Are you among those who excel at packing? Cool, calm, and perfectly organized, finishing up in an hour and placing your neat, sensibly-sized suitcase by the entry days in advance of your journey? Or do you resemble me: The type of individual who completely loses touch with reality when it’s time to place their own garments in a bag. Innately, I am an awful packer — someone who excessively overpacks but still somehow turns up without shoes. Yet, three years ago, I discovered a minor, straightforward packing trick that entirely altered this for me. Here it is…
Pack outfits. Not clothes.
Instead of packing by categories (shirts, jeans, dresses, etc.), compile and pack a complete ensemble for each day of your travel — underwear, socks, shirt, the full set. I came across this from a parenting Instagram account that the algorithm, in its discernment, presented to me while I was scrolling on my phone rather than packing for my cousin’s wedding three years ago. I cannot recall the original post, but I am sincerely thankful to the woman who thoughtfully guided me through the process — because yes, as simple as it seems, I needed detailed instructions. Should you too, here it is:
Imagine you are traveling to London for four days in December, for a wedding. You’ll require your wedding ensemble, two additional stylish outfits for dinners and such, plus four everyday outfits. A typical winter daily outfit might be: Jeans + turtleneck + sweater + underwear and bra + warm socks. Layer the components together — I prefer to structure it like a sandwich, with the socks and undergarments nestled between the jeans and the top, ensuring they aren’t misplaced — and place them in your suitcase (or packing cube, if preferred). Repeat thrice. Now handle your fancy outfits. Now your PJs. DONE.
It’s like meal-prepping, but with clothes, and it yields the identical effect of relieving a world of mental load. No more doubting if you’ve packed enough X or if you have the appropriate Y, or whether you’ll need to locate a laundromat. Sure, you’ll pack some extras of specific items — sweaters, perhaps tights — but remembering those items becomes so much easier now that you’ve arranged the essential items. Unpacking is straightforward as well. And omg, do you have youngsters with you on this trip? Life-altering. “We have a dress outfit and a jeans outfit. Which one today?” And then you simply hand them the outfit — with their tiny socks and underwear pre-selected (and not stashed in the zipper pocket of your suitcase where you utterly forgot you packed them). Plus, they receive options but not limitless choices, which, in my experience, is the distinction between satisfaction and a total pre-breakfast frenzy.
It’s been three years since I transitioned to packing outfits instead of individual clothes, and I can assert, without hyperbole, that this tip revolutionized my life. Traveling — solo or with my family — is not only more pleasant but equally more achievable. There’s still stress (not every trip is a holiday, after all), but no more stress concerning the task of packing, “deciding” what to wear, or worse, having to purchase underwear because I left mine in the dryer at home. (Which has occurred. More than once.) For that reason alone, I’ll remain eternally grateful.
Have you ever attempted this method? Any other revolutionary packing (or travel) tips I should explore?
P.S. Additional travel stories and tips, including a strategy for enjoying large family gatherings, and 10 essentials Joanna never travels without.
