Taking a trip this spring or summer? Let me help you with some packing tricks for staying unruffled on the road or in the air and help you smooth out the wrinkles of packing problems.
After you’ve weeded down to the essentials, you need to choose the correct size suitcase to hold them. Cramming clothes or allowing them to move freely, are equal culprits when it comes to wrinkling. If you plan to add purchases as you travel, pack a folding bag rather than carry a bigger suitcase.
Before you begin packing the suitcase, divide the things you’re taking into four groups: heavy items, soft items, clothing that may wrinkle, and small or fragile items. A well-balanced suitcase is easier to carry or roll, thus heavy items like shoes go along the outside of the case. It also helps to put shoes in plastic bags to avoid dirtying clothes.
Soft items like lingerie and stocking can be rolled to help fill in mall spaces. The key to preventing wrinkles is to guard against creasing when you fold, and there are several ways to accomplish this. Some packers save plastic bags from the dry cleaners and use them to cushion important garments. Plastic bags can also be used to protect clothing hung in garment bags. Other travelers prefer to use tissue paper generously laid out to cushion each fold and stuffed in the sleeves of garments, the way department stores pack clothing for delivery.
When all is said and done, packing boils down to two simple common sense rules: Be wise about what you bring and cushion creases as you pack. That’s really all it takes to keep you smooth and unruffled on the road or in the air.