This won’t come as a shock to the people that know me well, but I tend to overpack. I like to have extra clothing options in case the weather or my mind changes! Because of my frequent traveling, I thought packing cubes would help me. With being on a college student’s budget I didn’t want to spend the money. I finally found the perfect way to organize my suitcase without the cubes! Here’s how I do it!
I don’t fold my jackets
I have to say, this may be the smartest thing that I ever did when needing to pack a coat or a jacket. Folding them takes up a ton of space that you could be using for your everyday clothes. I started laying them underneath my other clothes in the bottom of my suitcase! They eventually get weighed down by my other clothes, and after I add in my other clothes, I can barely tell they’re there. Surprisingly, my suitcase wasn’t any heavier with or without them in there either!
I fold my clothes as flat as possible
It’s funny that I’ve actually got a process for folding sweaters and sweatshirts in order to get them to lay flat. I’ve packed a few suitcases for friends before because of how I’m able to fold things. I swear my folding method is foolproof! Most sweaters and sweatshirts will lay really flat and will stack on top of each other very easily!
I roll thin clothing
This is especially important! I’m someone that lives in leggings (or bike shorts – my newfound love). I’m hardly ever jeans! They’re not very practical in terms of trying to pack to begin with. Plus, they don’t allow any stretch, which to me is really important when you’re exploring a city and potentially trying new foods. Anyway, by bringing things that are made out of thinner materials and rolling them, I can get them to fit in a smaller space in my suitcase! Sometimes this really helps with arranging my clothes as well. In the cooler seasons this is especially helpful because sweaters and sweatshirts take up a ton of room!
I organize in quarter sections
This may sound really stupid. There’s probably some of you out there thinking “Your suitcase is going to get messed up anyway,” and those of you would be wrong! For the sake of getting my clothing from point A to point B, this step is really important to me. Since it keeps your clothing in stacks, it helps you easily remove those stacks if you’re looking for something specific. Rolling my pants makes them small enough to take up their own quarter section. Everything else falls into place pretty seamlessly! It doesn’t take long at all to find anything or keep everything organized.
I put loose items in the zipped side
The zipped side of my suitcase could become a catch-all for everything else I need: makeup, skincare, shoes, etc. The thing is that I will not let it get that far! I make sure everything is contained in bags to make organization as easy as possible. It just becomes a game of Tetris! Because my shoes might be different for every trip, the arrangement is different every time. However, this time around I let my extra shoes fill the space between my toiletry bag and my skincare bag. My makeup bag ended up fitting perfectly on the side! When I started adding in my hair products and my Lange Le Duo, it all fit seamlessly. I honestly couldn’t believe it lined up the way it did (believe me that never happens). Even when I rolled it around a bunch and opened it back up, nothing had moved!
I plan to wear the bulkiest items
This is a pretty standard practice for frequent travelers, especially for those that fly. I try to do the same thing even when I’m driving somewhere! A lot of the time, my bulkiest item ends up being a really thick hoodie. The hood gets in the way during the folding process and because of that won’t stay folded (it happened during this packing process actually). At the end of the day, it’s easier and you end up having a super cozy outfit for your trip! Try practicing this with your shoes as well!
Do you have other ways of ensuring everything gets in your suitcase and stays organized? Let me know in a comment below!
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