bag it comes with before boarding. Another safe alternative is to pick a backpack with mesh pockets on each side. If they're stretchy enough to hold a water bottle, chances are, they can hold one shoe per pocket. Whichever packing hack you choose to go with, the benefit is the same. You'll end up with significantly more space in your checked luggage and clean clothes when you unpack them in your destination.
Ready to discover more hidden gems and expert travel tips? Subscribe to our free newsletter for access to the world's best-kept travel secrets.
Read the original article on Islands.
