For frequent travelers, it feels like you're always on the road, on your way to the airport, or waiting in line at hotel registration. Most of all, it feels like you're constantly packing and unpacking your luggage. Even those of us who travel less frequently - a trip home to visit our mother and father at the holidays, a quick trip to the mountains to enjoy the great outdoors, and an annual vacation - can find packing and unpacking a hassle. The good news is that, with a little forethought and a bit of discount shopping, traveling can be hassle free.
The first step in organizing your travel is to invest in good luggage. If you're a frequent traveler, quality luggage will hold up well over the course of your journeys. If you're a weekend or vacation traveler, your luggage will last for years and you won't have to worry that the materials will crack or degrade.
The next step for smooth travel is to make a master list. Over the course of a week or two - and long before your departure - think about every item that you might choose to take along on your travels. Include different kinds of clothes (career, dressy, casual, sleepwear), shoes, toiletries, jewelry, perfume, cameras, and anything else that you might need or want while you're away. Then make a similar list for every member of your family who travels. Include toys and books for the kids, magazines for you or your spouse, and anything else they may need while they're away. You might even want to make a master list of instructions to leave for the person who will take care of your pets while you're away. Keep your list on your computer in a word processing file. When it comes time to pack for a trip, you can make a copy of the list and delete anything you know you won't need. What remains is the list of items you'll take with you. When you keep a master list, you don't have to reinvent the proverbial wheel every time you're faced with an empty suitcase.
The final step in combating the challenge of packing and unpacking for a trip is to do some discount shopping. You can approach discount shopping in a number of ways. Frequent travelers find that discount shopping provides them with an opportunity to have a second set of clothes, toiletries, and even perfume that they then keep stored in their luggage. When it's time to hit the road, more than half of their packing is already done. When the come home, the clothes get washed, folded, and placed back in their luggage.
For those who travel less frequently, discount shopping is a means for traveling light. You can buy travel-size toiletries so you don't have to lug around large containers of your favorite products. You can also use discount shopping to stock up on clothes you use everyday, such as undergarments. More than one person has been known to purchase new underwear and socks prior to a trip, then pack their old items that needed to be replaced anyway, and throw them away - during their trip - after they've been worn. This gives them more room in their luggage for the souvenirs and gifts that they pick up on their trip.
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