1)      Avoid Over packing

Going out of town for one night, or spending a month abroad, its easy to imagine all the outfits, and possible items you might need. However, so many people over pack, wear the same 2 outfits, and leave the other clothes in their bags the whole time. Don’t do this, and weigh down your bags! Carefully evaluate ever where you will be and what you will essentially need, and leave the rest at home

This leads to Tip 1)B J – Also don’t under pack. While this is much less important the rule 1, if you going somewhere cold, or there is a formal event, take a min, and make sure you have items for these special occurrences for the trip you are preparing.

2)      Packing Cubes

I have been using packing cubes for years, and they are an essential item on any trip. How else can you organize all your different clothes in a large suitcase? They are basically no extra weight and pretty inexpensive on Amazon. See the ones I get.

PRO-TIP : Get two sets, in different colors. Then put all your clothes in one set, and lay the other set on top when you leave. As you go through your trip week, once you wear clothes and they become dirty put them in the new color. *This really helps in your going to a lot of destinations or traveling a long time. Now you can quickly see what’s clean and what’s been worn.

3)      Roll Clothes

Suitcases are a lot smaller than closets, draws ext… so, instead of just putting everything in your suitcases folded up, roll those suckers up, you’ll have more space and un-wrinkled clothes when you arrive. Win win.

4)      Use Travel Friendly clothes.

If you can pick clothes that do not need ironing and are normally wriggle free. Cotton, and linen are going to get wrinkles, but polyester and other synthetics, do very well in bags. It’s a huge time saver to have clothes ready, that you can just pull out and are good to go.

5)      Don’t wear jeans on a flight.

 This should go without saying. While I like jeans as much as the next person, they are cotton, if you got to run to a gate they will be sweaty, not breathable, they are not the nice looking, not supper comfortable for long flights, just don’t…. Instead, how about nice synthetic blend pants for men, and nice leggings for woman? Is dress pants, and dresses to hard to ask?

6)      Pack Lounge Wear clothes in your carry on.

I learned this tip from another frequently traveler while going to Hong Kong years ago. and BRING sleep clothes / lounge clothes with you, that you can change into while sleeping on the flight. Now, you board the place looking fly, pun intended, change into you comfy sleep clothes, and then change again right before landing. Now you are the dressiest international flyer, thanks to World Travel Hacks tips.

7)      Speaking of clothes, pack for your trip with a color scheme.

If you have two tops and two bottoms that can be mix and matched, now you have four outfits. Think Blues and Greys or Whites and Browns… whatever matches, you get he idea… Instead of packing individual outfits, pack items that will go well with your whole color palate and your be ready for any occasion, with less baggage.

8)      Bring light jacket or sweatshirt.

Have you ever been on a flight, for 10+ hours that’s absolutely freezing? Like, they serve water, but its just frozen solid ice, and you have to heat if up with you hands… and its literally snowing inside the plane its so cold? Well, maybe not that cold, but I’ve been on many flights where it was just cold the whole time… and if you have a light jacked or sweatshirt it can really make a huge difference. *I do this even if I’m traveling to tropical hot countries, just for cases like this.

9)      Take essentials on your carry on.

If you take any medicine, these items must go with you on your carry on. No one likes lost luggage. In fact, I have a huge bag lost in Colombia somewhere right now… Anyways, even on short flights, you can loose anything you check, so if there is something take each day, carry it on. Travel credit cards, carry on. Phone charger, carry it on. Your favorite candy bar, carry that sucker on.

10)  Pack a Mini Health kit

Are you prone to allergies? Do you have motion sickness? Or you are worried about sleeping after a 14 hour time change? If so, make a real small medicine kit with things you might need, and take this with you every time. PRO Tip – learn the local medicines. For example when I go to Eastern Europe a lot, and I know exactly what to get a pharmacy for flu in the winter; I also know what to get for allergies in South America… If you go somewhere a lot, its worth researching the normal medicines they carry so you can know what to get if a need comes up.

11)  Toiletries Carry on kit.

You know what makes red-eye flights better, brushing you teach, washing your face, maybe fixing you hair or makeup for ladies… Bring a small Toiletries.

kit with you, and instead of showing up the next morning looking like a hung-over zombie, freshen up with your kit, and show up like a local boss. If your already used my travel tips and are business or first class, most airlines will give these for you, so no need on your carry on.

12)  Bag in your bag.

This is really one of my number one tips for any trip. Let’s say you going to Europe or Asia for 5 days, taking carry-on luggage online, so space is tight. When you get to you location, you have one or two big roller suitcases, but now they are useless during your trip until you leave. Here comes the bag in the bag. Before leaving get a small backpack that can fit inside you carry on, on the very top of all your clothes. Now when you arrive, you will have a day backpack, to carry small things around. I really do this one every time. AND, while I have a couple of these small thin back packs, my very most favorite is from … I also have a jansport one, any backpack that is durable but can be completely flat, and it inside carry on will work.

13)  Socks and underwear as cushion.

Do you have $1,000 leather business shoes?  If so, why are you reading my blog post, you can just re-buy new clothes when you get where you’re going haha. But for real, roll up socks and underwear and put them in the toes of your shoes to keep them from getting squished. Also, put your watches, and other jewelry in your socks, (if you do not have travel jewelry bags, which are even better). And ladies, do you have nine-inch heels so you can look taller next to me? Same thing, wrap those heels up to keep them looking amazing when you arrive. Nobody likes scuffed up shoes.

14)  Get Air tags.

That’s the whole tip, get air tags. But for really, I have a whole post on air tags. I recently had luggage lost from a flight Israel to Turkey. But with the air tags, I could check and was able to track it down and got the bag three days later. I even put these in your carry-on bag, so next time I walk off and leave bags at an airport lounge or in a taxi, I can track them down.

15)  Don’t pack, WEAR your big bulky items.

Are you headed somewhere cold, but you live in the tropics? Well, take that big winter coat out of your suitcase, and wear it on. You can always take it off, and put it in the overhead, but packing a large bulky coat and other big items, will take up ½ a suitcase easy. And, once you arrive to your destination at -20C somewhere, you will be happy you have that coat ready!

16)  Personal item bag.

If you’re a carry-on on only person, then of course we can be friends. (If not, read more blog post on World Travel Hacks, and come back). So, your carry-on bag, and personal item, needs to be thought out carefully. The bag, is pretty standard size in most countries, for your personal item, I would suggest getting the largest “personal item” that can fit under your seat as possible… Done get a laptop bag, or a camera only bag, (unless you’re a youtubber like me) instead go for a large duffle back, or large back pack, as your personal item, and put you laptop in a case, and cameras in a case, inside this second bag. It should leave room for other things you want to take also.

17)  Pack you own snacks

If you doing 10-15+ Hours, you will for sure get some meals, but you might want to also have you own snacks. Especially if you trying to be healthy or have any dietary needs. In fact, I wrote a whole post on the snacks I take with me. Pack these in a small paper bag or grocery bag and add that to you carry on. Not much is worse than being on an 12 hour flight, and being super hungry; well… maybe being on a 16 hour flight being super hungry is worse.

See how to stay healthy with these snacks here: Flight Snacks