Having missed traveling over the past year I’ve needed to hone my travel organizing skills with useful Travel Tips and Tools. Some things get easier when you do them more often and a little rusty when you get out of your routine. I’ve been on the road a lot with things opening back up, visiting friends and family, and traveling regularly for business (1 week a month), so I’m sharing a few of my favorite, tried, true, and new products, tips, and tools for day to day travels and longer trips.
- Luggage is a good place to start! Select pieces appropriately sized to your travel time and needs. If you don’t want to mess with checking luggage during air travel, make sure it will fit in the overhead bins. I prefer soft-sided carry-on luggage and hard-sided luggage for checking in. If you do have to use a larger bag, make sure you have a way to keep it underweight or be prepared to pay the hefty fees! Wheels make any luggage more manageable and some even come with portable batteries that can be used to recharge phones etc. Be sure your carry-on luggage is comfortable to lift and maneuver (especially in the airport) if you are traveling alone. I like to pack a spare shirt, undergarments, and essentials in my carry-on for long trips, in case your bags don’t make it at the same time you do. A cross-body bag, like a messenger or long-handled purse, can leave your hands free and distribute weight more evenly while keeping important things more secure (I know there is some debate about this, so use your personal discretion). Some people never have to check a bag…I’m not one of these people, are you? I envy them:) I bring too much stuff wherever I go, but it’s organized and I’m prepared!
- Pack a mix and match wardrobe in a single color palette theme (think Black, white and purple or brown, orange and tan, etc). Keep it simple and add a few easy accents. Build your travel wardrobe around a couple of comfortable and favorite pieces and you can’t go wrong.
- Layout your outfits and add accessories and undergarments before packing or hang on a hanging rack if available. Add mix and match separates if needed once your basic outfits have been planned. I usually try to bring no more than 3 shoes, 3-4 bottoms, and more tops depending on the amount of time I’ll be away and the climate I’m visiting. This combination gives me almost endless varieties of outfits without the bulk of separate pants and shoes for every outfit.
- I have a variety of bags and pouches in sizes for all sorts of things from accessories, cables, cords, my camera, toiletries, etc. All my clothes go in a series of Eagle Creek expandable pouches which I sort by kind of clothing, including undergarments, tops, bottoms, etc. I also like Ikea family bags, a hanging toiletry bag with clear pockets on the interior, and a variety of smaller zip pouches I’ve picked up or made myself. This zippered mesh pouch is one I take everywhere for anything I want to keep dry and undamaged, including papers, magazines, files, etc! What are your favorite small bags?
- To keep technology in order I use a combination of bags (above), cord wrap accessories, and a favorite, the Grid-It by Cocoon!
- Finally be sure you have backup documents of all your necessary and important paperwork (vaccination proof, itinerary, passport, ID, financial doc’s, etc) somewhere that someone you trust can access if you need them and bring along copies (bring a photo via your smartphone if you’re comfortable) of important numbers (accounts, phone #’s for financial institutions and emergency contacts, etc) for easy access.
For more ideas check out my Pinterest board Ideas for [Travel] and here are a couple of my new favorite travel pins…
I’m sure you have your own favorite travel tips and tools and hopefully, I’ve shared a few new things to consider for your next trip. What are your favorite Travel Tips and Tools?
