Poll the People: Packing Tips

Mme Black has posed another interesting question:

"Do you have any packing tips to make packing less of a headache?"

As this is a "Poll the People" post, I have collected input from real moving gurus! I feel this question has two different applicable scenarios: travel and moving. First, we'll tackle travel, since people typically do that more often than moving!

Travel:

The first, a friend from college who travels on a regular basis with her husband, offers some travel advice:

"Roll everything super tightly on a hard surface. That's how I packed a 14 day vacay to Europe into one [carry-on] with a good 5 extra outfits. And I can even get my hubby's [clothing] (10 days worth) into one [carry-on] also (his clothes are a tad bigger than mine lol). I've only had to check a bag once in my life and that was 'cause I had bought a pocket knife."

I have personally used this method before and love it! When you roll things, it seems like you get a much better, more compact, fit than when you put loosely-folded items in a pile. Plus, rolled clothing is much easier to sort through than folded clothing because it doesn't come apart as easily! You can also try rolling outfits together so it's one simple grab in your suitcase, as opposed to digging around for a particular top/bottom combination. I'm not entirely sure how she does it*, but I like to neatly fold my clothes, then roll them from there.

*UPDATE: My friend read this post, and sent me a little bonus post:  Woo! I've been waiting for this post to come! You asked how I roll my clothes? All I do is fold the clothing item once (hot dog way) tuck in anything hanging out (sleeves, ties, collars…) and grab a tiny bunch a fabric from the top and start rolling. The smaller the grab, the tighter/tinier your roll will be. Also, don't be afraid to use pressure when rolling. If I'm going to be wearing an undershirt with my top or a slip with a skirt I include them in the roll.

Sweet! Thanks!

The second, a former co-worker who routinely travels to serve mission trips, has this to say:

"When I go overseas on mission trips (2 wks) I put each day's clothing/needs in a 2 gallon ziplock bag. Just reach in the suitcase for a bag. No digging through everything. AND it keeps everything dry and bugs out!"

Great idea! This is especially useful if, like her, you travel to places where you don't have the luxury of a cushy hotel room. This would also work well for camping trips! I personally have also brought plastic bags for putting soiled clothing in, because I don't like the idea of having my dirty laundry mixed in with my clean laundry.

Do you have any packing tips specifically for travel which you'd like to share? Feel free to add them to the comments!

Moving:

As mentioned in my Qualifications post, I've moved a lot. However, throwing a bunch of stuff in a box in no particular order doesn't make me a professional.

1) Again from my former co-worker, I have this tip:

"I used cheap coffee filters to put between dishes. Cleaner than newspaper [and] cheaper than bubblewrap."

As soon as I read this, I was reminded of a tip I recently saw on Pinterest from The Frugal Girls: Packing your plates with foam disposable plates between them instead of wrapping them in icky newspaper! I love that!

(They add that you should "wrap and pad" the stack of plates after you put the foam plates in there.) I'm all about extra protection!) I think this would work for saucers too, if you got the saucer-sized foam plates.

2) I also like to hold onto the boxes things come in. That way, when you need to pack something up again you have the perfect-sized box and sometimes even some foam to hold your more expensive or fragile belongings in one place. 

3) You don't have to pack all at once! Unless you've been given an immediate eviction notice, you can pack whenever you have free time so it doesn't have to weigh down on you. I know I'm one of those people who feels like if something needs to be done it should be done all at once, then I get frustrated when I don't have the time or energy to do it all. Packing can be a huge process, so take it a bit at a time. Go room by room, or pack all of a certain thing. For example, you don't need every single dish in your kitchen. Go ahead and pack everything you won't use before you move, and you won't have to pack everything last-minute as your blood pressure spikes. When you do move, it's okay for your last couple boxes to be your needed-things boxes, and not necessarily sorted into rooms.

4) Listen to music! I get much more done when I have something like music to help pass the time.

That's all I can think of right now. What are some of your favorite moving tips?

Sincerely,
Lora.