Rylie Horrall  | Lifestyle Editor

With a vacation just around the corner, many students might be going home for a brief time or traveling with friends. What’s probably one of the worst things about prepping for a trip? Having to pack. It can be very easy to forget important things while packing, such as chargers, enough clothes or various toiletries. To help with the potential madness that comes with planning a trip, here are some tips to help make packing a breeze.

• Make a checklist of everything being brought — this will be helpful with initial thinking and for the trip back, to make sure nothing is left behind. Write down how many articles of clothing will be needed for the duration of the trip, with maybe a few extras in case of an emergency. In regards to essentials, keeping a tab on each item will reduce the chance of forgetting them. Not to mention, it’s so satisfying to cross things off of a list.
• Roll clothes up, don’t fold them; it takes up less space, so there’s room for more clothes or other items in general. Thicker clothes, like jeans and hoodies, should be layered towards the bottom since thinner fabrics for t-shirts and such will be easier to fit into smaller spots and crevices.
• Bring only one other pair of shoes. While it’s nice to have options, shoes can take up a large chunk of space in a bag, so it isn’t always necessary to bring multiple. Those boots may look cute with that skirt, but the booties are smaller and can work just as well. If those boots are absolutely necessary, save some space by stuffing other clothes inside of them.
• Place all electronic related devices — like chargers, handhelds or styluses — into their own bag, or into a separate pocket from the bag or suitcase. Not only does it keep these organized and in a memorable spot, but it prevents anything from getting lost among outfits and miscellaneous commodities.
• Following the trend from the previous point, do the same with toiletries and bathroom related items. Having that expensive bottle of face wash open up and spill all over a laptop or favorite sweater is a loss in multiple ways. However, if it’s in a compact bag with other like objects, it’ll keep that mess from spreading. Moreover, tape bottles of lotion and cleansers closed to further prevent that kind of mishap.
• Finally, set aside enough time to fully pack — nothing increases stress more than packing at 11 p.m. the night before leaving and worrying about forgetting something. Try packing up the things that won’t be needed for a few days, so then only the last items have to be placed into the luggage.

Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu

Photo by Rylie Horrall