I can’t really give much advice about packing for a trip because I don’t know what the trip is. For me it’s putting together everything I own and just traveling. Everything else I got rid of somehow so my situation is not like everybody else’s but I do try to travel as light as I can so I don’t have problems carrying around a lot of luggage. I just have one Samsonite case with wheels that used to be just the right size to carry on the plane and store in the overhead compartment, but it seems the new rules this year and make it a few millimeters larger than the maximum which means most airlines will require it be checked in. I had a backpack, but it got too heavy so my back just decided it was finished carrying a big Osprey backpack. I was listening intently to my back since it gets priority over baggage.
The purpose of the trip is really important as a determinant for how you pack and what you pack. A business trip is definitely not going to be very similar to a hiking trip. And a winter tour of the Shetland Islands is not going to require the same clothing and stuff inside as a summer trip to the Mediterranean. So the only things I really can advise are my experiences with a very average, every day type adventure. I am somewhat prepared for the cold weather, and I have something that can be used as a swimsuit as well. I have sandals and shoes. I will cover some other things in a page on what I pack and why.
So I think what I should do with this is to break it up into different sections, which makes a lot more sense than trying to tackle everything at one time. The first thing I want to cover is how to pack. That also depends upon the purpose and what you’re putting inside the luggage. Since I am not attending any events, business meetings, or going out to lavish places in lavish clothes and with only one pair of trousers with legs that unzip and turn into shorts, I will not probably be the poster boy for the once a year tourist who wants to go to fancy restaurants, operas, and dress up in the evening.
What I have found, and learned is that folding clothes flat tends to produce less wrinkles, and if they are layered with thin plastic or tissue paper they tend to show very little creasing. I don’t have any of that kind of clothing so as I practiced packing I found the easiest way to pack and unpack is to roll clothes. It not only does a good job of squeezing a lot of the air out but it also allows me to create separate compartments which I can unpack quickly and distribute around the room according to where they belong. Toiletries go in the bathroom, underwear and socks go outside the case. Medicines and other healthcare things stay inside the suitcase. That’s just some examples.