Today I’m excited to share with you a guest post from Annabelle Short. She’s going to be sharing with you some tips and tricks for how to stay organized when traveling.

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Do you love traveling? If yes, then surely, you know it can be one of life’s most exciting experiences. But embarking on a trip and forgetting an essential item you should have taken along can leave you a bit disoriented! So, you need to be organized.

Why do you need to stay organized when traveling? Staying organized when traveling enables you to have more fun and fewer worries, knowing you have every need covered. Taking your time to prepare adequately beforehand allows you to enjoy your trip truly.

Staying organized does not have to be an arduous task. It’s simple when you have the perfect techniques and tools in your arsenal. Here are some great tips to help you stay organized when traveling.

1. Use a Travel Plan Checklist

Having a travel plan checklist will make you feel relaxed. You can use one for small or big trips because they can be flexible for doing spur-of-the-moment planning or making longer-term plans. Whether you are planning a journey three days ahead or four months out, you can check off what needs to be done ahead of time using this.

2. Create an Itinerary

Create an itinerary with these:

  • Flight times and numbers
  • Phone numbers of hotels, travel agents, and rental car companies
  • Addresses of the places you plan to visit as well as hotels around
  • When out of your country, the phone number and address of your country’s embassy
  • You can write the information about your flight and hotel on an index card and keep it in the breast pocket of your jacket. Also, you can keep your travel documents in a plastic folder.

There is no great mystery in this: Writing down all of these details prevents wondering where you are supposed to be and how you will get there, even if your phone’s battery runs out.

3. Have an Extra Power Bank Fully Charged

As odd as this tip may be for this guide, it’s one of the best on the list. Having a fully charged power bank as a backup can save you from many unwanted situations. Imagine you’re trying to call a cab service company and phone battery flattens out…

4. Label the Items

For containers, envelopes or files that contain similar items, label each of them, so you don’t have to scatter everything while looking for a particular item. This helps you have a sense of being in control of your personal effects.

5. Pack Lightly and Bring Layers

Packing is an important aspect of traveling, but it does not have to be hard.

  • Before you begin, make a list, even if it’s only a general outline of the things you will need.
  • You will be surprised at how extra plastic bags come in handy when you take them along (for laundry, wet clothes, snacks, or leaky shampoo bottles).
  • Roll up your clothes to fit perfectly in your suitcase.
  • Take clothing in complementary colors which can be used in different outfits.
  • Always pack clothes which can easily be layered between outdoor and indoor venues.
  • Try not to bring heavy shoes and take only pairs which can multitask.
  • When in doubt, pick a rolling suitcase instead of a shoulder bag to prevent back pain.

6. Organize Your Home While You Travel

If you are on vacation or you plan on traveling as soon as possible, consider some of the home chores you can get done while out of town.

  • Before leaving, drop off your shoes at the cobbler to get them polished or weather-proofed.
  • Drop off your knives to be sharpened. You should have a pro sharpen them twice a year.
  • Do a professional cleaning of your window treatments. If you are worried about neighbors seeing through your window while you are away, you can have the treatments hanging only on the top floors.
  • Drop any heavy-use stuff off at the dry cleaner to be cleaned thoroughly, such as that comforter or winter jacket you won’t be needing on your trip.

7. Unpack Immediately After a Trip

After you have been away, one of the toughest things to do is unpacking. You have to separate the clothes, wash, dry, and re-fold them before placing them in their original positions. It’s quite a complicated process, isn’t it? However, we all know the sense of feeling haunted by travel suitcases we leave unattended. Do your best to get it done as soon as you get home.

Even if you are tired, consider how the thought of unpacking will make you feel a few minutes later, how much more, the following day. It will just take a little effort, and you can feel better afterward.

Conclusion

If there is a time you really need to be organized, it is when you are traveling. Hopefully, the above tips for packing carry-ons, organizing your travel list, and creating itineraries will help to ensure a smooth trip. Good luck on your next organized trip.


About the Author

Annabelle Short is a writer/editor and seamstress of more than 7 years. When not working, she’s spending time with her family or putting pen to paper for her own personal pursuits. Annabelle likes to make DIY and crafty projects in her free time with her children.
Follow her on Facebook Here.