Travel Hacks

Since the Hubster and I both have family in California, it probably won’t surprise you to hear that we’re going there again next week. This time we’re spending a few days in San Francisco (whee!) and because I’m an extreme over-planner, I’ve already started getting my stuff together even though we don’t leave until Sunday. #nerdforlife While I was doing some trip-specific laundry the other day it occurred to me that we really do travel a lot–whether by plane or by car–and I’ve figured out some hacks over the years that make it easier. So today I thought I’d do a little brain dump and share those with you.

1. The first item isn’t technically a hack, I guess, but it’s all of the things I consider necessities for the carry-on bag under your seat:

Obviously there’s reading material, a snack, hand sanitizer in case I have to sit by Sicky McNosedrip, all of my chargers and power cords, my laptop, and gum to help with ear popping. I always toss my glasses in there, too, because I have an extreme paranoia about my suitcase getting lost, and when your vision is as bad as mine you don’t want to lose your glasses with the high-index lenses. I also include a scarf for coziness and a little bit of makeup because that dry cabin air makes me look like a troll by the time we land.

2. I usually bring several devices with me (phone, laptop, kindle) and for a while I just threw all of the cords into my bag willy nilly. Of course, that made them hard to find and I’d always have a moment of panic thinking I forgot one (which is so pleasant when your phone is almost dead). Thankfully, I found this bad boy in an old binder:

Yep, that’s a pencil case. Now it’s my technology bundle. I used it for the first time last summer I can’t believe I ever traveled without it. I like that it’s transparent because it takes me .03 seconds to see if everything is in there.

3. Clothes take up the most space in a suitcase, so here’s a trick to get more of them in there:

Roll them up instead of folding! I will admit to being skeptical about this at first, but a friend told me to try it a couple of years ago and I’m so glad I listened. It really does make a difference in overall space, plus things don’t get as wrinkly–which is excellent because even if they did, I’m not about to iron on vacation.

4. I’ve gotten away from using my travel jewelry holder because it’s bulky, so I had to figure out some other methods of getting my bling-bling from Point A to Point B. My latest purchase for this is from the dollar store:

Using a pill box isn’t a new concept, obviously, but this one is worth mentioning because I got multiple cocktail rings into one section. It’s deceptively spacious, like a tent at the Quidditch World Cup. The whole thing is only about 3″ long, though, so it’s still way smaller than my old jewelry roll.

5a. Necklaces and containers aren’t a good mix unless you’re a masochist who likes untying impossible knots. This is the main reason I was chained (ha!) to my jewelry holder for so long; I just wasn’t sure how to pack necklaces without it. Well, NO MORE.

A STRAW! This is a recent discovery of mine (the person who put this on Pinterest deserves the highest of fives) and I’m so stoked to try it. I plan to stick these into a side pocket of my bag where they’ll have some extra protection.

5b. Also for your consideration:

Plastic wrap always sticks to itself when I’m trying to use it for something legit, like covering a bowl, so I thought maybe it could sandwich around some bigger necklaces and free me from my jewelry holder shackles once and for all. I’ve only done this once so far but it worked swimmingly. Boo ya! You can lay these flat on top of everything in your suitcase, or put them between layers of your rolled up clothes.

So what are some of your travel hacks? Essentials for taking on a plane? Any secrets for transporting jewelry? Do you have any trips on the horizon?

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