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The Secrets to Stress Free Packing

Before I became a “seasoned traveler,”packing was always a stressful endeavor. Not having the right clothes, not having the right bags for the job, and forgetting important items were always a concern and caused undue anxiety before what should have been an exciting, happy time. I have since learned some tricks of the trade.

Have the right bag for your trip.

I have now narrowed my luggage down to a few bags which I use depending on the length of stay and destination. My Lo and Son Weekender bag is perfect for quick trips. I use this when I’m heading out on a weekend getaway close to home. Although it’s great for that purpose, it lacks a shoulder strap and is therefore not the ideal bag for longer trips or for trips in which I will be using different modes of transportation. Find the Lo and Sons Catalina Bag here.

My Samsonite spinner carry-on bag is the bag I use most often. I love its versatility and ease of transport. The front pocket is great for extra shoes and the main compartment holds everything I need for a trip in which I want to consolidate as much as possible and move about easily. I used this bag on a 10 day trip to Europe and it worked perfectly.Find it at Samsonite.com here.

I found my hobo bag at a discount store for $22.00 and it has been my every day purse ever since. It holds all my essentials and has room for much more. It is great for plane trips as it fits any extras I need for a trip such as a travel pillow and blanket, magazines, etc.

For me, one of the things I learned I needed was a great camera/laptop bag. It was becoming increasingly difficult to travel with my camera and my laptop and get through security quickly and smoothly while at the same time keeping all of my equipment together. After searching quite a bit, I discovered the Sumdex Black Digital SLR Camera/Notebook backpack. I carry this bag with me wherever I go. It holds my camera, my laptop, my chargers and power cords, and has lots of extra room as well. Read the myTripBits Sumdex Camera Review Here .

Create a set of “Go bags.”

One of the issues I had was trying to remember to pack everything for my trips. What if I forgot my phone charger or my favorite mascara? Because of this, I have discovered the idea of the “Go bag.” These bags are second sets of items I use every day, but are specifically stored with my luggage so that when I pack for a trip, I already have these things packed and no longer have to think or stress about them. I have four of these bags: one for makeup, one for toiletries, one for technology items, and one for medicine.

My makeup bag is a complete set of the makeup I use daily. Now, I no longer need to wait the morning of the trip, after I put on my makeup to pack it up! The toiletry “Go bag” has everything from razors to deodorant. It includes everything I need for showering and getting ready for the day. My technology bag is pretty small; however, still very important as it includes headphones, a phone charger, extra batteries, and car charger. And last but not least, the medicine bag includes Advil, Band-Aids, Pepto Bismol tablets, etc.

Since discovering the secrets to stress free packing, it is much easier for me to take a quick trip somewhere and I spend much less time fretting over possibly forgetting something important.