4 Signs that you have a Packing Problem

Whether you are travelling on a quick business trip away for the weekend or taking a long family vacation with the family, packing for your trip can cause quite a lot of problems as well as stress.

To make sure your trip goes smoothly and to avoid any potential crises, look out for these packing problem signs and use these easy, effective solutions…

       1.       Wrinkled Clothing

Do you really want to spend your time ironing your clothes in your hotel room? If your clothing comes out of your bags looking like they’ve been lying on the floor for 3 months then it’s time to learn how to pack properly!

Solution – Stick to wrinkle-free clothing and roll your items up instead of folding them.

      2.       Damaged Goods

There is nothing worse than opening your suitcase and finding your precious souvenirs are damaged. If you’ve ever had an item destroyed, you may need to take some extra care when you’re packing.

Solution – NEVER put breakable items in your checked luggage, rather wrap them up in newspaper or bubble wrap and carry them with you.

      3.       Too much Baggage

Does it take three people plus a heavy lifting champion to pick up your carry-on bag? If you answered yes then it’s time to lighten the load – no one wants to deal with access baggage fees for packing too much.

Solution – It is a good idea to check the weather beforehand so you don’t over pack or pack anything you do not need.

      4.       Pre-Trip Panic

Do you find it hard to sleep before you go on your trip because you stress that you have forgotten to pack something important? The trick to avoiding unnecessary stress is to give yourself time to pack and stay organised.

Solution – NEVER pack an hour before your trip, rather make a list and make sure to go through it while you are packing.

If you think your suitcase-stuffing strategy needs a bit of work, then remember to use these easy solutions before you go on your trip, nothing can ruin a holiday faster than a silly packing problem.

10 Things you DON’T need to pack!

You’ve probably read plenty of articles about what to pack before you take a trip but less often do professional travelers tell you what NOT to pack in your suitcase. Ready to pack smarter?

Here are 10 things you don’t need to pack and should leave at home to make your suitcase lighter and more manageable.

1. Expensive jewellery
Even if you’re going on a five-star cruise, leave your expensive jewellery, including watches, at home because travellers are just asking for it when they wear their flashy stuff. In fact, it is recommended that women turn their engagement rings around, when traveling through local markets and train stations, so that stones of the ring are facing their palm.

If you do insist on bringing expensive jewellery for a special occasion like a fancy wedding, then carry it on the plane with you; don’t check it! And don’t wear it out on the town every day. Leave your valuables in a safety deposit box at the front desk of a hotel or cruise ship or in a safe.

2. Travel iron
No one likes wrinkled clothes but chances are that wherever you’re going, they’ll have an iron. And if they don’t, like on a cruise ship, where irons are considered a fire hazard, there are other ways to get wrinkles out of your clothing. The best trick: Hang your clothes in the bathroom when you’re taking a hot shower. The heat will usually steam the wrinkles right out! Or, I’m also a fan of packing wrinkle-free clothing so I don’t even need to worry about ironing

3. All of your tech gadgets
These days, most people have a smartphone, a laptop, a tablet, an e-reader…but do you really need all of them when you travel? Try to pare your tech collection down to the essentials and leave the others at home. For instance, if you can download the Kindle app on your iPad, you can leave your Kindle at home and just read your books on your iPad. That way, you can also leave their respective chargers at home, too.

4. Shampoo, conditioner and body lotion
We all like the products we like but when you travel, why take up all that space with your shampoo, conditioner and lotions? Unless you are going camping or staying in a hostel, wherever you go will have it all. If you don’t think you will like the hotel’s brand of amenities, then you can always go to a local pharmacy or grocery store and buy some. If you must have your favorite shampoo, then be sure it’s in the proper size container if you are doing carry-on only.

5. Hair dryer
Don’t even think about it. I’m always surprised when I hear women bringing their own hair dryer. Really? Do you not think the hotel, cruise ship or rental house will have it? Packing a hair dryer is just taking up valuable room in your suitcase unnecessarily and adds weight to your bags.

6. Paper guidebooks
Gone are the days when travellers have to stock their suitcases or carry-on bags with thick and heavy guidebooks. Don’t get me wrong – I love guidebooks but this is the 21st century and you can find all the information you need online or download it on to your smartphone or tablet.

7. Too many clothes
There’s an old saying: Pack half the clothes and twice the money. Those are words to live by. As you’re preparing for a trip, lay out all the clothes and money you plan to bring. Then only pack half the clothes and double the amount of money you had planned on. Like so many people, I used to over pack and then I got wise. And don’t use the excuse that you’re a girl who needs more stuff – the most girly —can travel with a suitcase the size of trunk, but once you see the light, you’ll start using a suitcase that’s smaller.

8. Designer luggage
Speaking of luggage, don’t bring expensive designer luggage as it only draws the attention of thieves. If you’re a thief, who are you going to rob: someone that has a designer bag or someone that’s got some generic suitcase? Case closed.

9. Shoes
When you travel, bring one comfortable pair of walking/running shoes and one pair of dressy shoes. Since women tend to have smaller feet, they can usually fit a few options.

10. Over-the-counter drugs
It is illegal to bring some over-the-counter medicines commonly used into some foreign countries, like Japan. These drugs include inhalers and some allergy and sinus medications. Specifically, products that contain stimulants or codeine are prohibited.

As you can see, most of the things I’ve listed will save you space in your suitcase but some can also save you jail time!

What things do YOU leave at home?

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12 Packing Problems only a woman will understand

Sometimes they packing problems that women encounter are just about enough to make you want to stay at home! Yes, going places and travelling the world is great and all, but THE PACKING! WHY!?

1. You feel the urge to pack for every conceivable situation. You’ve never worn that long fancy dress before, but what if you want to go to a really nice dinner? What if some millionaire wants to take you dancing on his yacht? It could happen!

2. You have to squeeze your purse into your carry-on tote so you can actually bring three bags on board.

3. You have to fit all your cosmetics into that little toiletries pouch. Insane. Unrealistic. How are you supposed to live?

4. You can't abide by those ridiculous liquid container size restrictions. What? Do they think there is a bomb inside your moisturizer? The airport security jerks are totally just trying to steal your cosmetics!

5. You realise that you need to do laundry before your pack. But also, you realise that is just not going to happen.

6. You have to figure out how to keep your suitcase from weighing more than 50 pounds. The only thing worse than paying the excess baggage fee is paying the excess baggage fee after unpacking your bag in front of the entire airport, a fistful of underwear in your hand, in a vain attempt to transfer those last 4 pounds to your already stuffed carry-on.

7. You have to pick a different outfit for every day. Stress. And you know deep down that you will never stick to any of the choices you've made.

8. You want to leave room for the extra stuff you plan to buy on your trip, but you're completely unable to do so. You have to fill every available inch of suitcase space or else you're just inviting a fashion disaster to happen while you're on vacation.

9. You try to pick a "packing style" in order to get as much stuff into your bags as possible. Are you a roll packer or a vacuum packer? What if you can't re-vacuum your stuff when you come back? Maybe if you sit on your suitcase for a while, it will magically make room for more things.

10. You know your bag is technically too big to be a carry-on, but you also know that you have gotten away with it in the past. What if today is the day they make you check it? And then, what if they lost it? There you’ll be, stranded in some foreign country, naked and alone!

11. Weather denial. You don't care what the forecast says, it's supposed to be warm where you are going and you are packing accordingly. Stupid weathermen are wrong most of the time anyway. You'll dress for the weather you want, not the weather you have.

12. Wrinkles. So. Many. Wrinkles!

No matter how hard women try, they will always have a tough time packing for a trip!

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What not to pack when you’re travelling

There’s always the issue when packing of what not to bring and what you NEED to bring, the main goal is to be able to carry your luggage around without huffing and puffing and completely losing your breath. When we’re forced to make the awful decision and choose between our favourite things, most of the time it’s just easier to pack it all! Everyone’s packing style is different and we all have our own travel needs, but if you leave out a few of the following items on your next trip and we promise you won’t miss a thing!

Don’t pack your entire beauty routine:  If you use 12 different products on your hair, leave some of them at home when you’re travelling, instead of carrying two extra bags with you filled with beauty products. If you’re worried about looking like a troll in your holiday photos, trust me it won’t happen if you just use shampoo and conditioner for a few nights.

Don’t pack more clothes than you need: Clothes take up majority of the space in your suitcase, if you reduce the amount of outfits, it can reduce the load significantly. No one wants to run out of clean underwear in the middle of the forest, but that doesn't mean you have to pack enough clothes to change outfits three times a day.

Don’t pack your jewelry and valuables: So you can’t imagine living without your grandmother’s wedding ring or your expensive Rolex watch? Well, it’s best not to cart it overseas! Tourists are the main targets for criminals, you may think you look like a million bucks, but to thieves you just look like an easy target.

Don’t pack unnecessary gadgets: This part applies to you if you've ever packed things like nightlights, portable DVD players, coffee makers or toothbrush sanitizers, but then you never touch them once throughout the whole trip. The important thing to ask yourself is: “Do I really need that electronic language translator?” before you try and stuff it into your overflowing suitcase.

Over packing can cost a lot more than extra suitcase space and a free hand, if you check more than one bag or exceed the weight limit it can cost you a lot of extra cash, so before you get upset about leaving your favourite prized possession at home, remember that these suggestions might help you out a lot.

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Signs that you have a packing problem

Whether you’re going on a long holiday out of the country or just a weekend away somewhere close by, packing for your trip can sometimes be quite a problem. If you've ever had to pay an extra baggage fee, left your passport at home or cleaned up a shampoo spill in your bag, you might have a bit of a packing issue. To help your trip preparation go smoothly and avoid these crises, there are some easy, effective solutions:

Warning Sign 1 – A wrinkled wardrobe
Do you really want to spend time ironing your clothes in your hotel when you could be out enjoying your trip. If your clothes ever come out of your suitcase looking like they’re been lying on your bedroom floor for three weeks, you may want to change your packing strategy.

Solution:
- Try to stick to wrinkle free clothing rather than normal cottons and linens
- Don’t actually pack your bag until shortly before your departure
- Be sure to unpack your clothes and hang them up as soon as you get to your hotel
- Roll or interlock your clothes instead of folding them

Warning Sign 2 – Damaged goods
There’s nothing worse than arriving home and discovering that your precious souvenirs are lying in pieces at the bottom of your suitcase. If you've ever had an item destroyed or had your clothes damaged by a messy spill, you may need a few lessons on packing with extra care.

Solution:
- Never, ever put breakable items in your checked luggage
- Wrap fragile items in newspaper, bubble wrap or clothing and keep them in your carry-on bag
- If you've bought an item that’s too big to fit on your carry-on then just have it shipped home for you
- Any item that can potentially leak (toothpaste, shampoo, shower gel, perfume) should be sealed tightly and packed into a zip-top plastic bag

Warning Sign 3 – Too much baggage
Does it take three flight attendants plus a bodybuilder to lift your carry-on bag into the overhead compartment? If you answered yes then you need to learn how to lighten your load, no one wants to pay those nasty access baggage fees for over packing.

Solution:
- It’s worth it to buy a lightweight bag to give you a few extra Kg's to work with
- Check the weather forecast beforehand, if it shows nothing but sunshine, leave your huge winter jacket at home
- Call your hotel and check what amenities will be in your room, chances are you won’t have to bring your shampoo or hairdryer

Warning Sign 4 – Pre-trip panic
Are you unable to sleep the night before a trip, because you’re absolutely terrified that you've forgotten to pack something? Or even worse you arrive at your destination and realize that you actually have forgotten something vital, the trick is to stay organized and give yourself plenty of time to pack and it’ll get rid of your pre-trip jitters.

Solution:
- Don’t start packing the day, or hour before your trip
- Mentally walk through your trip and plan out outfits and items in advance
- Make a list and check off items as you pack them in
- Just remember there are few things you can’t just buy if you've forgotten to pack them

If you think your suitcase-stuffing strategy needs a bit of work, then remember to use these easy solutions before you go on your trip, nothing can ruin a holiday faster than a silly packing problem.

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