Organizing a Suitcase

For some reason organizing a suitcase can often seem like the single most difficult part of any trip. Do you have enough suits for your meetings? Did you get all the onesies that baby will need while you are gone to Aunt Marge's? Whether you are going on a weeklong business trip, or you are simply getting out of town to visit the rest of the family for the weekend, organizing a suitcase can often be as major of an undertaking as the actual trip. That is, it has been until now. By following these simple guidelines, you will know the basics of organizing a suitcase. This will enable you to quickly, and efficiently, prepare for your next business trip or family excursion.

• Lists are good. When organizing a suitcase, keep in mind that lists are good. In fact, lists are very good. Often when going on a business trip you will be given an itinerary, and this itinerary can be used as your packing list. If you are going to be going on a family trip, then take the time to make your own list of what you will need.
• Get everything on the list. Gather together all of the items that you have on your list in one location. Typically, for a business trip you should plan on having a separate outfit (if possible) for each day or function that you will be attending. Plan your outfits according to the type of function, though business casual is often the rule. For family excursions, you should always plan on one outfit everyday for each adult, and two for each child. Adults should also bring at least one more outfit incase of emergencies.
• Lay it all out. As you are gathering together everything on your lists, lay everything out before you begin to put it into your suitcase. By doing this you will be able to ensure that you have everything on your list that you will need, as well as limit the chance of double packing clothes or other items. When you are laying everything out put a little checkmark next to that item on your list to make sure that you know you have it already.
• Pack it all in. The easiest way to pack your clothes into your suitcase is to do it by outfit. If at all possible, pack each outfit into a separate vacuum seal bag, and roll them up. The bags will help reduce the size of the items that are going into your bag, and by rolling them up you will reduce the chance of wear and tear on your clothes When rolling the clothes up imagine that you are rolling up a sleeping bag, and get the clothes as tight as possible.
• Don't forget the necessities. Once you have packed in all your major items, you will notice that you still have a few spaces left. Use these spaces to pack other items such as toiletries that you have packed into their own waterproof bags, underwear, and bags for dirty clothes.