- Take tape along for the ride
Put a roll of clear sticky tape into your suitcase and see how useful it is when you are travelling. You can use the tape to:
- Reseal the caps of any liquids that you open, such as shampoo and hair gel.
- Make emergency repairs to dropped hems.
- Fix a torn map.
- Tape postcards and other mementoes into your travel journal.
- Tape together earrings, cufflinks or any other tiny items that might go astray.
- Remove lint from dark clothes.
- Tape driving directions to the dashboard for quick reference.
- Tape stray buttons to their respective garments for repair when you return to your hotel room.
- Recycle small plastic bags
The plastic bags that subscription magazines and catalogues often come in provide protection in suitcases, too — and they’re just the right size for shoes and hairbrushes. To keep dirt or hair from getting onto your other belongings, slip shoes and brushes in, one to a bag.
- Pack jewellery into pantihose
It can be hard to handle jewellery when you’re on the move; small items quickly get lost in luggage, and necklaces and other dangly jewellery tend to tangle up and snag clothing. Old pairs of pantihose provide an easy solution. Just cut out the feet, place a single piece of jewellery in each foot and tie them off with twist ties. Your jewellery will be protected and close to hand when you need it.
- Make a suitcase divider
Using the old false-bottomed suitcase trick can help keep packed items separate, so you’ll be spared having to dig through layers of clothing to find your toothbrush or something else. Take some sturdy cardboard and cut out a piece that matches the width and length of your suitcase interior — this is your portable divider. Put items that you won’t need until later on the bottom of the suitcase, lay the cardboard on top and place toiletries, a change of clothing and other items you need first on top of the cardboard. Or place shoes and other heavy items on the bottom, then put lighter clothing on top to make it less likely to crease during transit.
- Save cardboard tubes
Before heading off, save a few toilet-paper tubes and put them to work when you pack for a journey. Here are three ways that empty rolls can come in handy:
- Stuff one or two tubes with socks and use them as shoe trees to keep leather shoes from becoming crumpled and creased.
- Wrap necklaces and chains around a tube to prevent tangling.
- Tape small pieces of delicate jewellery inside a tube for protection.
- A bit of bicarb
Bicarbonate of soda keeps lots of things fresh and odour-free — and it can do the same for the contents of your suitcase. There’s no need to take a whole box; just fill a pill bottle or film canister with bicarbonate of soda and poke a few small holes in the top. A little might spill out in the course of your travels, but it’s unlikely to harm anything in your bag. (To keep any spill contained, tuck the container into one of the open sleeves found in the interior of most suitcases.) Bicarb does more than just help to control odour. While travelling, you can dip into your supply to do anything from soaking tired feet to cleaning a Thermos. Caution: bicarbonate of soda may arouse suspicion when travelling by plane, so make sure that you don’t have any in your carry-on luggage. Pack it into luggage that is going into the plane’s cargo hold.
- Smooth out creases
When it comes to packing clothing, rolling beats folding. Rolled clothes are far less likely to crease — and take up less room in a suitcase as well. Roll them in:
- Plastic dry-cleaning bags Drycleaners return clothing in sheer plastic bags because plastic prevents fabric from rubbing against fabric, creating tiny creases. Minimize creases by wrapping garments in these bags before rolling them up.
- Stocking legs Simply cut off the legs of a pair of pantihose and slip a rolled garment into each one. If you leave the stocking foot sections on, use these pouches as secure compartments for cameras, MP3 players and other valuables; with a piece of clothing stuffed into a stocking leg, there is much less chance that these items will fall out and get lost in your luggage.
- Roll up your tie
A creased tie can spoil a smooth business look, but here’s a way to ensure ties remain crease free every time you take one out of the suitcase. First, lay the tie out full length. Beginning with the narrow end, roll it into a coil. Take a sock and gently stuff the rolled-up tie inside. If you’re forgetful, pin a note to the sock so that when you are rummaging through your suitcase for your tie you won’t think you have left it behind.
- Pack a lunch box
Pack toiletries, and other items that might spill or leak when jostled, into a lunch box. Carrying cosmetics and toiletry items in such a compact, sturdy and separate case will also make it easier to get your hands on them. Of course, the lunch box will also come in handy when it is time to pack some snacks and drinks to take along on a picnic or a day of sightseeing.
Credit: Reader’s Digest
Picture Credit: Google
