T & T ~ Packing ~ Jennifer

God-willing, this year I will complete my fourth trip to Kakamega, Kenya and back again. There are lots and lots of packing tips and tricks out there, but I thought I’d share some of my favorites that I’ve learned over the years, especially for long international travel.

First, the clothes. I had read this tip myself online and just never believed it could be true until the time I had to pack my husband for a three week trip to India in one suitcase including nice business clothes and sightseeing clothes and all the shoes that go with them. Roll your clothes. You will not be sorry. They really do stay much neater this way. The only time this has not worked out as well was when I had a nearly empty suitcase. For best results, iron everything first. Take each outfit and fold the pants in half and place the shirt on top and fold to match the sizing. You can also keep them full length and lay the shirt face down and fold back the sleeves. Place undergarments and socks under the shirt and roll from the bottom. That’s it. When you get there your whole outfit is all together and pretty tidy too. Pack shoes in what would be the bottom of your suitcase when it’s standing so that your shoes are not on top of your clothes. Some people place shoes in shower caps and things like that to keep them off their clothes but that’s never been necessary for me.

iron & neatly arrange outfits

rolled outfit

This brings me to my next tip and one of my ultimate must haves for travel…..

Downy wrinkle spray. I absolutely love this stuff. You take out an outfit the night before you’re going to wear it (or you can do this to all outfits upfront if you’re that type of person and have room to hang a lot) spray it down and hang. Next morning, it looks fresh again and smells fresh too. It’s great for places that don’t have irons, or reliable electricity.  

Another product not many people seem to know about is spray for the toilet. I have used it by the name Poof and Poo-pourri. This stuff is great when you have to room with someone, no matter how close you are.

This product is great for when you have to go but don't want to leave offensive odors!

Also, when packing clothes, if you’re traveling with a friend it’s never a bad idea to swap a couple of outfits into each other’s suitcases so that if one gets lost you still have something to wear until your luggage can be found.  

And of course, it never hurts to be creative when choosing outfits. Picking a couple solid colored bottoms that can go with multiple tops will save you loads of room.

Know your airline’s baggage policy well. 

We had an issue last year when flying an airline we had never flown before. Each year we have been able to bring a carry-on sized bag as well as a personal item, which has always been a backpack. This has always helped us fit as much as possible into our checked bags where we often carry ministry supplies. This particular airline (I’ll be nice and not dish names as much as I want to) decided that our personal items were indeed not considered personal items, and those of us who did not make it on board before an ornery gate attendant stopped us, were charged $200 to check bags. It was an expensive mistake.

That incident caused a lot of unnecessary stress!

I’ll finish up with tips for the plane ride. If you have a long flight ahead of you, unless you have to be dressed up, wear something comfortable that stretches and has layers too. A light jacket and socks have been lifesavers more than once.

Stay hydrated, especially on long flights, and do those silly seat exercises too. Both can help you feel refreshed and help with leg swelling. Also, do your best to get on the same sleep schedule as your destination. You can use melatonin or another sleep aid to help you get there. Sometimes we’ve left at 5pm local time and had to try to sleep within a couple of hours. A good neck pillow, pair of headphones, and comfortable clothes are priceless.  

Of course good traveling companions are too.

My most important tip of all, always expect and do your best to prepare for, the unexpected. Happy are the adaptable.

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