And I am sure many of you just pointed to the screen vehemently and said “YES! Thank you”. 

I mean there are people out there who enjoy, practically relish the stress of deciding what to take – what not to take, roll-bundle-fold, and somehow manage to fit half their wardrobe in one travel bag. What are you, a freak?

I go as far as laying everything on the bed, nice and lined up. And then BAM! 

And here’s how we are going to make it happen. First things first:

•  Figure out the number of days you are going for and then decide your outfits accordingly. 
• Lay all that you want to pack on the bed: shoes, shirts, pants. denims, tees, your great grandfather’s photo frame, everything. Nice & easy. 
• Good. Now tough up and eliminate one third of that. Let’s just be honest here, you are really not going to need it all. 

Now, lay open your travel bag and let’s start from from the bottom. Literally. 

1. Take your shoes and stuff them with your rolled up underwear and/or socks. That is effective space management and also helps maintain the shape of the shoes.

2. Roll it up, don’t fold it up. You probably already know that it saves space. Place them inside the bag in such a way that it creates an even layer at the base. Stuff the empty spaces with more rolled up items like handkerchiefs, socks etc.

3. And follow this way to roll them up.

4. Now for the trousers, jeans, skirts, dresses: lay these in a flat layer, overlapping each other. 

5. And if rolling doesn’t work for you…

6. If you suck at organizing, these will sort you out well. 

7. And again. This really works out well when you are in a hurry and you need to find something stat. Compartmentalize FTW. 

8. Always, always carry these.

 And some more for the road?

• Store loose cables and chargers in an old sunglasses case. 
• Line the belts along the insides of the suitcase. 
• Scan and email important documents like your ID, passport, tickets etc. 
• Use plastic wraps to seal moisturizers before closing the cap to prevent leakage
• Pack blazers inside out to avoid wrinkles. 

Infographics from Expedia/Feature Image via Aakanksha Pushp