PACKING : Tips and Tricks from THP

Well, we are down to the last few days here in Alaska before we jet off to New York, New Jersey, Spain, Portugal, and even a little bit of Canada. 

With only 3 days left, the packing mania has set in for sure!!! 

I have posted previously about some hacks that I have up my sleeve for packing! They aren't that much of a secret but they sure do save space and time. 

First, I want to start with this. We have a 'formal night' on the cruise we are going on, so since those are very formal, very expensive outfits. I have wrapped them in large garbage bags and tied them up. This prevents accidental damage due to liquids or even someone else's bag leaking under the plane. Also, since these take up a ton of space, I wanted to pack them first, and really cinch them down. Its okay that they are on the bottom because we won't need to get to them until much later in the trip. 

That aside, the next thing I did was lay out all of our items for each of us. A pile for all the shirts, one for the pants and shorts, and one for the unmentionables. I laid out all the things I though I would need or want to take with me. Once you have your piles you can start counting out the items to match the number of days you plan to be gone. ( i.e. 5 shirts for your 5 day trip, etc)

Now comes the fun part. ZIPLOCK BAGS EVERYWHERE! I think that using ziplock bags helps keep everything organized, and protected from potential damage. I would start with the underwear/swim gear, laying them flat and pressing all the air out. If you want to make sure they stay super fresh, throw a dryer sheet in there and you are good to go. 

I know you might be thinking... "you put everything in ziplocks??" and the answer is no, I use the ziplocks for things that are small, and would normally get lost or disorganized easily (socks, undies, bras, etc.) Ziplock bags are also a good idea for your make up, hair products and lotions. Its a lot less depressing to clean lotion off your shampoo bottle than it is to clean it off all your clothes. 

So, once I have those items 'vacuum-sealed', Ill pack those standing upright, like files sort of. This keeps the opening up so you can get into them easily, and they will all be together. 

Next, I fold tee shirts and pants as flat as possible, and start layering in the clothes. (I throw dryer sheets in as I go.) Make sure to squish it all down every once and a while. You can also roll the clothes and lay them in rows, if you are worried about wrinkles this might be more of the way to go, I have a wrinkle release spray, and we will have space to hang things, so I'm not as worried about that. 

Alright here it is, 25 days of clothes, our formal wear, and all our shoes in two checked bags. I hope this style of packing and organizes helps you get your trip in order. All that's left for us is our carry-ons, which there will probably be a post for that, and then we are out of here!!

Please follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and soon you can follow our travels on Snapchat!! 

Stay tuned until next time! 

-THP <3