The Best Packing Hacks 2022

1 July 2022 | Travel Blogs

Can you get away with hand luggage only?

We’re a big fan of travelling with only carry-on luggage, but that can make packing tricky as you’re forced to be ruthless.

In this article we share with you some of the best packing hacks to help you stay organised, save space, and save time. With airports the way they are right now, every minute counts.

There’s also some great ideas of gifts to get any frequent flyer, business or leisure…or bleisure!

Most efficient way of packing

If you haven’t got yourself some packing cubes yet then you’re missing a trick!

I recently purchased the Ultralight Packing Cube Set from Osprey, and they’re a total game changer. They help to keep your clothes clean and organised, and help to find things more easily.

Rolling your clothes is always more efficient compared to folding them. However, we’ve heard great things about the Osprey Garment Folder. Every business traveller’s best friend, as it weighs 0.0g and fits up to 7 collared shirts inside.

Music to my ears as I’ll do anything to avoid the iron!

The dimensions for the folder are 40L / 28W / 8D which will fit comfortably in carry-on luggage.

What I love about both products above is the light weight Nylon material used, making the range perfect when travelling light.

Are business cards dead?

I’m on the fence when it comes to business cards, however some countries are more traditional than others. For example, did you know that in Singapore it’s polite to offer your business card with both hands, with the text facing the receiver. In return you must accept a card with both hands as a sign of respect.

Who knew..?

If you’d like to test out digital cards then you can use apps or online tools to create one. Try apps such as Linlet and camcard for digital business card creation.

Advantages include

Can be more interactive
Track activity better
More cost effective
Saves you time

Packing lists

Lists are essential in this office, and we love a good packing list just as much as the next person.

Last week Chris found this awesome app called Pack Teo which generates a packing list depending on what sort of travel you’re doing. You can also create custom templates and just copy it over for every trip and just remove the items that don’t apply.

The app helps with lots of existing suggestions, and best of all, it’s free!

If you’ve never tried a packing app, give one a go and let us know how you get on. By creating your own packing list, it becomes personal to you. This helps stop you from debating items you probably don’t need and wasting your time.

How much liquid can you take on a plane?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 10 years, you should know by now that all liquids in your carry-on bag must be under 100ml (3.4 ounces) and must be in a clear plastic bag as you go through security.

But did you know that you can use your own clear bag? As long as it’s reasonably sized (approximately 20cm x 20cm) and keep your liquids under 1 litre in total.

1 liter = 1000 ml

So the good news is, you don’t actually have to use the tiny bags provided at the airport.

You could go one step further and get yourself a reusable alternative to the single use bags at the airport, try the Space NK Travel Bag.

Alternatively, Amazon or your local drugstores like Boots and Superdrug will sell something similar. Usually, they come with mini bottles for you to dispense your favourite creams into.

The ques for airport security are at an all time high, but we can all help keep the process fluid by pre-preparing our liquids. Save 5 minutes at security by being organised and preempting the items you need to put into that large grey box.

Solids

Many toiletries traditionally bought as liquids are now available in a solid form, from soaps and shampoos to toothpaste.

Save space in your liquids bag by swapping liquids for solids. And save the planet by reducing your need for plastic.

My sister and I are huge fans of the Pansy solid perfume and the cruelty free shampoo bar from Lush.

Here’s a great article by Lush themselves, explaining all the advantages of their solid range.

Reducing your amount of liquids will reduce your time packing. Less stress worrying about your liquid limit!

How long does it take you to fill up those travel sized reusable bottles with your favorite home products? 10 minutes?
How long do you spend trying to cram everything into that 20cm x 20cm clear bag? Another 5 minutes?

Travel pillow for long haul

We love the Trtl Travel Pillow. It’s half the size and weight of other travel pillows.

Fully adjustable with built in neck support, this pillow allows you to fall asleep sitting up. Now you can enjoy a snooze even if you’re not sitting by the window.

To round it up…

Staff issues are not helping security queues, but everyone also needs to help. How often do you see people forgetting to take liquids/laptops out, removing phones from their pockets, etc? It’s not the reason for the delays, but it would certainly help if everyone was prepared properly.

The effects of being poorly organised wastes time and causes stress. Packing smart can reduce your luggage weight, and improve the way you travel.

When choosing your travel gadgets, really think about what would benefit you and your lifestyle.

What would you get more use out of?

Trying to be more sustainable? Try solid toiletries
Fed up with creased shirts? Get yourself a garment folder
Always forgetting something? Download a packing list app

I hope you’ve found this blog useful.

Enjoy the extra time!!

If you’re a frequent flyer looking to travel more sustainably, check out our Sustainable Travel Tips.

Thank you for reading,

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