A long time ago, when A Ticket for Two was Maravilha Kristina, I posted a lil’ picture tutorial on how to pack that I had found on the interwebs. In going through my media library, I was looking over the post and thought I’d expound upon what I’ve learned so far in my packing process. I’m a terrible packer, and I barely follow any of my own advice, but I have to pack for a trip coming up and I figured I’d try my best with it. So here’s some practical stuff I’ve used and learned when it comes to packing:
First up, this is Larry.
Larry is my tried and true IKEA UPPTÄCKA suitcase. He’s got four wheels, is collapsible, and he maintains an overall cheery disposition. When I bought Larry I was an IKEA retail worker, so I took a chance on him with my discount, but if you’re an IKEA Family member, he comes with a discounted price anyway of $70. Pretty good for a four wheeled suitcase that runs like butter. Larry and I have been friends since I went to Seattle in ’14, so I highly recommend it.
So now that we’ve got the suitcase, let’s fill it.
Last big trip I took, I used some packing cubes. Like these babes,
These proved super useful because they forced me not to overpack – you can only stuff them so much. It also made me more mindful about what I was putting in them. You can delegate different items for different boxes- pants, dresses, and so on. They make packing simple, and in the end, that’s the best we can aim for!
Next up, electronics. I recently needed a little shell for my laptop that wasn’t as dense as my laptop bag but also cushiony enough that it would survive in my Alicia San Marcos bag. I ended up with a pretty little laptop sleeve like this:
Well actually I bought this exact same one. I’m a sucker for leaves and bright patterns.
In addition I needed an adapter for my out of country travel. I got a universal adapter, this one.
I might need to buy more than one soon, but this one is a good one to start with if you’re like me and have only one or two things that need energy, like a laptop or phone.
I also ended up buying a variety of plastic bags to pack all of my beauty products. This led me to a dark place where I kind of lost control…
I went to MochiThings. They’re a site that sells adorable accessories from backpacks to journals. I definitely got my plastic bags,
and from there I went to their section of luggage tags and bought a few Window Seat ones,
They’ve got passport holders and travel pouches I’m super fond of, there’re so many cute designs to choose from. The one I own now I got from Target, but they don’t sell it anymore.
Similar ones can be found at MochiThings as well as Amazon,
I’m a sucker for patterns and being that my last passport holder and pouch haven’t been working out completely (the zipper gets caught every time I try to zip it, which makes for embarrassing walk-aways from check-in counters), I’m on the hunt for a new one. I’ll keep you posted on what I end up with.
Here’s some miscellaneous stuff I suggest:
Compression socks for long flights! These can literally be a lifesaver if you’ve got any likelihood of blood clots, but they also are simply good for avoiding deep vein thrombosis on any flight that’s 4+ hours long. I purposely wear lose pants or dresses for flights so I can take the socks on and off during the flight. Yeah, I’m one of those people, I don’t play.
I’m a headphone person, I can listen to rain sounds for days on end, and I’ve been a fan of Urbanears for …. going on 10 years now! I love them, lots of bang for your buck.
I know I’m forgetting a boatload of stuff, and it’ll probably come to me later. As I look at Larry across the room and consider that pretty soon, I’m going to need to get him a companion older brother, I’ll be revisiting this list for months to come.
Any tips to share? How do you pack?
~`*Tina
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