When it comes to packing, I can get a little overboard. I bubble wrap literally everything! When most people pack for vacation, they try to stay on the light side and only bring the absolute necessities. I wish I knew how to do that, I just can’t relate! When I travel with Sundance Vacations, I bring a suitcase, a carry-on bag, a duffel bag, a garment bag, and a large train case. Yes… I honestly bring all of that when I travel! My friends and family think I’m crazy when it comes to packing! I mean they aren’t completely wrong, but there is a method to all my madness! I’m simply afraid of all my things breaking and shattering inside my suitcase. I also don’t want my clothes to get all wrinkly, but is that really so crazy? I’m an over packer and I’m proud! If you are an over packer too, there’s no need to be embarrassed! If you have a system that works for you, keep it up! If you are a packing newbie and need some help, follow my crazy system! Here are my tips on packing fragile items!
How I Pack My Fragile Items
Clothing
I have two different ways of packing my clothing, I use a garment bag and suitcase. Let’s start with the garment bag. I pack all my dresses and blouses in a garment bag, to keep them from wrinkling. I hang them on satin padded hangers. I find that plastic/wire hangers leave marks and outlines on the sleeves of my clothes. Satin padded hangers are less harsh on clothing and will keep them looking brand new. After I put my dresses and blouses on the hangers, I zip them inside a large garment bag made out of water resistant material. I poke all the hangers through the hole in the top and I’m done! Now for the suitcase method! I always travel with a hard case suitcase. I start by opening my suitcase and covering the bottom with a soft plush blanket. I start packing my pajamas, then my jeans and denim shorts, then all of my cotton tops. I put my socks in all four corners of the suitcase, this provides extra protection. I then pack my flip flops and shoes on top of all the clothing. I lay my shoes upside down, so the bottoms aren’t touching my clothes. This way the bottom of the shoes touch the top of the suitcase when it is closed. I pack my purses by storing them in fabric dust bags and placing them in my carry-on/duffel bag.
Makeup
This is where my excessive packing goes to the extreme! I collect makeup and it’s probably my favorite thing on this planet! To pack my eyeshadow palettes, I wrap each palette individually in bubble wrap and put them insde the unicarton they originally came in. A unicarton is the cardboard container the palette comes in. It’s just the outside packaging! Usually people throw the unicartons away, but I always keep them for when I travel. I then individually wrap my brozers, blushes, highlighters, foundation, and setting powder with 2 layers of tissue paper. I start by packing my eyeshadow palettes in the bottom of my quilted train case, then I put the individually wrapped makeup products on top of them. At the very top of my train case I store my lipsticks, mascara, eyeliners, setting spray, and primers. I don’t wrap these items in any tissue paper or bubble wrap, because they are plastic and won’t break. I store my makeup brushes inside a portable brush caddy… and yes I individually wrap my makeup brushes in bubble wrap! If makeup brushes aren’t wrapped properly, the brush hairs will become ruined and look like the Cynthia doll from Rugrats! Only 90s kids will get this reference! I then place the makeup brush caddy inside the train case. My train case is always completely filled up, this prevents any items inside from moving around and breaking! If you follow these steps you’re going to need a lot of bubble wrap and tissue paper!
Toiletries
I think this step is the easiest to follow! When it comes to toiletries, I wrap everything inside large plastic Ziploc baggies and put them inside my carry-on bag. I use plastic bags, because I don’t want my face wash or shampoo leaking everywhere and making a big old mess! Just simply put all your personal care items in either Ziploc baggies or plastic grocery bags, and you’re ready to go! I will usually put all the Ziploc bags into one large bag, just so everything is more organized. Remember to pack your toothbrush in it’s own plastic case! I think every household has some kind of plastic bags just sitting around in the kitchen!
Jewelry
I pack my jewelry in a hard case fold up jewelry box. You can find small travel jewelry boxes at places like Bed Bath & Beyond and Target. When it comes to packing necklaces, I like to store them individually inside cardboard jewelry holders (like the ones from jewelry stores) or small cloth drawstring bags. This prevents my necklaces from getting tangled together/breaking. After my jewelry is nicely packed, I put the fold up jewelry box and the small boxes into a fabric makeup bag. If the makeup bag isn’t completely filled up, I stuff tissue paper inside. The tissue paper helps prevent any damage or breaking! I usually keep my jewelry in the same carry-on bag that has my toiletries inside.
Technology
This is where the duffel bag comes into play! When I travel on vacation I like to bring my laptop and DSLR camera with me. First I open the duffel bag and cover the bottom with a thick terry cloth beach towel. Then I put my laptop inside the duffel bag, which is wrapped inside another beach towel. I also put my laptop in a plush case for extra protection. I know this seems excessive, but I’ve destroyed 2 other laptops from dropping them on the ground! It’s better to be safe than sorry! I keep my DSLR camera inside a padded camera bag. The camera bag keeps my camera ventilated, so it doesn’t overheat and melt! Cameras can actually melt in hot weather. I put my camera bag on top of my laptop and zipper the duffel bag tightly shut. This method hasn’t let me down yet! No more laptops will be destroyed on my watch!
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Need help packing fragile items? If you are afraid of your things breaking and shattering inside a suitcase, use bubble wrap and tissue paper! This will help prevent any damage or breaking! https://t.co/77KGvcb23w pic.twitter.com/A4oCyoyPHM
— Sundance Vacations (@travelsundance) June 1, 2018
