Do the clothing countdown: If you need a mantra to help streamline your wardrobe, use the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 rule for a weeklong trip: Limit yourself to no more than five sets of socks and underwear, four tops, three bottoms, two pairs of shoes and one hat. The list should be adjusted to suit your needs.
In a ten piece capsule wardrobe always bring more tops than bottoms. Depending on whether you also bring dresses, five-seven tops is a good guideline. One or two basic tees, a button-down, a couple of blouses and any other top that catches my fancy.
Glasses, contacts, contact solution. While many people won't forget glasses or contacts if they wear them on a daily basis, contact solution often gets left behind.
I know I'm not alone. In a 2021 study by OnePoll, respondents rated packing as the second-most stressful part of travel after airport security. I'm one of the 65 percent who said they had trouble with packing, and the one-third who admitted they put off the task until 24 hours before takeoff.
Though with under-packing, it seems there are more benefits as with making travelling easier as well as being able to have room for your purchases you buy when away from home. As long as you are strategic with what you pack and the necessities, underpacking is probably the better option of the two!
Don't Pack to CapacityIf your luggage is even remotely close to full capacity, you may have a problem. Although many travelers mostly worry about weight, volume should be given serious consideration, too. A bag that takes too much effort to pack will prove to be a serious burden throughout your trip.
Though there's no one cause for travel anxiety, some common ones are fear of flying, fear of crowds, fear of crashing, fear of social interactions, fear of guns, fear of disease (insert Covid here), and, perhaps biggest of all, fear of the unknown and being outside your comfort zone.
Some people recommend getting a strict number for each category — five shirts, four pairs of pants, three pairs of shoes, and so on. A formula can be really helpful when you are starting out, and I use a formula for my own travel capsule wardrobe, but you don't have to stick to someone else's formula.
Roll and Fold ItemsUsing a bit of each packing technique is the most efficient way to get things into your suitcase. Roll softer garments and fold stiffer ones. Underwear, T-shirts, jeans, cotton pants, and knitwear won't wrinkle when rolled tightly, says Judy Gilford, author of The Packing Book ($10, amazon.com).