Before you snap on your TSA lock and head to the airport for your upcoming vacation, it might be worth taking a moment to consider whether you’ve really gotten the most out of your internal luggage space.
There are plenty of simple ways to make more space in your suitcase, without having to compromise on things like creased clothing, or disorganized extras. Try just a few of the following hacks, and you might be surprised at how much left over room you have for bringing home souvenirs and gifts!
1. Roll Your Clothes (Don’t Fold Them)
As simple ways to make more space in your suitcase go, this is probably the most well-known, but that’s because it really does work. Rolling your clothes instead of folding them saves a ton of space, and helps you to reduce your chances of creases in your shirts, dresses, and pants. Just make sure that you roll each item as tightly as possible.
2. Ditch the Shoes
Shoes are inflexible, heavy, and oddly shaped – which means they aren’t ideal for packing. The best rule of thumb to follow with them then, is to pack no more than two pairs – no matter how long you’re going away for. One pair should be for “everyday” walking, while the other can be for those nights on the town you’ve been looking forward to. If you’re heading to a beach location, you can probably even pick up your flip-flops upon arrival.
3. Know How to Pack Bras
If you’re a woman, you can make more space in your suitcase and help your bras to maintain their shape by stacking them on top of each other, folding them in half, and tucking extra underwear inside. Stuffing your underwear inside of your bras will stop the cups from folding in on themselves, and prevent you from wasting additional space. You can also put some of the extra small items in your case in other “empty” spaces like shoes, if you’re trying to save space.
4. Organize the Little Extras
For the women, rather than packing huge bulky bottles of makeup for your quick weekend trip – why not pour some of your favorite products into a clean contact case so you can use it easily for travel. At the same time, you can store a couple of your makeup brushes and other small products into a slim sunglasses case when you’re travelling (so that they don’t get lost).
5. Keep Essentials in Your Hand Luggage
Finally, part of finding ways to make more space in your luggage, is figuring out what you shouldn’t put in your suitcase to begin with. Sometimes, bags go missing, so the essentials should always be kept in your hand luggage just in case. This includes a spare set of clothing, medications, technology that you want to use on the plane, such as your tablet computer or phone, and any other must-have extras that you couldn’t see yourself enjoying your trip without.
