Packing is pivotal when traveling. If you forget an essential item, especially something of magnanimous importance like your passport, then you may be left disappointed, scrambling left and right, confused and not knowing what to do. If you pack too little, you may fail to carry the essentials you need for your journey, and if you pack too much, you may end up disorganized, burdened with heavy luggage, not to mention the expensive extra baggage fees you will pay the airline. It is, therefore, useful to know how to pack right, and we present you with certain packing fundamentals every adult traveler should know about-:

Don’t fold, roll
The fast tip for efficient packing when traveling is to roll your clothes and not fold them. Most guys are fond of folding their clothes as a standard practice, but certain inherent limitations come with folding clothes for traveling. The major one is that folding occupies a lot of space and this is how you may find yourself with big bags when you could have used smaller ones if you had rolled your clothes. Rolling will also ensure your clothes aren’t creased, thus making them ready to wear without the need of ironing each time.

Always have a packing list
There are specific items you can never forget when you are planning a trip, especially if you will be flying to another country. These include having all the travel documents in place, which might sometimes involve passport renewal. However, there are other things which are equally important, but which you can quickly forget with, hence compromising the quality and comfort of your trip.

To avoid leaving any essential item behind, it is highly recommended to have a packing list which ought to be prepared days before the travel date. The packing list will help pack all the essentials you need for the trip so that you don’t forget anything you may need during your trip.

Find out about the airline’s baggage-fee policy
If you need to carry a lot of luggage, then it goes without that you will have to pay an extra fee for the excess baggage. If you are budget minded, you should find out what the airline’s baggage-fee policy is so that you prepare adequately. This will let you decide what extra baggage to carry or know the amount of money you will have to pay if you choose to travel with all your bags.

Before you begin packing your bags, you can find out about the airline’s baggage-fee policy from their website and in case you are unable to find comprehensive information, just make a call to the airline to so that they can give you the information you need. You can check out the policy for other carriers as well as some may be a bit user-friendly with the fees, in which case you should get your tickets from them and avoid those charging passengers hefty fees for extra luggage.

Know how to use your personal items wisely
It is normal for airlines to allow travelers to bring on board one carry-bag and one personal bag, but such personal items will be subject to certain specific requirements which will vary from one airline to another. You should know what kinds of personal items to pack in the carry bags, and things like purse, laptop bags and backpacks will generally be acceptable. You can sneak in a few personal items into these bags, but be sure they are items allowed by the airline.

Learn how to wash your clothes on the road
This may not be necessarily related to packing, but it is an essential part of your trip as far as your hygiene, and the cleanliness of your clothes is concerned. It is always a good idea to wash your clothes where you are vacating. If you are in a rental home with laundry facilities, then you must be sure to utilize them properly. If you intend to stay in a hotel, make inquiries about laundry services and their rates. If possible, you should stay in a hotel where it will be easy to access such services. It is not a cool idea to pack dirty clothes on your trip back home when you can have a chance to get them washed before you leave.

Include dual purpose clothes
Dual purpose garments will not just let you pack a few items, but also will present you with awesome options when it comes to your dressing choices. For instance, pack pants that can be used as shorts or jackets you can easily turn into travel pillows. With such, you will also benefit from reduced weight and extra charges from the airline.

Pack and dress in layers
Packing and dressing in layers come with a lot of benefits to you as a traveler. To begin with, the clothes you will use while on the road should feature plenty of layers, so that you find it easy to move across multiple climatic zones comfortably. Secondly, packing your bags in layers will make the screening process easy, and this is what is recommended by most airlines. In this manner, you will have your shoes in one layer, electronics in one layer and clothes in one layer. In this manner, the security agent checking your bags will quickly determine what is inside your bag, hence making the screening process faster.

Don’t check in your essential items
Your valuable and essential items should always be in your carry-on bag, and not in the luggage that you check in. These include items such as your credit cards, money, identification documents, electronics, your jewelry, and any other valuable items you may wish to have around you all the time.
You probably don’t need reminding that your passport and your wallet should always be on your person. If you have to check in some of your essentials, then be very discreet not show the items contained in the bags. Sometimes bags do get lost deliberately, especially if the agents see you have highly valuable items in them. You don’t want to fall a victim of agents with sticky fingers and evil character.