Packing – What and How? Prepping for Travel

We’ve all been there, from the first-time flyers to the seasoned vets. You’ve probably overpacked (do you really need 273 t-shirts for that week-long trip), underpacked (uh-oh, better turn that bandana into a makeshift bikini), or forgotten something essential (Toothbrush? Charger? Socks?). Packing for a trip is also not just a matter of what to take but how to take it. Prepping for travel can make or break a trip.

If you’re flying, are you taking a suitcase? Are you taking a large backpack? Checking a bag? Taking a carry-on or something else that will only accompany you on the flight? There are many options for you to consider as you pack for your next big (or small) trip. No matter, we’ve got some starter advice and products we love to help you prepare for that next big trip.

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What to pack?

We’ll be going over some basics here that we plan for when traveling (note: we pack a bit differently when flying home for the summer since, as expats, we tend to bring more items you cannot find back from the U.S. to our country of residence).

A Week or Less

If we are traveling for a week or less, we generally recommend packing enough clothes for the entirety of the trip.

Taking at least one nice article of clothing, such as a button-up shirt for men (short or long sleeve depending on location) and a nice light dress for women, is also a smart play. You never know when you might end up somewhere you want to look a bit nicer, and it’s good to be prepared.

Packing Shoes – Which Ones?

Shoes can be one of the trickiest bits in deciding what to pack. Make sure you pack a great pair of shoes for walking, whether it’s waterproof boots (especially good for winter) or a comfy but stylish sneaker that you might be able to wear out on a nice occasion.

We do not advocate for taking both. Shoes are easily mixed and matched with different outfits. You may also consider taking one or both of the following: sandals (essential for hot locations/beach trips) and/or a nice pair of shoes for more special occasions (especially if you know you’ll be going somewhere nice ahead of time).

It’s also important to consider if you will be exercising whilst traveling. Is walking enough? Will you go for a run or do a body-weight exercise at your Airbnb? Use your hotel’s gym. In these cases, we try to find a pair of shoes that can easily double our stylish yet comfortable walking shoes as well as something we exercise in. Be mindful that more shoes mean more weight and less space for other items.

Shoes we recommend

When it comes to stylish but convenient and comfortable shoes for walking, we prefer Allbirds. They are affordable, ultra-lightweight, and comfortable for walking long distances. They’re also 100% machine-washable, so when you get back home, you can pop them in the washing machine to have them look like new. We both have a pair of Wool Runners from Allbirds, and they have lasted us through many days of 15+ km walks over the past several years.

For sturdy shoes that also fit the mold of stylish and comfortable, our go-to brand, for years, has been Timberland. Like with any sturdier shoe, you’ll want to break these in first and probably apply a nice layer of leather protector. Timberland has a style for almost everyone.

These are just our preferences, and different trips call for different shoes. Hiking? You’ll want something more specific to that terrain. Plan on attending a conference or a nice dinner? Perhaps something sharper, more fitted with a suit, nice dress, or pantsuit.

Deciding on Toiletries – Packing the Essentials

These days, there are also a variety of travel-size toiletry items available, from deodorant to facial care products. All of these are small enough to fit into a toiletry bag that you can put into your carry-on or a small backpack. If you’re so inclined, you can pack a travel-sized perfume/cologne. Many perfumes and colognes already come in small enough sizes, but travel sizes are also available, and these are perfect for taking with you on your adventures.

While keeping up with a routine is important (think exercise), a week off won’t end any progress. So, if you forget to use that facial cleanser for a few days, you’ll likely live. We don’t, however, recommend skimping on taking care of your teeth. Always have floss and a toothbrush.

Trips Longer than a Week

For any trip or vacation beyond a week (but less than a month or so), we recommend always packing about the same as a week. Plan for approximately one to one and a half weeks’ worth of clothing. This allows you to have plenty of variety to mix and match, especially for longer trips if you’re staying 2-3 weeks. This amount also allows you to avoid putting all of your clothes into a checked bag if you want to keep everything with you as you go.

Month+ Long Trips

You may want to check a bag for longer trips. If you know you’re staying a month or more, you may pack a few extra items and check a backpack (never a roller suitcase unless you know you’ll be taking more stationary and not trekking around). Checking a bag can also be useful if you know you’ll need to take some liquid items that can’t be brought on board (think sunscreen, though this can almost always be purchased everywhere) or if you know you’d like to bring something back that can’t be checked.

At three weeks or more, we also start considering bringing exercise clothing. This depends entirely on the nature of the trip. Trekking around Europe or Asia with lots of walking? That’s my exercise. Staying at a beach for 3 weeks, sitting there sipping Mai Tais? I might bring some workout gear, not so much to exercise but to keep a routine. However, exercise clothes also mean you may need to be doing more laundry. If you are like me and exercise heavily and sweat to match, you’ll need enough clothing to sustain you for the daily exercise regimen. We recommend aiming for enough exercise gear for two days so you can wash/rinse the important parts in a sink and let them air dry between workouts, regardless of whether a washing machine is available or not (see above).

When it comes to exercise, we also like to bring our own equipment. If we don’t have access to a gym, or the hotel’s gym is not great, we bring resistance bands. These resistance bands from LEEKEY have served us well over the years. The more you use them, the more they are likely to break eventually, but ours have lasted several years. You’ll also want to store them properly when not in use, so they don’t crack.

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Packing Your Clothes – How to Maximize Your Space

There are all kinds of preferences here, so we’ll go over a few common sense ways that frequent travelers pack. Each person is different and has a preferred method, but none or more correct than others.

Packing Shoes

As mentioned above, packing lots of shoes can be extremely burdensome. We like to stick to 1-2 pairs (everything is dependent on the type of travel you’ll be doing). Shoes are unwieldy and inflexible in a suitcase. They’re not heavy but not light and take up considerable space.

Many travelers make shoes work for them. Aside from obvious styles such as heels, sandals, etc., shoes are great places to store other items. Have something small and breakable? Wrap it in a sock and stick it in a shoe. Liquid? Ziplock baggie and stick it in a shoe. Lots of socks or other small items? Stick ‘em in a shoe! You can maximize space in an otherwise small area by filling shoes with other items.

We also recommend using old grocery bags to wrap your shoes in if they are dirty or bring on if you expect to dirty your shoes. Grocery bags, while horrible for the environment, are ubiquitous in many households, and wrapping your shoes in them is a great way to get extra use. But what about the rest of your clothing?

The Roll

With this method, it’s exactly what it sounds like. You take your clothes and roll them. This allows for easy movement (no unfolding) and stacking when placing items into a bag or suitcase, not unlike building a log cabin. You can roll most things from your basic items like shirts and pants to bigger items like dinner jackets (though you may be less inclined to do so – a topic we’ll touch on). The roll helps to maximize space and worry less about how well you fold. It can also help reduce wrinkles as nothing is folded per se. Sometimes, you can also roll items to stick into…shoes! The roll method works especially well when using backpacks, though it also works with more regular suitcases.

The Normal Fold

This method is exactly what it sounds like. You fold your clothes as you would at home and pack them. You may get a few more wrinkles this way, but you can clearly see what is what, and it allows for maximizing space between items as they are laid flat on top of one another. The normal fold is best for traditional suitcases. If you’re a backpacker, you can use this method, but the space of a backpack doesn’t lend itself to folding clothes in this method.

Packing Cubes

Packing cubes are a great way to organize everything into your suitcase. Within a packing cube, you can organize your clothes, toiletries, etc., in whatever manner works best for you. Packing cubes are great for maximizing space when packing. You can cram items in so that nothing moves around whilst in your suitcase and protect anything breakable. A downside of packing cubes is that they can lead to a density and weight problem. Since you can put so much into a cube, you can find yourself filling them a bit too much, over-packing, and weighing down your luggage, so be mindful!

We really like packing cubes by Veken We find these to be well-made (we’ve had ours for a few years now) and do a wonderful job of helping us keep our bags in order! Again, we don’t always use them, but when we do, it really helps!

Travel Bags and Carry-On Management

We rarely check any luggage, and as such, the bags and suitcases we use on flights are vital for us. We focus on minimizing what we bring and maximizing space. Having the right gear for this is essential.

Backpacks

We fully believe that sometimes quality means spending a little more money. Let’s dive into the bags we like.

We use Samsonite bags that allow us to organize for work while we travel and pack efficiently. Ana uses the Modern Utility Doubleshot Backpack. Per the Samsonite site:

• Constructed of two-tone ripstop polyester for durability
• Bottom of bag is water-resistant
• Tablet/iPad® pocket with tricot lining
• Padded drop-in laptop compartment holds up to a 15.6″ laptop
• SmartSleeve™ slides over Upright handles for easy mobility

This bag, while on the slightly smaller side, offers great storage for Ana to store her makeup, her laptop, and a small number of clothes. It’s been her go-to bag for several years now.

I use the Samsonite Modern Utility Paracycle Backpack. Like Ana’s, it has a waterproof bottom, catered spots for laptops and tablets, and a few other perks. This bag is designed for packing clothes as well with a designated garment strap and an expander as well. Unfortunately, it does not have a baggage sleeve to go over a carry-on suitcase.

Tech Management!

Speaking of storing your devices, if you travel internationally as often as we do, you’ll need to bring a few cords, SIM cards, or other little knick-knacks with you. As anyone who’s ever put a pair of wired headphones in their pocket knows, cords get tangled. And in today’s world, more devices mean more cords.

To help mitigate this cord problem, I use an AER Cable Kit 2 Bag. This bag has the perfect places for me to store cords, watch bands (if you, like me, have different styles for different occasions or exercises), a pocket for SIM cards, and enough space to add in travel adapters. I love this kit because I never have to worry whether or not I have cords with me. I use it even when I am not traveling, as I often take it to work with me as well.

Along with the AER bag, as users of Apple devices, we also recommend using Apple’s MagSafe Duo Charger. It allows us to charge our phones and watches through one simple charger that folds neatly for easy storage. Instead of needing four outlets (2 phones, 2 watches), this cuts us down to two outlets. It helps me save space in my AER bag and reduces the number of adapters and plugs I need to bring with me.

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Carry-On Luggage

What We Recommend

We recommend choosing a 4-wheeled carry-on suitcase to help ease moving through the airport. Backpacks are another option, but their non-standard sizes can increase weight if you are not careful. Also, backpacks’ unusual shape may cause a check-in attendant to be a bit more scrupulous with size and weight.

A TSA-approved lock built into the suitcase is also nice to have, though is by no means a guarantee that your bag is secure if it has to be checked. It does, however, provide a small peace of mind if you keep your bag with you in the terminal.

There is also a trend of luggage being created with built-in portable chargers. These are very handy, but we recommend making sure it is removable. Some airlines will not allow a bag with these to be checked, so being able to take it out is the best option for all travelers. With that said, however, a decent portable charger you keep with you is a better option regardless.

Backpack or Roll-on Carry-On?

Many digital nomads prefer backpacks that double as carry-on bags. 35 litre bags work well for overhead or under the seat and there are a large number of them available that people prefer. We personally don’t use these styles of bags (though we are not opposed to it, but as non-digital nomads, they don’t fit our style of travel).

There are a couple of great options, though, and both Travel & Leisure and the New York Times offer some great reviews of bags that stood out in 2023. Check these out for some better recommendations. Again, as we don’t personally use these types of bags, we do not want to recommend something we haven’t used.

Our Preferred Luggage

Again, we rarely check bags, so we utilize your standard four-wheeled carry-on suitcase. We prefer Delsey as our go-to carry-on luggage.

Delsey has provided us with sturdy, lockable bags with expanders allowing us a bit of extra space. This allows us to bring a few more items back or be a little less finicky about our return home packing. Delsey also has a five-year warranty on their items, though we have yet to need to use this.

While our bags are standard carry-on size, we have noticed airlines reducing or being stricter with carry-on guidelines. This means both weight and size. We have been forced to check our carry-on luggage more than once. Sometimes, perhaps justifiably, they may have been overweight. Other times, we were told they would not fit in the overhead compartment, only for us to board and see people with far larger bags.

Final Thoughts on Carry-On Luggage

As with anything in travel, the bags you choose are a very personal choice. I know travelers who do not care what tools they use and others who are extremely picky. We fall in the middle as we are discerning but within a price range.

If you’d like to see some great options beyond our recommendations, Travel & Leisure has the top bags of 2024!

Packing – Ready to Go?

This guide is designed to help those of you who are new to traveling or packing. Each person has their own style and format, but we’ve pretty much gotten our packing down to a science. Sure, it’s never perfect, but overall, these are the tips, tricks, and items that help us be the most efficient with our packing.