Travel was put on hold for many during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. With vaccines now available to everyone 12 and older in the U.S., many families are starting to book their first trip in months.
To help travelers make the most of their summer plans, KARE 11 spoke with Twin Cities decluttering and organizing expert Michele Vig from Neat Little Nest. She shared tips on how to get organized for any upcoming travel.
- Designate one location where your travel supplies live in your home. Having travel supplies scattered all over the house makes it difficult to find what you need when you need it, so designate a specific area for travel items so all of your supplies are located in a central spot. This includes your suitcases, your travel bags, your toiletries and more.
- Maximize your suitcase space. With suitcase size requirements getting smaller, our packing needs to get better. A few ways to do this is:
- Plan a capsule wardrobe - picking one main color and mixing and matching around it will help you pack less clothes.
- File fold those clothes - file folding your clothes, which is getting them into small rectangular packages, helps you get more into your suitcase and makes it easy to see what you have.
- Consider packing cubes - packing cubes come in all shapes and sizes and many are designed to compress your clothes allowing you to maximize every inch of your suitcase.
- Use a travel checklist to help keep you organized before you board. For both frequent or novice travelers, a travel checklist can really help minimize guessing. If you have children, a travel checklist can provide them some independence with getting their items together rather than Mom or Dad doing all of the packing for them. You can find a free travel checklist on Michele's website in the latest blog post that includes an outfit planner.
- Keep clutter at bay by tidying before you go and unpacking immediately when you return. Spend those extra few minutes to tidy your home before you leave for your trip and immediately unpack your bags when you return home. That means bringing your dirty laundry to the laundry room. Putting your luggage and toiletries away. Emptying your purse and throwing away garbage. Getting into this habit and teaching this routine helps keep your home clutter-free.
To learn more about Neat Little Nest, check out neatlittlenest.com.
