Travel tips
With these tricks you can fit twice as much in your suitcase
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Are you on the verge of a nervous breakdown every time you have to pack your suitcase? With these hacks, that’s guaranteed to never happen again!
You need clothes for seven days, but you’ve packed 26 outfits just to be on the safe side? Then you’re definitely doing something wrong when packing your suitcase. And that happens to all of us. We either take way too much, the wrong clothes, or only half of what we actually need. Drama! This year, things will be different. We know the ten best tricks that will finally stop you from despairing.
10 tips to fit twice as much in your suitcase
1. Make a selection
Do I really need this? You should always ask yourself this before packing something in your suitcase. Winter boots in Mallorca or flip-flops in Tyrol are not a good idea. It’s best to work out how many days you’re going away and put together complete outfits. There are some items you can probably wear twice, cardigans or sweaters for example.
2. Roll or fold?
One thing is certain: opinions differ on this question. Some people swear by neatly folded clothes – others by small sausages of clothes in their suitcase. The fact is that there is no right answer. Some things fold better, such as silk items or blousons. Trousers or cotton shirts, on the other hand, can be rolled without any problems. The only important thing is that you use the space sensibly.
3. Fill gaps
Whether rolled or folded, it fills every little corner in your suitcase. For example, you can stuff socks into your shoes or fill small gaps with underwear or bikinis. That’s why the small things always go in the suitcase last. That way you can keep track of how many socks you actually have with you.
4. Save space
Your favorite shoes are too bulky, but you still want to take them with you? No problem! Then just wear them on the flight. In general, it’s smartest to wear the things that take up the most space in your suitcase during the trip. If in doubt, you can take them off on the plane or in the car anyway.
5. What must be in hand luggage?
Even if you check your suitcase as luggage, you should definitely put a few things in your hand luggage. It could happen that your suitcase gets lost. For example, you should always have important medication with you, as well as a charger for your smartphone. Cameras and the like should also not be in your suitcase, as they could be damaged during transport.
6. Minis are a must
Too much stuff and not enough suitcase? We know what it’s like. That’s why you can save space by not taking your large bottles of shampoo and body lotion with you. Either pour them into small containers or buy your favorite products in a travel size. And if you want to take some of them in your hand luggage, remember: you are not allowed to take anything over 100 milliliters with you and it will be thrown away without a second thought.
7. Keep small things together
It’s not that easy to find 23 pairs of earrings, six necklaces and seven rings in your suitcase if you just throw them in somewhere. So make sure you keep your jewelry, hair ties and clips together. It’s best to keep them in a small container or bag. That way you can be sure that nothing gets lost and you can find everything again when you want to wear it.
8. Cream Chaos
You want to unpack your suitcase – and everything is full of shampoo? Absolute horror scenario. To avoid this exact shock moment, you can simply stick a piece of cling film between the lid and the opening of your liquid products. That way nothing can happen.
9. Leave space
If you know yourself and your own shopping habits, you will know whether you will be buying a lot on vacation. And if so, you should definitely leave enough space in your suitcase. If in doubt, you will have to check in a second suitcase, and that can be expensive. Or you can simply use the suitcase of the person you are traveling with, but they will definitely not be happy about it.
10. Take time to pack your suitcase
There are many different types of packing. But regardless of that, you should allow yourself enough time to pack. And by enough, we don’t mean 30 minutes, but rather three hours. Only real packing pros can gather everything they need in just a few minutes. So if you don’t want to be one of those “stress packers” or “throw everything into the suitcase” people, you should definitely go ahead with a plan. That will make the start of your vacation three times more relaxed.