Travelling is amazing, packing your suitcase for that trip on the other hand, not so much fun.

With only 3 days before my big trip, I am stressed out about my suitcase, big time.

In almost all my travels my suitcase ends up just under the weight limit, and it’s filled with “What if” items. Here’s an example of my thought process when I’m packing ; “What if I attend a formal event?, I better take that dress and those shoes to match it of course, oh I’ll definitely need nail polish then…and what if I want to curl my hair, I’ll take my curler just in case” and so on and so forth…finally I end up carrying a bunch of stuff I don’t use.
I always make sure I can handle all my luggage on my own though, that’s a lesson my dad taught me “Never carry more stuff than you can handle by yourself”, he didn’t exactly use the word “stuff”.
So for my trip to France, which is almost a year long, it’s been tricky, now if I was rolling in the money I would just buy everything there, but since I’m not here is a list of tips when packing.

-Choose wisely when picking your clothes, take into account seasonal changes so make sure most of your clothes you’ll be able to use year round.
-Avoid unnecessary weight such as creams and shampoos, if you must take these kinds of items Ziploc bags will be your best friends, you don’t want any messes when you open your bag at your destination. (Also a good option is buying small sachets, they won’t break and don’t take up space)
-Rolling clothes instead of folding them, this will help you make better use of space.
-For shoes, pack them in individual bags, don’t put the pair together in one bag, this way you can fit each shoe in whatever space you find in between clothes , you can even fit stuff inside your shoe that may need some extra protection like a perfume bottle.
-Always check the allowed weight limit per suitcase, including your carry-on luggage, and weigh your bags once they are all set.
-Always put a lock on them, there’s the wrapping option at the airport, but a lock will do. In my eyes, anything that will make thieves put in some effort to steal from your suitcase is good enough.
-Edit your suitcase. When I finally think I’m all done with packing, I go over what is in and I ask myself, do I really need this? How many times am I actually going to use this? If the answer is no or I don’t know, leave it at home.
-If you are carrying jackets or coats, wear them to the airport. You won’t have that weight in your bag, and you can use them during long flights as pillows or blankets, we all know they pump up the air con like crazy at night, and when you ask for some extra blankets, the nice flight attendant says “I will see what I can do” .And then you don’t see her for the rest of the flight…

Hope these little tips are useful when you are packing your suitcase. What other tips do you have?

(Picture credit here)