The Art of Packing

Traveling is undeniably a passion to most people. Be that as it may, there is a dark part of this hobby that is usually swept under the rug. So, you have booked your ticket, your hotel room and even prepared your itinerary for the entire stay. You are leaving the next day and this is exactly when the nightmare starts. The horror begins with trying to choose the right kind of suitcase, continues to escalate with the choice and amount of clothing you wish to take with you and finally reaches its climax by trying to fit them in without creasing (or actually being able to fit them in at all). This horror movie is titled “Trying to Pack” and has a very low rating from critics.

As Alkon Group, we have prepared a guide for you guys to ease the unpleasantness of this process and help you focus on the excitement of the fact that you are traveling.

Choosing the Right Kind of Luggage

Waiting for your suitcase to arrive at the airport is a nightmare for the 90% of the traveling population. It takes way more time than it should while giving you an adrenaline rush from the uncertainty of whether it is going to arrive at all. Cabin size suitcases are lifesavers in terms of this. As Alkon Group we would love to be able to just simply advise you to go with this type and give you tips (which we will in a bit) that would help you fit in to such small size but in the reality of life that we live in, this is not always possible. So, when it is one of those times the philosophy to embrace should always be “the smaller, the better”. Small suitcases are great for increasing mobility and won’t make you feel suffocated in tight spaces.

You have chosen your suitcase. Now it’s time to decide what to pack…

 Prepare a list

Before you start packing prepare a list of items that you wish to take. How’s the weather at your destination? What kind of activities have you planned? How long will you be staying? Take these as ground and prepare a little for emergencies such as sudden weather changes because yes, global warming is real.

Packinglistonline.com is a great tool that asks you these kinds of questions and help you prepare a list. Our advice is to take this list with you, it will also help you pack for your trip back home.

Be Creative

Base your travel style on basic items that are versatile and will go with everything. You can style these items with accessories and create entirely different outfits with them. Accessories won’t take much space in your suitcase and will help you achieve maximum styling with minimum effort.

Then comes the hardest part; the actual packing process

For all of those who are not weirdly into the game Jenga, this is definitely the hardest step of the process. It takes both physical and psychological effort to achieve and makes even the largest suitcases seem like a backpack. On one hand there is the temptation that comes from the easiness of carrying a small suitcase, and on the other hand there is the fear of running out of clothes during your trip or creasing your gentle items and having to chase after an iron on your vacation, which makes you cave in to the idea of packing into a big one. Finding a mid-way between these dilemmas is possible with some folding and layout techniques. Sure, these will change according to your destination, duration of your stay and the amount and volume of the items you will have to pack, and you may have to resort to new techniques. We have prepared a guide for you that we believe would be ideal for a 3 to 4 day city vacation, and is suitable for a cabin size suitcase.

 

Packing List:

  • 1 pair of formal shoes
  • 1 pair of daily shoes
  • Socks
  • Underwear
  • Jumper/Sweatshirt
  • Shaving bag
  • 2 pairs of pants
  • 2 t-shirts
  • 2 shirts
  • 2 belts
  • 1 jacket

 

First begin with the shoes and the socks. Roll up your socks and place them in your shoes. On top of saving you a considerable amount of space the filling inside will double as a shoe tree and keep your shoes from losing shape. After filling them up, place one pair to the left and the other pair to the right side.

Then take your voluminous items (the sweatshirt/jumper and the shaving bag) and place them in the empty space left between your shoes to create a flat ground for your clothes to be placed on. Then fold both pair of pants horizontally (from the crotch area) and place the upper half of the first pair of pants on the flat ground you have prepared (the other half will hang down from the side). Do the same for the second pair but place it on the opposite side. Take the hanging half of the first pair and then the second one and fold them inside on top of each other. Your pieces that are prone to creasing will be safe on top of this layer.

Now it’s time for your shirts and t-shirts. Gently place them on top. The shirts go on top of the t-shirts. Your accessories such as your belts, ties and your underwear will easily fit in to the empty space left on the sides. Another helpful tip for packing your belts without taking up much space is to unroll them and put them in as if you are framing the sides of the suitcase. For the final touch fold your jacket in half (either horizontally or vertically depending on its cut) and place it on top. Voila! You are all packed and ready to go. You can now enjoy the fact that you will be travelling.

These techniques that seem complicated but are actually easy to apply will change your entire feelings towards packing. Do not knock it until you try it. Hope we could help.