Travelers' Top Tips to Pack Smart

We reached out to Top Contributors in our traveller community and asked for their best-ever packing tips. Here’s what they had to say.

• Pack light to travel light. If you can manage with a carry-on, do it. Try taking half of the things you need and twice the money. You can make buying a few new items a fun part of the adventure. Packing light is a process not a goal.

• Pack a sleep mask and earplugs. These can come in handy on a plane, train or in your hotel room.

• Capitalize on empty suitcase space. Roll your clothes, instead of folding them. Stuff socks, underwear, and accessories inside of shoes. Leave no space unused.

• Keep a sarong or pashmina in your carry-on. They can be used as a blanket on the plane, a scarf if it’s cold or a shawl on an evening out.

• Bag it. Kitchen sandwich bags can be used to hold your accessories, vacuum pack bags can be space savers, and trash bags have multiple uses (laundry bag, shoe covers).

• Skip airport snacks and bring your own. You can save yourself a bit of money and keep your hunger at bay in case you have a delayed flight.

• Create compartments. Two words: packing cube. If you are visiting more than one city during your trip, packing cubes will keep your suitcase organized and save you from having to pack and unpack.

• Share your packing space. Traveling as a couple? Split your clothes between two suitcases on the off chance one of them gets lost during the flight.

• Bring a multi-socket extension cord. Although newer hotels have USB ports in rooms, it’s best to have an extra outlet to charge all of your electronics at once.

• Make photocopies before leaving home. If you’re traveling out of the country, make two photocopies of your passport. Use your smartphone to take pictures of your car in the airport’s parking garage and do the same for your luggage and its contents in case it gets lost.