Lets face it one of the suckiest things about travelling is the packing. Trying to condense your life possessions into a neat bundle and cram it all into a rucksack is nothing short of stressful!
And within seconds of checking into a hostel you bag has magically exploded across the room and you’ll no doubt find yourself hungover and rushing to shove everything back in before the 10am checkout time or your overnight bus.
So how can you make packing easier? And more importantly what should you be packing?
Well lucky for you we’ve got years of experience on the road…so here’s some handy tips to help make it that little bit less chaotic
Half The Stuff, Twice The Money
It’s a massively over used tip but it’s still the best one in the book! Lay all your stuff out on the bed and half it…simple as! Then find a way to take twice the money!hahaha!
Seriously though on the road you’ll quickly find you barely use a lot of your kit and you’re lugging it around ‘just in case’ – so if it’s a maybe make it into a no!
Packing Cubes
These things are awesome for keeping stuff organised and not having to rummage through and throw all your clothing onto the floor to find a pair of socks! Take a spare one too to chuck all your dirty clothes into too which will make laundry day heaps easier!
Suitcase Style Bag
Swopping from a top loading rucksack to one that opens flat like a suitcase is a simple yet epic move – suddenly all the contents are easily accessible (even more so if it’s in packing cubes!) and you can see exactly where everything is. No more elbow deep, blind rummaging for your toothbrush!
Go On Bag Size Bigger (or pack less!)
A lot of people make the mistake of packing their bag to the brim…totally forgetting that along the way you’ll probably want to buy some stuff to take home – clothes, trinkets, random stuff….
Grab the next size up and give yourself some extra room to make packing easier and some space to accumulate some stuff along the way!
Roll Don’t Fold!
It might sound stupid but this tip has helped us heaps! Rolling your clothes is waaaaaaaay easier and quicker! Not only that but your stuff will end up less creased too….not that that really matters though, you’re backpacking after all!
Dry Bag
Probably the best investment we’ve made on the road! A simple 10 litre dry bag is amazing for day trips to the beach, boats and anything else that involves water, not only that though but you can use it to hold wet stuff too – there’s nothing worse than having wet towel or boardies/bikini to pack just before a flight or journey…whacking them in your dry bag means you can go for that last minute dip no worries!
Side Pockets
Sometime people just don’t think when they pack, we’re all guilty of it! Ever wondered where that plug adaptor was and have to spend 20minutes rummaging through everything?! Yeah us too!
So make use of the side pockets on your bag – stuff you need quick access to like your toothbrush, chargers, reservation vouchers – keep them there so they’re quickly to hand when you need them!
Have you got any awesome travel packing tips you’ve discovered?
Pass them on!
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