This packing tutorial is for those who want to transfer the way they think about packing from stressful to something fun. I’m a professional packer with over 15 years of immigration experience around Europe.
For someone who prefers convenience and practicality in their life, fitting their entire life into a suitcase resembles a challenge worth tackling. And as someone who has multiple times moved abroad, sometimes to unpredictable climates, I have developed the perfect formula for packing a suitcase (or three).
No matter if we are talking about a big suitcase or a hand luggage-size bag, the process for packing is the same. It’s a routine that resembles assembling a puzzle. And one that has ensured I always have everything, for example, for our holiday in Dubrovnik.
This packing formula has proven to be a very useful one in my many travels and moves. So, if you are about to embark on an adventure but do not quite know how you can manage to fit everything in your suitcase, here are my professional tips on how to make the most of the limited space in your suitcase.
Tip 1: Well planned is half-way there
First thing to cover on this packing tutorial is think through the whole period you’re away.
What’s the nature of this particular holiday;
- is it going to be a beach holiday where the purpose is to just lie on a beach
- or a city-getaway where the whole point is to go sight-seeing and participate in fancy dinners?
Plan an approximate outfit for each day; a day outfit and a night outfit. My Pro Tip is to try to come up with pieces of clothing that you can mix and match. This way just a few pieces of clothing can take you a long way in a versatile way.
My suggestion is to focus on classics pieces. Such as a good pair of jeans, black stilettos and a white t-shirt. With classic pieces you can’t go wrong.
And by adding accessories, such as jewelry, hats and shoes you can tone the volume of any outfit up or down. A simple outfit is a casual day outfit when paired with sneakers, whereas with heels the same combo becomes dinner-appropriate.
Tip 2: These boots were made for walking
Almost every packing tutorial that I found online cleverly suggested to cut back on shoes. But as a heel-holic this is not a realistic option for me.
I need to be accompanied by multiple pairs of high heels, sandals and ballerinas to be able to differentiate between a day-outfit and a night-outfit. So, I’ve had to figure out a way to fit in as many pairs of shoes as is physically possible. In case you can relate, here are my tips for doing that:
- Use up all available space and fill the shoes with underwear and socks.
- Then position the shoes on the bottom of the bag like puzzle pieces.
- Finally, fill all the holes between shoes and heels with the underwear and smaller clothes you couldn’t fit in the shoes.
Extra tip: If, for some reason, I pack my sneakers I would put them in a plastic bag to avoid soiling my clothes with the dirty soles.
Tip 3: The more the merrier
When you have covered the bottom of the bag with a shoe-puzzle it’s time to move on to the actual clothes. First thing you need to know is that despite the age old debate on Folding vs. Rolling, I swear by rolling each piece of clothing.
From personal experience I can guarantee that rolling and assembling clothes in a certain way really does the trick! For the sake of this packing tutorial, at least try it.
You can fit almost double the amount in the suitcase and by rolling your clothes. In addition, that way the clothes don’t get as wrinkled as they would if you just fold and stack them. Thus, it’s one less thing to worry about at your destination: ironing clothes.
When you’ve got everything rolled up you can assemble everything on, between and along the shoes. Fill all holes and cavities that are left between shoes and heels. Et voila, there’s even more space left empty!
Tip 4: Stay hydrated
For a long time all liquids up to 100mg quantity had to be packed into a zip-lock bag. That meant taking a handbag big enough for accommodating the zip-lock bag along with passport, wallet, mobile phone and keys. But very recently this has all changed.
In the European Union the rules about liquids allowed on planes changed in 2024. Now passengers can take altogether up to 1 liter of liquids onboard. BUT the liquids have to be in maximum 100 ml containers. So yes, this packing tutorial has to point out that you still need to keep an eye on this.
It’s always useful to check your airline’s regulations on this, but also on hair spray bottles and umbrellas. This is because some companies do not allow these items into the passenger area.
But these are both cheap things that you can also buy from the destination in case you only have cabin baggage with you.
Tip 5: The female essentials but not irreplaceable
As a woman I must, of course, include bathroom essentials on my packing tutorial. Toiletry-bags take up a lot of space from a suitcase. So, I recommend packing your hairbrush, toothbrush and toothpaste in a suitcase with the clothes and shoes.
You can fit these bigger bahtroom items into the niches and little crevices that have been left in the bag. Smaller items, such as hair pins, medicine and such can be put into a small bag (f.ex. zip-lock), and into the side pocket of your suitcase.
If you are traveling with only hand luggage, best to leave deodorant and hair spray behind. You can buy them from the destination.
BONUS tip!
Just in case your hand luggage ends up in the hold (in case the plane is over-booked or so small that not all hand luggage fits inside), and your suitcase happens to be the popular brand and colour that every third passenger on the plane has, I got you covered!
I recommend wrapping a colourful string or a belt around your suitcase. This is a good idea also in case your bag breaks in transit; the belt keeps it closed and together.
As the author of this packing tutorial I can vouch for this. I have multiple belts of different colours ready to go, and I used them in all of my travels and trips.
Another option is to buy a big and colourful address tag that you can tie to the suitcase handle. This has helped me multiple times to recognize my suitcase on the belt from all the other red pieces rolling around looking for their owners in the arrivals terminal.
And after all that’s done what’s left is to close the suitcase! Check that you have your passport and wallet with you, close the door behind you and start your next adventure.
