Essential things that you will need to do before leaving home to begin your travel have been identified throughout TravelThroughPassages.com. Select Contact Me from the website’s menu to request a free Departure Checklist.

Packing for your trip

Before every trip choose your clothes and lay out the outfits. Try everything on. Discard items that don’t work. Revamp your list and pack it all away. By being organized, thoughtful, and always leaving room to bring home new-found treasures, you’ll have exactly what you need.

Develop a basic travel wardrobe

Your basic travel wardrobe should not be so different from your regular wardrobe that you feel like a different person. Take your personal style on the road. Begin with clothes you already own, and which will serve you well for where you’re going and for what you’ll be doing. Additions or subtractions can always be made later.

Choose clothing that can work for most occasions and fits your recreational passions. The idea is to develop a mix-and-match combination of pieces you love that will create numerous outfits. Choose a limited color palette and then add one or two items, like a colorful scarf or statement necklace, to make your outfits pop.

A basic travel wardrobe is made up of items that are versatile and low maintenance. Plan for the climate where you’ll be headed. Choose lightweight, versatile, and suitable wrinkle-resistant fabrics. Plan to layer your clothes to build outfits. You can always add or subtract a layer or two.

Consider and plan for your ‘normal” rather than for everything that is possible. If an opportunity arises to do something unexpected, you can pick something up where you are.

Research the local culture and be sure to dress appropriately. In many parts of the world, and certainly when visiting any place of religious observance, it’s best to cover arms, shoulders and knees. Be sure to have something that works for where you’re going.

Choose a smaller bag and you’ll automatically pack less. Be ruthless when in packing mode. Less is more. Banish the “just in case” items. Your wallet and your back will thank you for it later.

Choose your toiletries wisely

You want to pack grooming items, beauty products and other essentials such as medication, contact lenses/solution and reading/glasses, without over packing and weighing down your luggage.

The first thing to remember is the toiletries you can take on a plane depend on whether you are checking your luggage. Any number of 3.4 oz. (100 ml) or smaller sized containers that fit in a 1 quart-sized, resealable bag may go in carry-on and through checkpoint security. Containers that are larger than 3.4 ounces (100 ml), regardless of the amount inside must be in checked baggage. This includes liquids, gels, creams and pastes. The TSA website lists exactly what items are allowed in a checked bag for US-based airlines. You’ll find it fascinating. Although this list is a general guideline across all airlines, you may want to check the website of the airline you will be traveling with or contact them directly.

With those regulations in mind, follow these steps:

1. Lay out all the grooming and beauty products you use on a day-to-day basis.

2. Categorize each item according to those you will certainly need; those you want; those that will not be required.

3. Add items to the “need” category that you may not use every day, but which will be required for where you are going and what you’ll be doing. Things like sun block, motion sickness prevention and remedies, first-aid supplies.

4. Find out if your accommodation offers products such as shampoo, shower gel, hair dryer, etc. Some hotels even have additional complimentary items at reception such as razors, toothpaste, and other small essentials. Just ask. Then consider which of them you are willing to use for the time you’ll be away.

5. Consider using multi-use products or items for a short period of time, such as face scrub as body scrub; conditioner as shaving cream; shampoo as shower gel; baby powder as dry shampoo; shampoo plus conditioner in one; tinted moisturizer; a 2-in-1 curling/flat iron duo; double ended makeup brushes.

6. Re-examine each item in the “want” category, especially skin-care items, and decide if it is possible to hold off on using it during your trip. If so, add it to items in the “will not be required” category. If not, add it to the “need” category.

Determine how much of each product in the “need” category you will require.

You may choose to purchase travel-sized toiletries, but they are not always the best option. Often those that are available are not part of your personal beauty routine, and in many cases the amount of that product you will require may be far less than 3 ounces.

Purchase empty travel-sized containers of various shapes and sizes, including small stackable pots, and pack only the amount of each product you will need. Plastic air-tight paint cups from Michaels are great for this purpose. Extra contact lens cases might also work well for things like salve and lip gloss. Just use a sharpie to identify contents.

Replace glass containers with plastic to minimize weight and avoid breakage.

To avoid compression leaks, fill only 2/3 of each container. Use a piece of plastic wrap under the lid for extra leak prevention.

Replace liquid beauty products with solids and select liquid-free wipes that are available for things such as insect repellent, sun block, face wash, make-up remover, perfume, nail polish remover, anti-bacterial gel.

Do a test run to see if everything fits in your toiletry bag. If not, re-examine each item to decide if it will really be necessary during your travels. If so, paying for checked baggage may be your only option. Another possibility is taking up otherwise unused space in your travel companion’s bag.

Make packing a two-step process

List everything you will be taking and check off each item once you’ve laid it out on your bed. Check it off again as it goes into your bag. This ensures nothing is missed.

The very last thing to be packed should be your packing list, so you can use it to double-check that you’re not leaving anything behind in your hotel room.

The list should be packed in your carry-on baggage, so that if the airline loses your luggage your packing list can serve as an inventory list.

How to travel for a week or two with only a carry-on bag

Before you even get to clothes, list all your non-clothing essentials, such as a laptop for a work trip or a camera for vacation.

Now list all the activities you will be doing. Obviously, some trips cannot be made without checked luggage, but those trips are the exception. Most lists will involve things like walking around a city and going to the beach or eating dinners out.

For each event or activity, imagine an outfit. Use your itinerary to do this. The goal here is to combine as many elements as possible. A black cotton dress could work for a business lunch when paired with a cardigan and pumps, and a stroll around the city with flats and a scarf. A tunic could be a cover-up at the pool and a semi-dressy top over pants.

Then go to your closet and “shop” for your imagined outfits. Every piece doesn’t have to go with every other piece but try to come as close to that as you can. Having a color scheme like “neutrals” or “blues and greens” will help consolidate your travel wardrobe. Hopefully, you can find everything you need in your closet, but if you need to buy something chances are that’s a hole in your travel wardrobe that needs to be filled anyway and your purchase will be used again.

Start packing

Wrap shoes in plastic bags and place them at the sides or corners of the bottom of your bag to help it hold its shape. Stash extra plastic bags too. They take up no space and are perfect for laundry or anything that gets wet.

If you’re bringing any magazines, notebooks, or anything else large and somewhat flat, pack these vertically on top of or just beside your shoes. This will create stiffer sides in a soft bag.

Now fold or roll your clothes as neatly and compactly as you can and place them in the center of your bag. If you need to prevent wrinkles, tissue paper can help a lot. Socks can go in little empty spaces inside your bag.

Anything that’s left, like a hairbrush or toiletry bag can go on the top of your clothes or into any remaining opening.