Packing and organization can be two of the harder parts of traveling, especially if you are a long-term traveler like myself. I tend to be at one location for 13 weeks at a time and need to bring more with me than the traditional clothes and toiletries. Packing cubes have been a game-changer to help me get organized and stay organized while traveling. Here are some of my top ways to use packing cubes for travel.
1. Condense Clothes
Clothes can surely take up a lot of room in your suitcase. Rolling clothes is one of my favorite ways to condense clothes into smaller spaces. However, when you roll your clothes and then put them in a suitcase, they can become loose and roll around, then become wrinkled and hard to find.
Rolling your clothes and then putting them in a packing cube combines the space-saving of rolling with the convenience of having them stay organized and well-kept.
2. Keep Wet and Dry Separate
A wet towel or bathing suit can completely mess up the rest of your bag. Your whole bag can become smelly and moldy before you even realize it. Having a packing cube to put your wet items in can save your entire suitcase from distress.
3. Separate Dirty from Clean
Along with keeping wet and dry separated, it can be hard to keep your dirty and clean clothes apart as you travel. By using one packing cube as a dirty clothes bag, you can easily keep your clean and dirty clothes apart. When it is time to take your clothes to get laundered or go home, you can easily transport the clothes to the washing machine.
4. Organize Into a Backpack
Top loading backpacks can be the worst to organize. You put something in the bottom when you pack, and then you blindly have to dig for it to pull it out. This problem can be solved with packing cubes. You can pack your stuff in the cubes and then put them in your pack. You can easily pull the cubes out of the bag to take what you need. When you are ready to go, you can pack up the bag with the cubes and be on your way.
5. Switch Bags With Ease
When you travel, things change. You may want to downsize for a day and carry around a day pack instead of your luggage. You may get to the airport and realize that your checked bag exceeds the weight requirements and you need to shuffle things around. Packing cubes help you move things in and out of your bags and from one bag to another quickly and easily.
6. Storage in Your Room
If you travel long term, like me, you might like to get to a place and unpack. Sometimes you have storage for your items and sometimes it is a bit harder to find a place for everything. When you travel with packing cubes, you can use the cubes as storage. They can fit under the bed, on shelves, or in your closet.
7. Keep Important Documents/Work Items in One Place
When I travel for work, I need to bring items for work and productivity. Things such as pens, official licenses, tech devices, and charging cords can easily get misplaced and be difficult to find in a pinch. I like to keep all of these important things organized in one space. For the most part, I don’t even unpack this cube. I leave all of the important documents and paperwork in it and have it available if I need to find something.
8. Pack a Toiletries Cube
Having all of your toiletries in one place can save a ton of hassle when you are packing and unpacking. When you pack a cube for toiletries and put everything for the bathroom in one place, it is easy to pull out, lay on the sink, and use it as needed.
9. Pack in Your Car
The handy thing about packing cubes is that they can stand alone. They don’t need to be placed in a box or suitcase to be used for travel and storage. You can pack packing cubes right into your car and load up your car. They are easy to move, with handles, and can be taken in and out without a suitcase.
Bonus: Clear Helps You Stay Organized
There are many different brands of packing cubes. You can search on Amazon and find many different styles and designs. The pictures from this blog were taken with EZPacking Cubes, which are see-through. I especially like these cubes because they lie flat and load from the top, which makes them easy to pack and unpack. They are also clear in color, so you can see exactly what is in each cube. I hate opening up a cube and having to guess what is inside of it. These clear cubes are great for organization and knowing where everything is.
Packing cubes have helped me a lot as a traveler. Share your favorite ways to use packing cubes in the comments.
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