The travel accessories you need to pack like a pro these holidays

Whether you’re out on the road for the holidays, traveling for work, or just planning your dream vacation after the vaccination, packing a suitcase is of the utmost importance.

Excessive packing, spillage of toiletries, and lack of organization can add stress and hassle to travel, but finding the right items and accessories to pack early can seem like an unnecessary hassle. We decided to help you by asking for your best advice and tricks from two people who make a living on the road.

The two travel professionals we spoke to highlighted one thing: organization is key to a successful packaging experience. And if that means investing in accessories like packing cubes, it’s worth it. Traveling is chaotic enough, so why add an unnecessary mess?

Nicole Kleist is a freelance travel writer who often has to hit the road at any moment to follow a story. “I lean a lot on the packing bins because they keep my suitcase from looking like a tornado tornado,” he said. “I especially like to use them for my dirty shoes and underwear.”

In an effort to keep things simple, try to plan your outfits for each day in advance. “It keeps me from packing too much and it also makes dressing less annoying throughout the trip,” he explained. If that sounds like too much work, suggest “packing neutral colors so you can mix and match everything you carry.”

Kleist’s biggest advice? “Don’t wear too many shoes! It’s the easiest way to lighten the load and you won’t end up putting them all on.

As a professional touring musician, Drew Citron echoed Kleist’s organizing boards. “I keep my showy looks in a clothes bag completely independent of my hotel and travel clothes,” she said. “It’s about compartmentalizing what I need when I need it, so I use separate bags for separate things.”

Citron’s best tip: pack more underwear than you think you’ll need. “I pack all the underwear I have; that way I know that if we don’t get a chance to wash our clothes, I’ll be fine with that,” he said. You never know what challenges the road will bring, and running out of underwear is never good.

Read on to see some of the best options for packing buckets, clothes bags, travel technology solutions, accessories and more. If you come up with something out of the ordinary, then they have to re-think their position.