Now, if you are the sort of person that leaves your packing to the very last minute, or even worse after you have been to the pub for a glass or two of red wine, you need to stop! Putting off packing that case isn’t going to make it any easier, and doing it inebriated is only going to mean that you end up with a lot of random stuff in there. Which is going to be pretty hard to explain if you get stopped by customs! Instead, you need to take a measured approach on how and what to pack. One that ensures you have everything that you need, but you also don’t take the kitchen sink along with you. Read on to find out how to do this.
Get organised before hand
The number one mistake that I see people make when packing their suitcase before they go away is not being organised before they do it. If you don’t get some sort of order and system in place, you really are just asking for it all to descend into chaos.
To get organised all you need to do is make a list of everything you will need to take. Yes, everything! That doesn’t just mean which clothes you are taking, so make a master lists including each item. As then you can start to see whether you have too much for your baggage allowance.
It’s also vital to work out which items clothing that you are taking before you come to pack. It’s no good if you have 30 minutes until you leave for your flight, and you realize that all of the items that you want are still in the wash! That is why I recommend getting organised at least a week before and getting the laundry done then.
Essentials only!
Now some folks have a different idea of what it is essential than others, but most people have had the experience where they take a great big case, chocked full to the brim with stuff on holiday, and then end up using hardly any of it.
To avoid this, before you start to put everything into your case you need to lay it all out on the bed first. Then cast a critical eye over it, and make sure that you aren’t taking two very similar items when you could just pack one.
It’s also a good time to make sure that you have the true essentials for your trip such as medications, airplane tickets, and travel documents like the ESTA. You can get some useful tips on what to do about your medication when travelling abroad from goodtogoinsurance.com. You can also apply for an ESTA at sites like official-esta.com if you are going to be in America less that 90 days.
Use a capsule wardrobe
A particularly good way of making the most economical use of space in your case is to use a capsule wardrobe for your holiday wear. This is where you pack a limited number of items that all go with one another. So you can make many permutations of outfits without over filling your case.