Packing Tips from Recent Trips

In preparation for a recent month-long trip to Central Asia, I sought to find some travel packing efficiencies to keep my luggage light and functional (until the shopping aspect…yikes!). I have also been learning some great packing tips and hacks while I’m currently on that trip, in Uzbekistan. Below are some of the packing tips I’ve implemented and hope you will find useful!

Favorite Inflight Organizer

A professional packer from Rick Steves shared a great idea: A small hanging toiletry bag to use as an airplane organizer, filled with everything you might need on a long overseas flight. I found a very lightweight bag I like from Sea to Summit. I chose red so I wouldn’t miss it when gathering my items in preparation to deplane. Items I included in mine are reading glasses, a pen and highlighter, sticky page flags, AirPods, a phone charging cord, hair tie, lip balm, hand cream, a small packet of stain remover for spills, eye drops, Advil, a silk eye mask, ear plugs, a super light and compact (as well as quite comfortable), travel pillow and a snack. This makes accessing all the small items you need on your flight very convenient, because you can hang it on the back of the tray, and everything you need on the flight is at your fingertips. No more digging around in your larger bag for all the small items that somehow find their way to the bottom of the bag. I loved having this on my recent long journey from Salt Lake City to Paris to Istanbul, then on to Tashkent.

My daughter discovered a foot hammock for our recent flight to Japan. It might sound superfluous but, being on the shorter side, it is much more comfortable to be able to have my feet supported higher off the floor while on a flight. It’s lightweight and comes with a small case that fits easily into my inflight bag. The strap is adjustable and clips around the tray table. I love it and won’t go on long flights without it.

Clothes Washing On the Road

I typically use a large zip-seal plastic bag for laundry when I travel, since I can compress it quite tightly for traveling home when I need a bit of extra space in my suitcase. I ordered a smaller size plastic laundry bag for my current trip since I knew I might need to hand wash a few items every 5-6 days or so, and could get away with a smaller size bag. I have discovered that the hotel sinks I am staying in sometimes don’t have drain plugs that close tightly enough to prevent water leakage when hand washing, so I thought I’d try out this as my wash basin for laundry, since it is watertight. It sits in the sink and I add the clothes I want to wash, as well as a sheet of this light-as-a-feather eco laundry soap (you truly can’t get any lighter when packing a laundry soap!) and fill it with hot water. Voila! A makeshift laundry washing basin! This washbag is another handy option.

Travel Pillows

As I was packing, I made a quick trip to REI to find an inflatable travel pillow because I am finicky about pillows (some hotel pillows are uncomfortable for me) and thought I’d better pack a compact inflatable one as a back up. The staff recommended this one from Swiss company Exped (I love their inflatable sleeping pads for camping). It’s compact and lightweight but comfortable enough to spend a night on if needed. I decided to throw in a silk pillowcase into my suitcase at the last minute, and I’m so glad I did. I haven’t had any bad pillows yet, so no need to use the travel pillow up to this point, but I’ve been using the pillowcase at every hotel. It’s so much softer than the hotel pillowcases. This will be coming with me on every trip going forward. It folds up into a small zipper sandwich bag, so hardly takes up any space. You will want a noticeable pattern or color so you’re less likely to leave it on the bed when you check out. For the plane, the Sea to Summit inflatable neck pillow is very comfortable and supportive, yet folds up very small so it easily fits into my hanging organizer.

Compression Bags

This set of compression bags, which comes in a variety of sizes which are great not only for your clothing, but also for the smaller items you need to pack and keep organized as well (medications/vitamins, first aid kit, chargers, etc).

Travel-Friendly Bags

My favorite travel tote bag is the MZ Wallace Large Metro Tote Deluxe. It has comfortable padded handles, just the right number of interior pockets, extra pouches and a luggage sleeve that slips right over the handle of my carry-on suitcase. I always pack a Longchamp Le Piage large shoulder bag into my suitcase (it folds into a small, easy to pack size). I use the larger bag for the plane and for travel in between cities. The folding shoulder bag comes in handy when out sightseeing, if I think I’ll be shopping or need more space in addition to my favorite cross-body travel purse, Clare V’s Grande Fanny Pack.

Shoes… How to Choose?

It’s so tempting to want to bring at least a few pairs of shoes… but they add weight and bulk to luggage and I find I usually don’t end up wearing them. How to narrow down and still look stylish? A pair of Sabah slip-ons in a neutral color or a fun print (available for both men and women) are a cinch to pack and function as my “going out” to dinner or an event shoes and are quite compact (I stuff with socks to hold the shape and pack them in their dust bag). Then I bring a pair of really comfy sneakers for sightseeing – I usually walk several miles a day when I travel  and comfort is an absolute essential. Hoka Transport sneakers are as comfortable as any I’ve tried and I didn’t even need to break them in recently when I walked all over San Miguel de Allende and Mexico City. They are now my go-to travel shoe and I like that they come with quick-toggle laces, as well as traditional laces if you prefer those. I love the eggnog color with the caramel Vibram sole.

Favorite Phone Case

Finally, I think my favorite travel purchase is my long-strap phone case from Bandolier. It has just enough space for a couple of credit cards and a debit card, and my phone is always around my neck. It couldn’t be more convenient for frequent photo snapping, and I don’t have to worry about having my phone snatched from my back pocket or fiddle with pulling it out of my crossbody bag. Thank you to my friend, Jan, who I met in Guatemala for this recommendation!