Packing cubes are just the beginning. This is my ultimate how-to guide on maximizing your packing strategy so you feel at home everywhere from the aisle seat to the Airbnb.
I’ve been wanting to write this article for so so long. This is to be my magnum opus. I love not checking luggage, I love packing cubes, I love being able to pack up and leave a place in under 10 minutes, I love the feeling of being able to carry everything I need on my back, I love feeling decluttered and unencumbered by stuff while also feeling like myself in clothes I love. I love coming home and throwing everything in the laundry because not a single piece wasn’t used.
As we've started traveling with our baby, not only has packing become one of my favorite parenting challenges but I've been reaping the benefits of years spent iterating on my packing strategy.
This article is not just a listical of isolated tips but my entire process and really philosophy, nay RELIGION of how you schlep your stuff from A to B.
Before diving in, I want to mention that this is not my typical brand of "how to overengineer something." This is a problem worth solving. You might ask, what’s wrong with checking luggage? So what if you overpack, better to be prepared right? And minimalism isn’t for everyone. The reason this is worth getting right is that it unlocks the freedom to be more present with your travel experience. Physical stuff has a way of tying us down physically AND mentally and it dramatically changes the way you see the world. You spend more time trying to bring your world somewhere and less time being in another world.
So this article is going to go over my process for how to pack, what to use, what exactly should you bring (and not bring) and how to organize your shit once you get there. Let the OCD commence!
What Luggage You Should Use
First up: the luggage debate. What combination of fabrics and zippers defines you as a traveler?
Roller bags vs. Backpacks
While a religious debate among travelers, there's a simple truth that makes this easy. Roller bags are amazing… when you’re in an airport. After that, backpacks win. So if you’re going from airport → lyft → hotel and back, stick with a roller bag. They are the best way to do urban-only ventures.
But! if you’re trip includes *anything* outside of this; stairs, public transit, city streets; backpacks are your best friend.
Yes, they’re heavier and kill your shoulders, but dragging wheeled luggage through even one cobblestone street in Italy or carrying your bag up even 2 flights of stairs makes your luggage choice a liability. And this article is about how to be a boss, not a liability. Plus, carrying the weight of your possessions on your back is a healthy reminder of how much or little you’re willing to leave behind when traveling. I prefer to bring as little of "myself" to a new place as possible because it tends to make me more open to new things.
*My personal backpack of choice is the Tom Bihn Aeronaut 45. It does 2 things I require; 1- It opens like a suitcase so I can pack it like one. I hate typical backpacking packs that top load because you have to empty the entire thing to get at the stuff on the bottom. 2- It's stylish enough that I can pair it with a dress.
Packing Cubes:
A packing cube love story; Three years ago my now-husband and I took our first trip together to visit his family in Europe. Before work on the day of our departure, I packed all my things, put them into packing cubes and neatly piled them atop a table. Upon coming home, I found he had piled his 4 identical packing cubes next to mine. And I knew that day, that I would marry him. Long story short: packing cubes get you a husband.
Packing cubes may seem redundant at first. Why do I need a bag for my bag? But as you will see in the next section they are an organizational game-changer.
*Pro Tip 1: Get packing cubes designed for your specific bag, so they tetris perfectly, like this arousing picture.
*Pro Tip 2: Get packing cubes with rigid sides so they can be used as drawer organizers at your destination.
Other Small Bags:
Always bring a tote bag. Just do it. I never know what I’ll use it for and I 100%, every time, ALWAYS end up using it. It is the most useful thing for how little space it takes up. For ladies, or anyone who rocks a handbag, the cross-body zipper satchel reigns supreme. They pack flat and are a perfect mix of style and function.
The Packing Process
To say I love packing is an understatement. I wait impatiently all day the night before a trip just so I don’t seem too eager, then I pour a glass of wine, put on a movie (usually shot in the place I’m traveling to) and live the shit out of my truth. I relish the moment like none other. What new milestones will I accomplish this time? Can I get 2 weeks of winter wear into my backpack on its SMALL setting? Will my new idea for dealing with laundry finally work this time? It’s SO exciting!
Deciding What To Pack
STEP 1: Identify all the “activities” you'll be doing and build outfits for them. These are things like “birthday dinner” or “hiking trip” or “beach day.” Anything outside of what you’ll be doing day-to-day. You don’t need to plan what you’ll wear every day but you should start by figuring out the outfits you DEFINITELY need.
STEP 2: Think about the weather + what you'll be doing most of the time outside of the activities. Europe in the winter and a lot of city walking? Tahiti and a lot of beach time? Conference in Houston and a lot of work events? Get an idea of what the rest of your filler clothes should be. These are pieces that you can mix and match to cover everything outside of the “activities.” For a conference it might be a pair of black slacks, for a beach vacation, it might be a bunch of sundresses etc.
STEP 3: Lay the pieces out in a grid fashion on your bed by color and type. This accomplishes 2 things; 1- It avoids overpacking. You know how when you’re making a presentation they tell you not to put it in Powerpoint at first because you become attatched to the content and struggle to delete stuff? Same strategy here. Don’t just start by putting things in your suitcase cuz it feels officially"packed." 2- You leverage the art of layering within a single color scheme. It sucks to pack a top and realize later you don’t have anything it goes with. You want to make sure you’ve got multiple options for what matches with what.
STEP 4: Try to remove 1/3 of it. Be weary of your "high maintenance pieces." These are pieces that require multiple additional pieces. I used to get trapped into packing an extra set of pants, shoes, and bag just to match ONE jacket I wanted to wear. It was hard to let go of, especially if it was a super dope jacket, but the trade-off was always worth it. You rarely missed these things once you're there because you usually forget they exist.
STEP 5: Find your Travel Uniform- A lot of minimalist travelers will tell you to wear all your bulkiest items on the plane to save room in your bag. This is a rookie mistake. You might wear your jacket and boots from SFO --> Paris but then you’re stuck wearing all your bulky stuff EVERY time you commute. Instead, optimize for how you want to feel while traveling. It kicks the trip off in a positive way. This is a personal decision. How much do you value style vs. comfort? Do you get cold easily? Do you get stressed going through security? My preferred travel look is "put together but cozy chic."
I use the following rules:
Real shoes; no sandles, no sneakers. Typically boots or leather flats.
At LEAST 2 layers on top, if not more. Typically a tank top and cashmere cardigan.
Leggings are acceptable for long flights but then they must be styled. IE. No yoga pants w/ baseball hats etc.
Set this aside, away from your luggage.
STEP 6: Pack Toiletries. Pro tip: Keep a toiletry bag with small refillable bottles of your toiletries *with* your packing cubes. And keep a checklist of what you need inside the bag. After your trip is over, use the checklist to refill everything before putting it away. Then just pack the bag as is. Done. Another humungous bonus to keeping a stocked toiletry bag is you can now pack completely the night before. No more scrambling to put your toothbrush and deodorant in your bag all disorganized-like while you're rushing around trying to get ready.
STEP 7: Pack Accessories. This is your makeup, electronics, etc.
STEP 8: Pack Your Commute Bag.
Suiting Up: Organizing Your Stuff For Transit
Guys, this is where I'm gonna go overboard with my OCD. Don't worry, I thought about it so you don't have to. This is going to sound counter-intuitive but trust me, when you put things into your packing cubes, you want to contextualize your items not categorize them. That means, for example, that not all socks go together in a dedicated sock space but rather your running socks live with the sports stuff and your argyle socks live with your regular outfits. Grouping items that go together is how you stay organized.
You should have 5 types of packing cubes.
Base layers: socks, underwear, plain tops and tees, swimsuit. Use one with 2 compartments because these are the things that get dirty after one wear and you can put them on the other side as they get worn.
Outfit Pieces: tops and bottoms, and any special "activity" pieces. Often things that go together just once, like a dress and heels, will go in another cube inside this one. Shoes actually go in here as well (RIGHT?! CRAZY!) But obviously inside shoe bags.
Night-time Kit: Lounge wear, pajamas and nightime routine toiletries (serums, ear plugs, face wipes, melatonin).
Airplane Kit: Also could be considered "purse stuff.” Wallet, cell phone, chapstick, chargers. Anything you need readily during transit. I put this in its own cube even inside my purse, so I can keep it by the door at the hotel once I get there.
Dopp kit :Toiletries. I also keep 2 smaller bags for things I need in the shower versus outside of the shower.
Unpacking When You Arrive
Oh man, if you thought I was weird for how much I like packing, you should see how much love UNPACKING once I get there. Setting up a little mini home-away-from home, is one of my absolute greatest joys in life. Also keeping your hotel or Airbnb organized is an underutilized strategy for reducing travel stress. I’ve been on many-a group trip where peoples’ rooms are a chaotic mess of open suitcases, clothes strewn across every available surface and piled on the floor. Not only does this make it mentally taxing to BE wherever you’re staying, it makes finding anything and packing back up take forever. But don't worry, I've thought about this for you too.
Here’s where everything should go when you get there:
Suitcase: Take everything out of your suitcase, and put your suitcase AWAY, usually on the top shelf of the closet or under the bed. It’s useless now that you’ve arrived and it’s too easy to just start throwing stuff back in there when it's dirty.
Outfit Cube: Unzip your "outfit cube" and hang up the pieces in the closet. You’ll want these on display because you’ll usually be deciding between these on any given day.
Base Layer Cubes: Put everything from your base layer cube either in a drawer or on a shelf. These should stay in the cube. You’ll be reaching for these every day so keep them somewhere easy to get access.
Night Kit: Put your nighttime kit on the nightstand, ideally in the drawer. Pajamas should be in this cube and should live as close to the bed as possible.
Toiletry Kit: Hang your Dopp kit on a towel rack. Remove all the items from your shower items and put them, yup, int he shower. Take your post-shower bag and put it on the bathroom counter. Pro tip- When you're getting ready in the morning, take everything out of the post-shower bag and put it back in as you finish, so it's nice and neat when you leave.
Commute Kit: Put your "commute kit" next to the front door or desk or wherever you put your laptop. Keep all of this in ONE place because this is the stuff that gets lost the easiest. I even like to keep everything inside the packing cube and just take stuff out to pack day bags as I need them.
Tom Bihn actually makes a cool piece that converts from a closed cube to a structured table-top bag for just this purpose ;)
7. Laundry: Set up your dirty laundry receptacle. Okay, mixing dirty and clean laundry is one of my biggest packing challenges. I’ve tried lots of different things with mixed success. The strategy I’m currently using is to consider dirty clothes in 2 categories; 1: Legit dirty, won’t wear again. Typically these are items from the base layers cube and go into the other side of that bag. 2: Worn but will wear again. Things like jeans or sweaters. These just get hung back up because if you put them with legit dirty clothes, they actually get dirty. It’s not ideal but it’s the best I’ve got. I loath dedicated laundry bags because they never had designated space in your bag so now everything needs a new configuration in your bag and the world is in chaos.
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