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Karishma Gulyani

Karishma is a science nerd turned fashion and beauty writer who loves talking about trends as much as eating desserts. Gucci, salted caramel ice-cream, jewels, and Simba (her dog) make up four chambers of her heart. Like Karishma's story? Drop her a line in the comments section below. .

An overpacker-friendly guide to sort your packing woes

Pick your bags & get packing for your next trip!

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Image Courtesy: Her Campus

Well, raise your hands if you are guilty of overpacking whenever you go on a trip. Come on, didn’t you see even my hand just went up! Isn’t it hard to try and figure out what to pack for a week or a month or even more? Whenever packing, I can think of multiple things that I would ‘really’ need on my trip which just makes the whole packing/unpacking process quite messy and impractical.

But over the last one year, I have come across some easy packing and travel tips which have helped me maximize the space in my travel luggage (giving me more space for shopping bags!) and made the packing a very easy, breezy process. So, as the holiday season knocks on the door, I decided to share these tips with all you fellow overpackers (and even lightweight packers) and I hope these can be as helpful to you as it were to me. Time to get our bags ready!
P.S. Don’t forget to share your packing tricks in the comments below.

  • Besides the check-in suitcase(s), most of the airlines also allow one carry-on and on personal bag giving us travel luggage trinity to compartmentalize our luggage. Like, I prefer to pack my clothing, basic accessories, and makeup bag in the check-in suitcase while my shoes and jacket along with other travel essentials are in the carry-on. For personal bag, I usually opt for a mid-sized tote like Zara’s red leather tote for travel documents, chargers and in-flight essentials. If hands-free vacation is your style, you can opt for backpacks like Munich cork backpack by Matt & Nat. Such not so basic, super chic bags will also complement you holiday looks and get you ready for a stylish vacay.
travel bags
(L-R) Zara Leather Tote Rs. 5990, Matt & Nat Munich Cork Backpack Rs. 11,790.30
  • One of the easiest and most space-efficient ways to pack your clothes is to roll them instead of folding them. This not only results in lesser creases, but also makes it easier to see them all at a glance. Besides this, you can also use packing cubes by Muji for heavier garments like jeans, pullovers etc. Or you can use these cubes to pack each ensemble separately; this way you don’t have to go through a ‘what to wear today’ situation on your holiday. Among other travel accessories, I also use multi-pocketed kits for makeup and skincare essentials while making sure all the products are travel-sized. Else I switch the product from their full-sized bottles to sample-sized ones. Lastly, be choosy about your shoes. They take up a lot of space so make sure to choose the ones that match your travel plans. And never pack high heels; they are rather impractical for vacations.
packing giude
(L-R) Muji To Go Gusset Case Double M Rs. 1590, Muji Hanging Box Case Rs. 1790
  • While airport looks should strike a balance between functionality and style, it’s also essential to pull together the outfit according to the end destination and its weather as this way you will be able to rewear the outfit during the trip plus save up a little space in your luggage. Otherwise athleisure is always a fail-proof airport look formula and for more airport outfit recipes, you can click here. Also, always wear the bulkiest pair of shoes to the airport (like sneakers, boots or loafers) to have some extra room available in your carry-on. And another way to maximize the space is to layer your airport looks with light cardigan, denim jacket or blazer, instead of carrying them in your luggage. Plus layering also gives a sense of comfort and flexibility to any outfit.
airport style
Sonam Kapoor serving some serious airport style goals, Image Courtesy: Meagan Concessio/Instagram
  • Though the current Instagram trend is to never wear an outfit more than once, repeating an outfit while travelling not only helps in saving up luggage space, but is also a more sustainable choice. Being a proud outfit repeater, I feel the key to reinvent the ensemble is to play around with accessories and layering for which mixed metal jewellery and oversized shirts or capes are the best trick in bag. So, don’t be afraid to repack, rewear and restyle with all the ease to explore the world.

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