Basic Packing Tips For Travel

United States of America (Press Release) January 24, 2008 -- Basic Packing Tips for Travel



This information is to help you organize your packing. I am sure that you may have a tip or two of your own, however this will help the person who does not know where to start. Everyone develops their own technique.

So, here goes…the use of Ziploc bags is very helpful in packing for a trip. Bags in the 1 gallon or 2 gallon size serve the purpose well.
They can be used for:
 Packing dirty or wet clothing.
 Packing toiletries…be sure to double bag in case of spills.
 Pack smaller items by groups.

Clothing…have a checklist of the outfits you plan to wear and put together the entire outfit so that nothing like co-coordinating shoes, bags, belts etc are left out. Check off the items in the list as you pack them.

Avoid “rush packing” which usually ends up with too much of what you don’t need and not all of what you do need. To avoid this make a list of what you want to pack.

These items are must haves for your list:
 Luggage tags for the outside and inside of your luggage.
 Ziploc bags
 Travel steamer
 Travel alarm clock…wake-up calls don’t always work
 folding travel hangers…the attached room hangers are a nuisance

Start packing one or two days before leaving…no later than the night before. Lay out all your clothes and other items.

There are some things you should NOT pack:
 alcoholic beverages
 food or liquids
 anything flammable…nail polish remover, cigarette lighter, lighter fluid.
 knives, scissors
 fragile items
 valuables
 anything alive
 unlabelled prescription drugs…leave them in the pharmacy container
The bottom of the suitcase; the side that’s closest to the ground is where all heavy items fall.

Place your suitcase down where it is comfortable to pack. Put all of your heavy items in what will be the bottom the bottom of the suitcase when you are carrying it.

Now you can layer all of your smaller items, working from the bottom up. Place your toiletries in the middle of the suitcase, so that they will be protected by the padding.

Now lay your larger clothing (pants, jackets, coats) on top of the items you now have in your suitcase.

Be sure to enclose your personal identification on top of the pile of clothing, along with a copy of your itinerary or airline schedule. This helps the airlines identify your suitcase if tags are torn off.

Use a colored luggage strap to help quickly identify your luggage at baggage claim.

Helpful hints…don’t forget these
 Passport in your carry-on luggage
 Enough prescription drugs for an extra week (two weeks if traveling internationally).
 Health insurance card and contact number for health insurance provider.
 Contact postal service to stop delivery of mail. Stop any other deliveries such as bottled water, newspaper.
 Contact insurance company to get the procedure for obtaining health care services if needed while traveling.

If you are on an extended trip; consider having someone check your property on a daily basis. Also you won't need the water heater, so make sure you turn it off.