8 genius space-saving tips for packing your luggage

ART test kits are a staple travel item during this pandemic. Bringing a few along can save you costly trips to the doctor in a foreign country. We recommend two or three per person depending on the length of your vacation.

That brings us one problem: ART test kits are often packed in boxes that take up way more space in our luggage than they should. Instead of just bringing the boxes along, we recommend emptying the boxes and placing all the components into separate ziplock bags.

You can place it in a zipped compartment so that nothing gets squashed and destroyed during transit.

Make sure to take along at least one instruction manual so that you can consult it if you run into any issues.

If you are on a long holiday (say, 10 days), it’s time to start thinking about re-wearing your clothes during travel. On your part, you can create a mini capsule wardrobe for your trip. Bring along clothing you know will match well together and that can give you a variety of outfit choices just by mixing things up.

Don’t be afraid to re-wear your clothes – allowances should be made when travelling! But if the thought doesn’t sit right with you, you can always give your clothes a quick rinse in the hotel and dry them with a hairdryer. This will work better with your kids’ clothes as they are smaller.

This tip is an oldie but a goldie. Folding your clothes can take up more space in your luggage as opposed to rolling them up. The latter squeezes air out from the folds to ensure a compact fit into your bag; and when you fit all the rolled-up clothes together, it will then take up less space than folding your clothes regularly!

You will also be able to see everything you have at a glance which makes it easier for you to know what you are bringing along on the trip. Down the line, it will help your family get dressed without having to overturn everything to look for a certain t-shirt or skirt.

Are you travelling to a cold country to escape from the heat and have to fit winter jackets into your luggage? Or maybe your children want to bring along their chou chous and you are wondering if you have space to bring it. Enter: vacuum-sealed bags. Vacuum-sealed bags are as handy as they are easy to use: place whatever you want in them and just use a vacuum to suck up all the air. You will be left with a compressed version of what you packed that you can easily find a space for.

You can get them anywhere whether you’re searching online on Shopee or Ikea. So whether you want to bring tons of thick clothing or even a blanket along with you, vacuum-sealed bags are second to none.

When you are packing for a family, every little allowance matters. If you are bringing along extra pairs of sneakers, try stuffing small items into the shoes to make use of the available space. We recommend stuffing socks in them – it is only fitting, after all.

Another way to look at this is to exchange containers and plastic bags for bags. Think about it: why not put your makeup and toiletries into a chic purse bag in your luggage? You will then be able to change up your look with the additional bag while still having a designated place for everything else.

You can also stuff your kids’ toys into small bags that they can carry around during the day to kill two birds with one stone!

We all know about putting our favourite skincare products into travel-sized bottles to bring around. But how about using sample products instead? They are great to carry around as they take up much less space. More often than not, they come in flat packaging as well, making them easy to carry around and stuff into spaces.

So if you’re going to be travelling soon, now would be a good time to start stocking up on samples. Save any that you may come across from your purchases and don’t be shy to ask the cashier for a few more.

Vacationing means taking part in many different activities from leisure strolls to adventurous hikes. So it’s no surprise that you and the family might want to pack a few shoes in order to be prepared. Our advice is to wear bulky shoes to the airport; such as sneakers. Flat shoes and slippers can easily fit into a luggage pocket; hiking boots? Not so much.

However, we recommend you bring only up to two pairs of shoes. One for walking and another for days when you want to dress it up a little. Too many shoes can take up space that can otherwise be used for other purposes.

Travelling during this period means that you will have to get ready your fair share of documents. If your partner wants you to take care of it, that means that you will have a lot to be in charge of.

Apps can help you prevent yourself from getting overwhelmed. You can upload PDF versions of your vaccination certificate and other travel documents onto a simple app like Google Drive to make things easier for you. Simply name them accordingly and put them into a folder for easy access.

You can also try using an app like Documents that allows you to organise your records neatly. You can save images and PDFs online onto the app. This can prove helpful in saving the latest measures onto your phone so you can access everything at the tip of your fingers.

This article was first published in Singapore Women’s Weekly. 

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