How to Pack for Vacation Travel: My Best Tips

For some travelers, packing is the worst part of going on vacation. For me, it’s part of the fun. I love when I’ve winnowed down my clothes to essentials and everything is neat and organized in my suitcase.

As you read this post, Steve and I will be in the air over the Pacific Ocean, headed to Japan, while our adult #2 son lives in our home to housesit and water the plants.

I shared many of my travel packing tips on a post from 2020. Today, I’m adding more tips, gleaned from my later travel hits and misses.

Whether you’re taking a car trip to visit family during Thanksgiving or going around the world, travel packing requires mostly the same planning. Of course, you can be freer with your packing when everything goes into the car trunk instead of an airplane hold.

Clothes to Pack for Vacation Travel

We all know the value of separates for their ability to mix and match. Stylebook enables you to plan and document how all the pieces will work together. You can even slot each outfit in a calendar.

It’s time-consuming to photograph all your clothes and I wouldn’t do this for more than the select items for a vacation trip. While I was too impatient to use the app as it was designed, I did get a lot out of seeing my clothes in different combinations. For $4.99, it’s affordable and fun to play with.

Travel Clothing Criteria

First, I check the weather online. For example, I was thinking fall clothes, but in Japan, September/October is usually warm, with some rain.

Here’s what I’ve pack:ed

• Clothes that can be hand-washed. In Japan, the hotel washers and dryers tend to be one unit; you can’t take the clothes out between cycles. If your clothes can’t take the heat, you’ll have to make some suds in your bathroom sink.
• Color-coordinated separates. Most of my clothes are black and white with a few touches of bright color and a few prints to break the monotony. Everything goes together.
• Versatile pieces. For example, I have a black mid-calf skirt that can go out to dinner with a silky blouse and ballet flats or take on a day of sightseeing with a sweatshirt and sneakers.
• Layering pieces, such as T-shirts, sweatshirt, denim jacket, and wool scarf. If it gets colder unexpectedly, I’m ready.
• Waterproof sneakers for likely rain.

Staying put this fall? Go armchair traveling!

We all know we need to break in new shoes. But here’s the thing: it’s important to break in any new clothes, too. Unless you test-wear them, you won’t know how comfortable they will be or how they’ll perform.

Packing for Multi Hotels

We will be staying at 13 different hotels or ryokan (traditional Japanese Inn).

I last packed for a multi-stop trip when we drove to Civil War battlefields in the American South. We did nine cities in 3 1/2 weeks. Here’s a comprehensive guide on packing for multiple hotel stays.

Two essentials are a hanging toiletries bag and packing cubes. Instead of unpacking and packing cosmetics at each stop, you simply access them from the bag that you’ve hung from a bathroom hook. When it’s time to move on, simply unhook, close up the bag, toss it in the suitcase, and go. The one I have isn’t available anymore, but it’s a good example.

Use packing cubes to keep your clothes organized. I keep all my clothes in the packing cubes, and shake out and hang just the ones I need for that particular hotel stay. (Keeping the clothes in the cubes might mean some touch-up ironing, but I’d rather do that than pack and repack everything each time.)

When it’s time to move on, I can simply throw all the cubes into my luggage. Each is labeled so I can find what I want instantly. Compression packing cubes are even better–they have a second zipper that compresses your clothes more tightly so you can fit more.

My Best Tips for Planning a Vacation

Sometimes, you may have to wash clothes the night before you move on. This is where clothes that can be washed and dried quickly really help. I also look for thin socks for the same reason.

In Japan, you have the luxury of having your hotel or an outside service send your bags on to a further destination. So, if you’re only spending a couple of days in one spot, you can pack just what you need in a tote or small duffle bag, and send the suitcases on to await your arrival at your next destination.

Travel Extras

I love learning about useful travel aids from travel website and videos. Here’s what I’m adding to my usual packing list for this trip:

• Sneaker cleaners–Expecting rain, my new waterproof sneakers could get dirty. These cute little sponges will clean the soles of sneakers. Yes, you could probably cut up Mr. Clean Magic Erasers to do the same thing more cheaply!
• Spray-on wrinkle release–I tested the spray on a linen blouse. The trick seems to be to stretch out the fabric after spraying. If you stretch both along the width and the length of the fabric (warp and woof), it seems to do a really good job.
• Stain remover pen–I brought this one on my last trip. Especially for a long trip, it makes sense to have a little insurance to remedy spills and stains.
• No-rinse laundry detergent–You simply add a teaspoon to a gallon of water. Add soiled garments and soak 15 minutes; no rinsing. I saw this in a Wirecutter review from The New York Times. I transferred some of the detergent into a 3-ounce, TSA-approved bottle.

Join my Japan Vacation

If you’d like to come along vicariously on my journey to Japan, follow my Instagram posts. I’ll be highlighting images of exquisite food, gardens, temples, and shrines from Tokyo, Kyoto, Hakone, and down to Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s main islands. This is the land my family emigrated from more than a century ago.

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