Organizing for Travel

Apr 1, 2021
5 min read

Updated: Apr 8

Tips to make traveling easier - less hassle, more joy!

I LOVE to travel near and far, and have gotten out of the United States at least once a year for 25+ years.

I've also been a professional organizer since 2012 and love helping travel-loving clients prepare to easily pack and unpack.

Preparing our "stuff" to travel can be anxiety-provoking and overwhelming...

I hope something below helps reduce the negative feelings and increase travel happiness!

Here are my top tips for travel organizing

Do a FULL travel supply declutter and organizing session
Store travel supplies together (see ideas below)
Put travel supplies back in those places every time you travel
Keep these storage places open and accessible
Don't wait until the day before to pack
Download & print the airport / plane travel bag checklist (link below the image)

Here are those tips broken down:

1 Do a FULL travel supply declutter and organizing session

Be your own personal organizer (or hire one)...

First, gather and categorize EVERYTHING you have regarding travel: suitcases, little shampoos, bags, makeup kits - ALL of it. (You can use my list below to jog your memory)

Then make piles:

Favorites - things you do and/or definitely will use
Love but don't really use
Don't use / love / need, but it's in good condition
Broken and/or don't want, need, love
Maybes are ok - just try not to let it be everything!

Next, put all the things you DO want to keep and use together - donate the rest. (Yes, you can do it! Just get them out of the house so you can focus)

And fill the gaps - what do you need and/or want to make packing and traveling easier?

Think about what's missing, what you'd like to replace, and what you can easily purchase to make packing easier (travel sized toothpaste, etc.).

When new things come in, take off the tags and store them with other travel supplies.

2 Store travel supplies together

I like to keep ALL suitcases, travel bags, etc together so I don't have to look for them. This includes my money belt, travel wallet, and bags of various sizes.

My personal care supplies are in my bathroom in a bag with a separate set specifically for travel - hair ties, toothbrush, toothpaste, basic first aid, eye pillow, etc.

All I need to add is updated medication and any extra accessories I want to take (earrings, necklaces...)

(The bathroom bag can be kept with other travel supplies if you don't have room in your bathroom. MORE IDEAS ARE BELOW)

3 Put travel supplies back in those places every time you travel

Yes, I know, it's easy to leave the bags in the corner, but just take the time to put things in their homes - your Future Self will thank you!

If you take the time to make a home for everything, this is super easy!

If it's hard to put things away, I recommend reevaluating where you put them away. And if that seems like a no-brainer and you still don't do it, I recommend scheduling a call with me to figure out why :)

4 Keep these storage places open and accessible

If you love to travel, but the home where you store your travel supplies keeps getting cluttered and it's annoying (taking the joy out of traveling!)...

It's a choose your own adventure:

Take the time to clear them out for good (using #1 above)
Make a different home you'll actually use (I call this working with our real selves vs. our ideal selves)
Get support from a professional organizer

5 Don't wait until the day before to pack

Look ahead at the calendar and see where there are pockets of time you can focus on early packing prep - even 10 minutes makes a huge difference!

I do not like being stressed by travel packing, or getting somewhere and realizing I left something simple but important at home...

So I start gathering things up to a week before a trip...

I have a pile right now on my bedroom floor, in a very clear spot so other things don't get mixed in.

I have time this Sunday set aside to do a more full pack and check because I have a busy week before I leave on Wednesday.

Thinking ahead makes all the difference! Give it as a gift to your Future Self.

6 Download & print the airport/plane travel bag checklist (link is below the image)

Ideas for travel supply storage:

Keep all suitcases and most travel supplies together (including neck pillows, money belts and other travel specific items)
Keep a self care travel bag packed (see the checklist above)
Store where they're easy to reach but out of the way
Have dedicated space for these items where nothing else goes

I have a space in my bathroom dedicated to self care travel supplies. Over time I've collected travel-sized items, a couple different sized bags to carry them in and a few ziplock bags for liquids.

Ideas for always-packed self care kit:

In a self care bag I keep just for travel...

toothbrush
toothpaste
earplugs (in the small round white thing)
eye cover
hair ties
scrunchy
packable hairbrush (the blue Conair thing - it folds)
comb
bobby pins
hair clips
nail clippers
nail file
tampons
pads
shaver (I wax before I go)
cotton pads for toner
mouth guard container (as I'm packing I put it on top so I remember to grab the mouth guard)
tweezers
ibuprofen
sleeping pills (I use hydroxyzine, a prescription antihistamine so it doubles as first aid)
I add earrings and necklaces to a ziplock the day I leave

In a large ziplock bag for travel-sized liquids:

shampoo
conditioner
dry shampoo
hairspray
Dr. Bronner's soap
Thayer's witch hazel toner (I use as a face cleanser as well)
eyedrops
I add whatever face and body lotion I'm using at the time to the liquids bag on the day of the trip