What to pack and how to make more room for it all

Packing a suitcase is a skill that anyone can master, you just need a little understanding of what works and what does not work.

Years ago I saw a travel tip on one of them morning news things on television that advised you to roll slacks and shirts into a roll so that you can tuck them away into your suitcase and then unroll them at your destination wrinkle free. They pack better, take up less room in the luggage, and come out virtually wrinkle free.

I discovered that if you take one of them new hand held deals for air sealing food and use the largest size zip top bags for things like sweaters then you can pack all the sweaters in vacuum packed bags without having that air taking up space in the suitcase. The room you save allows you to take along the vacuum sealer to reseal the bags when you head home. Great for ski trips and other trips to destinations where you will be wearing a lot of sweaters. I vacuum packed my bath body sponge when I went to Las Vegas and it slipped easily into the end of my toiletries bag.

In addition to the things you have in your carry on bags, put any gels and liquids in your checked bags into zip top bags to help prevent spills. Nothing is worse than getting to your destination and finding out that the shampoo you packed leaked all over your clothing.

Lay everything out on your bed or the floor and look it over. Decide what you need and what you packed “just because”. Throw out the “just because” items that you don’t really need or are taking “just in case”. Trust me, you usually don’t use the “I might need this” items, so you’re just ending up taking them on a trip. Leave them home.