You've made your packing list, and everything is in your suitcase and ready to fly to distant locales. Whether you only brought a carry-on bag or you checked one so you could pack more, chances are that when you actually get to your destination and unpack, everything will be a mess. You'll open your luggage and everything you brought will likely be wrinkled and scattered around the suitcase. You won't be able to tell what's laundry and what's clean, and finding your socks will be a nightmare. We've
all been there. However, there is a solution, and travel pro Samantha Brown calls it a game changer for organized packing. Her tip is to get packing cubes to keep everything organized and save space. On her website, Brown says, "Not only do they keep your luggage organized, they add an extra layer of protection to your clothes. As soon as I get to a hotel, I like to just take my packing cubes out and put them right into the dresser drawer." Even better? She reminds us that putting the cubes in the hotel room drawer means your clothing doesn't ever have to touch the inside of that drawer, which may not have been cleaned in a while.
If you've never used packing cubes before, you may think the idea of keeping your clothing separate in small cubes is fussy, but hear us out. As Brown says, using cubes can change how your vacation mornings go. Forget searching for the right garment with nothing more than a cup of hotel coffee to keep you awake or trying to find your pajamas after that bottle (or two) of wine at dinner.
Read more: How To Pack Just One Carry-On For A Week-Long Vacation
Why Packing Cubes Can Change Your Packing Game, Per Samantha Brown
Packing cubes come in different groupings and dimensions, so make sure you know the measurements of your suitcase when purchasing them. You can pick up some larger styles that become hanging bags or some that work for cosmetics, like the Veken 8 Set Packing Cubes on Amazon. You can also find slim ones like the Bagsmart 6 Set Compression Packing Cubes on Amazon, though Samantha Brown has her own line of slim cubes that she sells on HSN. The travel guru recommends different sizes so you can use smaller ones to slip into any luggage space left after you put in the larger cubes.
You may have to practice packing in the cubes a bit, and while you can fold socks in half and do the cup-in-cup method for packing bras, you should try out some clothes-rolling methods to save space. In addition, Brown suggests that you pack a vacuum seal bag for your dirty laundry, as it can be harder to roll back up. You can get vacuum bags that don't require a pump, like The Chestnut Store's 12 Space Saver Storage Bags for Clothes for Travel on Amazon that you just roll the air out of.
Packing cubes might allow you to pack nothing more than a carry-on bag for your vacation, avoiding the hassle and cost of checking your luggage. To that end, Brown has a few more tips for us. She suggests really looking into your planned activities and the weather before you make your packing list. She also recommends selecting clothes in the same or complementary color family and accessorizing, so you can mix and match different outfits. You can also bring laundry detergent sheets to do a quick wash in the sink if something gets dirty.
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Read the original article on Islands.
