The TsarWay Guide to Packing: Where Ambition Meets Reality
Every traveler’s journey begins with the same impossible challenge: fitting your entire life into a suitcase that’s somehow supposed to weigh less than your cat. Here at TsarWayOrTheHighway, we consider ourselves semi-professional packers, having graduated from “bringing five pairs of shoes for a weekend trip” to “I can survive three weeks in Europe with just a carry-on” (mostly).
The Packing Paradox
We’ve discovered there are two universal truths about packing:
- You will never wear half of what you pack
- You will desperately wish you had packed something you left behind
Accepting these truths is the first step toward packing enlightenment. The second step? These tried-and-tested packing hacks that have saved our sanity (and suitcase zippers) countless times.
Game-Changing Packing Hacks
The Roll vs. Fold Great Debate
After years of scientific research (i.e., frantically repacking when we’ve shopped too much), we can confidently say: rolling clothes saves space and reduces wrinkles. Except for structured items like blazers—those should be folded. Or better yet, worn on the plane so they don’t take up precious suitcase real estate.
The “Rule of Three”
For any trip under two weeks, you need a maximum of three bottoms, six tops, one dress-up option, and one comfy outfit for travel days. Everything should mix and match. Will you follow this rule? Probably not. Will you regret packing those “just in case” silver sequined pants that take up half your suitcase? Absolutely.
The Shoe Situation
Shoes are the enemy of efficient packing. Our hard-earned wisdom: pick three pairs maximum.
- One comfortable walking pair
- One dressier option
- One wild card (hiking boots, flip flops, etc.)
Pro tip: Stuff socks and underwear inside your shoes. It saves space and helps shoes keep their shape. Also, shower caps from hotels make perfect shoe covers to keep your clothes clean.
The Liquid Strategy
Those tiny travel bottles are adorable but practically useless for anyone with hair longer than an inch. Our solution: solid everything. Solid shampoo bars, solid perfume, solid deodorant, solid sunscreen sticks. They don’t count as liquids, last forever, and won’t explode in your bag at 30,000 feet.
The “Wear Your Bulkiest Items” Trick
The most effective way to pack a winter coat? Don’t. Wear it on the plane instead, along with your bulkiest shoes and heaviest sweater. Yes, you’ll look like a sweaty fashion disaster in the airport, but you’ll thank yourself when your bag slides easily into the overhead bin.
The Emergency Kit
In every suitcase we pack: a mini pharmacy (pain relievers, digestive aids, bandages), safety pins, a tiny sewing kit, a universal plug adapter, and a photocopy of our passport. We’ve needed each of these items exactly once—but that once made them worth their weight in gold.
The Digital Packing List
The secret weapon in our packing arsenal? A reusable packing list saved on our phones. We add to it after every trip when we inevitably say, “I wish I had brought…” or “I definitely didn’t need…”
The Final Truth
Despite all these hacks, you will still overpack. It’s human nature. The real skill is learning to pack the essentials plus just enough “security blanket” items to feel prepared without needing a sherpa to carry your bags.
Remember: anything you forget can usually be purchased at your destination. Except, apparently, decent deodorant in France and drip coffee pretty much anywhere in Italy.
Safe travels and happy packing! May your liquids always be under 3.4 ounces and your luggage never end up in a different country than you.
Next week: “The Art of Airport Security: How to Remove Your Laptop, Liquids, Shoes, Belt, and Dignity in Under 30 Seconds”