If it fits it sits
Planning a world trip
By Jaimy de Vries
Now you have all the stuff you want to put in your backpack, but while you put it in your backpack your backpack won’t close or it simply just looks like a mess. Organizing a backpack for easy travel – and then keeping it organized – is a big challenge, even for seasoned travelers.
The knock against most backpacks is that they are a big hole: your clothes, tech, and toiletries all get piled in on top of each other and then get totally disorganized when you pull out what you need. Whether you’re packing your backpack for an extended trip through Europe, or just for a local weekend getaway, I have some tips for you that will help you keep your backpack organized while fitting everything that you need.
Underneath my tips to organize your backpack
# 1 – Pick the best travel backpack
Your backpack is the most valuable player of your trip, and choosing the right one will make it far easier to stay organized. The best travel backpack has lots of pockets, which will allow you to organize your big and small possessions. Small things tend to fall to the bottom of your bag, so you want to make sure that your backpack has dedicated pockets for easy access to these items. And make sure your backpack has front access zippers so you don’t have to take everything out of your pack to get something out of the bottom of your pack.
A travel backpack is easier to organize when it’s the right size. If you bring a bag that’s too small for your trip, then
everything will be crammed so tightly into the compartments that it’ll be impossible to organize no matter how many pockets the bag has. On the other hand, if your bag is too big, then you’ll have a bunch of loose space, and your stuff will get jostled around.
# 2 – Take inventory of your travel stuff
At least one day before you put anything in your bag, you should lay out on a flat surface all the stuff you plan to take. This practice will make sure that you’re not bringing too much or too little of anything, and gives you an opportunity to remove the extras. Do you really need that many pairs of socks? Don’t you need another long sleeve shirt? You’ll pack more rationally when you can see everything at once and when you’re not pressured by an imminent departure.
A flat lay of all your travel stuff will also help you visualize how to pack similar items together, and which items
should be the easiest to access. As an example, you’ll probably use your camera and camera batteries a lot, so those should go towards the top of your backpack. Heavier stuff, and things that you don’t need as often, should go in the bottom of your backpack.
To get an inventory of my stuff I had a bit of an extreme way to do to it. I made a drone shot from above to take a good look at all my stuff. I saw that I packed too many longsleeves, so I put one away.
# 3 – Use travel packing accessories
Travel packing cubes, or compressive sacks are a total game-changers when it comes to keeping your backpack organized. Not only do they save space (up to 70%!), but they’ll also help you keep similar items together, from clothes to toiletries. When you need a new pair of socks, you simply pull out your sock sack. And you can keep your dirty clothes in a separate sack (tip: pick another color sack for your dirty clothes – then its easier to keep the dirty clothes apart from clean clothes). Plus, they make it way easier to pack and repack – your stuff doesn’t fall out in a jumbled mess whenever you open your bag.
I labeled my dry sack compressive bags to know what’s inside each bag. Because once closed, you can’t see what’s inside.
# 4 – Roll and fold your clothes
Rather than folding your clothes, roll them up tightly and then put them in packing cubes/sacks to organize your bag. It may not seem like it at first glance, but rolling saves significant space and it’s a better method to prevent your clothes from getting wrinkled than by folding your clothes. Try it once, and you’ll never look back. Since clothes take up such a large volume in your travel backpack, you need to pack them strategically. Any soft clothes – like t-shirts and underwear, should be tightly rolled to save space (and ideally put into packing cubes). Then fold the stiffer clothes – like blazers and khaki pants. To reduce wrinkles, you can put tissue paper in the folds so that your clothes move slightly in your bag.
# 5 – Pack and protect your electronics
After your passport, your tech is likely the most valuable thing you carry with you – particularly if you’re traveling for business. One of the most important reasons to keep your travel backpack organized is to keep track of your stuff – you always know where everything is, and you know that it’s packed safely. Keep your electronics in dedicated pockets in your backpack or in a special case. Microfleece-lined pockets are best for your phone and tablet, and any other tech with a delicate screen that could get scratched. Then, put smaller tech items – like batteries, external hard drives, and earbuds – in a smaller pocket or in packing cubes.
# 6 – Keep toiletries together
Toiletries are odd shapes and sizes and often feel really miscellaneous. So always try to go for travel-sized versions to save space. Pack a comb instead of a hairbrush, and liquids in 100ml refillable bottles.
And when it comes to liquids, keep them together in a leak-proof bag so that they don’t spill all over clothes and electronics, and so that you easily can pull them out when you go through security.
There are toiletries bags that will hold all of the toiletry items, with a convenient hook so you can hang it on a door or towel rack at every stop. They’re light weighted and most of them are water repellant, so you don’t have to worry about your shampoo leaking onto the rest of your gear.
Special thanks to Bootsnall.com for all the guidelines and information on how to plan a round-the-world trip!