The Best Way to Pack Your Luggage

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It’s summer time, which means vacation season is at an all time high. If you are one of the lucky ones who gets to have some rest and relaxation or just have general traveling excursions planned, you’re more than likely going to bring a luggage with you. Get the most out of your luggage and conserve space with our prepping tips on How to Pack Your Luggage Like a Pro:

Know What You Need.

The best way to figure out what you need? Making a list. Yes, sometimes lists can be a bore to draft out and will make the entire process take longer compared to just chucking whatever you think looks vacation or business-trip-worthy in your suitcase, but that is an easy way to overstuff your suitcase. And why is that a bad thing? Not only does it make it

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more likely that you will run out of space, but it also makes it easier to find your belongings rather than having to sift through an array of items. On top of that, upon the return home it makes the packing process that much easier. Did your belongings just barely fit when perfectly folded and with you desperately sitting on the luggage cover moving the zipper inch by inch? If you’re in a rush to not miss your flight back home, throwing all of your items in your luggage probably won’t cut it.

So yes, a list is a must-have.

If you’re stuck on what to include in your list, or are apprehensive about forgetting to add something of importance, take a minute to sit down and think about what your daily routine is going to be once you get to your destination. Pajamas, toothbrush, razors and the like are all givens – think about details such as, are you planning on going to the beach? You might need to bring a beach towel and some shades. Walking around sight-seeing? Comfortable shoes are a must.

 

Heavy on Bottom, Light on Top

Restrict your heavy or bulky items to the bottom of your bag in order to avoid wrinkling up your clothes. Shoes, hairdryers, and ziplocs filled with your toiletries should all be at the

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bottom. Speaking of ziplocs: any container that does not have a twisting lid should be put in a plastic baggie or other water proof bag to avoid spillage. You don’t want to be that person who discovers their body wash exploded from pressure on the flight ruining your neatly pressed clothes, trust us. Conversely, put your lighter clothes on top where they are out of harms way and not at risk of being wrinkled by your heavier items.

 

Fold

We know it might be a hassle, but folding your clothes preserves the quality, increasing the chances of you being able to get away with not ironing once you get to your destination.

image: goodhousekeping.com

Additionally, folding makes finding what your looking for a lot easier and you are able to avoid having to rake piles of clothes out of the way to find that one shirt you’re searching for. On top of your things being easier to find, you also get plenty of more space through neatly folding your clothes while packing compared to just stuffing them.

If you end up adding additional items as you go and you run out of space, you can always refer to your list so you will know what you absolutely need to keep packed.

Carry-on or Check-in?

Determine what will go in your carry-on and what you will be putting in your larger suitcase to check in. A carry-on typically consists of items you absolutely cannot live without – and

image: time.com

for good reason. It’s not unheard of for airlines to misplace luggage, either temporarily or altogether. We know that losing an entire luggage of your belongings is horrible either way, but make it a little more bearable by keeping your hard-to-replace belongings (think: laptop, important paperwork, ect.) close to you through a carry-on. To decrease the likelihood of anything in your check-in luggage from bursting or getting broken from being handled by airport personnel, consider investing in a hard case luggage instead of one made with softer cloth-like material.

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Click here to see our other hard case 3-piece luggage sets, perfect for satisfying your security and carry-on needs:

Pamper Yourself The Right Way

Life can get pretty crazy sometimes, and amidst work, errands, family and friends, by the end of the day you can’t seem to find time for yourself and end up in a situation where you are in dire need of a vacation. We can only imagine how great (and stress-free!) life would be if we got a break from the daily grind whenever we felt like we really needed one, but the unfortunate reality is, life is hectic and we just have to keep up. Keeping up doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom however, read on to see the steps in our Perfect Pampering Routine we compiled with products from Meritline to ensure you get that much needed TLC so you won’t burn out

1. Make time

This may be the most difficult step in the routine, but definitely necessary. We know, we know, the entire reason you’re even trying to pamper yourself is because your schedule is so crammed you can’t find any time in the first place. The key, however, in making time for yourself is to plan your pamper day in advance. How far in advance you need to plan completely depends on your own schedule and how busy you are with your job and social life, you may need to plan a week in advance up to even a few months. Make sure you give yourself enough time also. We suggest a 3 hours at a minimum (psst..go for 5. You deserve it).

The major key in this first step is once you set a date for yourself stick with it. Reject any and all extra business projects or social outings that interfere with this predetermined time, no matter how much you may want to just reschedule your relaxation. If you really need to, let anyone who you think might try to sway you from getting your well deserved TLC know in advance that you will not be available for that certain day and time, so they will know to not even ask, making it easier on both of you.

 

Now that the hardest part is out of the way, it’s time to get into the actual pampering!

 

 

2. Get Clean

Because you’re probably dirty.

But really, take a nice hot shower or better yet a bath, and scrub the stress of the day away. This is the first stage of your pampering routine so you want to make sure you start off on the right foot – avoid thoughts involving work or any other topics that typically stress you out or rob you of much needed time to yourself. Take your time also,

(refer to step 1, did you give yourself enough time?)

and bathe yourself in calming circular motions with your favorite scent of soap. Also, exfoliate. Never underestimate the power of a good loofa or liquid body exfoliate, with that layer of dead skin off of your body you feel a little bit lighter, and a million times more clean. Kill two birds with one stone with our Ideaworks Dual Sided Back Scrubber,

Ideaworks Dual Sided Back Scrubber, BBB5482

because what’s the point in making sure you are completely clean and exfoliated with your back still has caked on gunk?

Once you get out of the shower, continue the exfoliating party with our foot Sole Microfile by Doctor Scholl’s

1 Pack  Dr. Scholl’s For Her Smooth My Sole Micro File.

Your feet are butter soft from taking your time in the steamy shower, so the caked on skin on your soles should easily come off with this sole smoother.

 

3. Massage

Once you’re squeaky clean, it’s time to soothe those achy muscles that have been loosened up from the hot water. With your freshly filed feet, soak the newly revealed skin in a foot bath. Consider adding a few essential oils to the water so your bathroom fills with a relaxing aroma (our favorites are lavender or tea tree) while moisturizing your feet at the same time. Try out our Inflatable Foot Bath Massager, perfect for if you don’t have a ton of room to store a bulky footbath, simple deflate it, fold it up and save it for your next Pamper Time.

Inflatable Foot Bath Massager, 2 in 1

While you are getting your feet soaked, take this time to start easing into step 4 (relaxation) by leaning back and massaging your hands and arms softly, they need love too! Remind yourself of how many hours you spend on a computer using your keyboard and putting strain on your hands. It sounds slightly odd, but trust us, there is something comforting about massaging yourself solo while deep in your own thoughts.

4.  Block Out The Noise and Finally..Relax

Squeaky clean and muscles relaxed, now it’s time to really lay down and relax. An important step for this to really work is

Turn off your phone.

 

 

We know, we know. We swear it’s not as bad as it sounds, simply turn off your phone for an hour or two and put it in a nightstand drawer close by – out of sight, out of mind, right? You’ll thank us later.

Now that we’ve got the technology distractions out of the way, to the take care of the we suggest getting some headphones to silence the outside noise so you can have completely undisturbed You Time. Try our headphones from MEElectronics

MEElectronics Air-Fi Runaway AF32 Stereo Bluetooth Wireless Headphones with Hid

Since they’re bluetooth, you won’t have to worry about pesky wires getting in the way, and you can freely dive as deep into the sheets as you please without getting tied up or having the headphones get yanked off your head.

Encourage your body to go even deeper into relaxation mode (soak it all in, you don’t know when will be the next time you can have this much alone time) with covering your eyes. Allow yourself to really get into your thoughts and reflect on, well, anything. Are you on the career path you want to be on, when was the last time you crossed something off your bucket-list? Will you have Kraft Mac N’ Cheese for dinner or pizza. Very important life choices. To help you better get into The Zone, try out our Massaging Eye Cover

1 Pack  USB Massage For The Eyes

 

Let yourself sink into your mattress and really enjoy the moment before you have to return to reality – but you will be a lot more refreshed upon your entrance back into the real world and significantly more prepared to take on whatever life throws at you – have at it!

 

Tips To Find Lightweight Luggage For Light Traveling

Travel has, for some centuries, always been a hassle. While mass transportation technology has made it exponentially faster than the days of year long journeys that now take less than twenty four hours, traveling a long distance is still difficult on everybody.

Whether it’s making arrangements, funding the expedition or surviving the trip itself without losing one’s mind, travel remains a challenge even in the twenty first century. Still, improvements are still developing, whether it’s in the field of freeze dried food, online communications invaluable to any traveler, faster and safer mass transit vehicles or even just an innovation new financial product that makes handling money while far from home easier, every year sees travel getting just slightly easier on the wandering man and woman. One particular innovation, a problem since the very beginning of travel, is in the field of luggage.

Merax Travelhouse 2 Piece ABS Luggage Set Vintage Suitcase

Though modern markets have made packing weeks or months of rations and other supplies a thing of the past, most travelers still need clothing and other essentials, as well as assorted forms of entertainment and other creature comforts, to keep themselves level headed during long trips. Good luggage is essential to any trip, and no one wants to be weighed too heavily down. With that in mind, many travelers have chosen to invest in light weight luggage, made of state of the art materials that are far lighter than traditional luggage and still as durable, even when being tossed around like a ping pong ball, be it by the bus’ movement, bored baggage handlers or even clumsy owners. Here then are some tips to find the best cheap lightweight luggage set.

Of course, the first step is to know exactly what luggage you need. This will vary depending on the length of the trip; a weekend sojourn to another state, even if packing far more than you need, will seldom need more than one suitcase per person, while a long term trip far from home will probably require far more bags to carry what you need to stay sane while away from home.

Naturally, some lightweight luggage sets are larger and have more bags than others, and to get the best deal, it helps to avoid getting suitcases and bags you don’t really need. Another thing to consider is the material of the suitcases. If you’re not very knowledgeable in the material sciences, it can help to read multiple customer reviews to get an idea of how durable the luggage you’re considering actually is; one negative review of easily smashed luggage may be a fluke, if not an online prank, while multiple complaints by customers of luggage falling apart too easily for the cost may be red flag.

Merax Travelhouse 3 Piece PC+ABS Spinner Luggage Set with TSA Lock

While it always feels good to get a good deal on cheap products, one should still bear in mind that products like luggage are meant to last a while and replacing them too often can be more expensive than buying a more durable set once. Still, there are ways to get good quality luggage cheap.

Used luggage, available anywhere from neighborhood garage sales on to online auction sites, can be a fantastic buy if the luggage is still in fairly good condition, though buyers should beware and do what they can to examine the merchandise before spending any money on it.

Another option are online and a few brick and mortar retailers who, through one means or another (ranging from buying out unsold stock from failing businesses to selling lines of luggage that have been discontinued), are selling luggage at a lower than usual price. As with buying any luggage, buyers are advised to make sure that the luggage is going to last; while overstocked or discontinued luggage is not automatically bad quality luggage, it is not a sure fire thing that it will last. Outlet stores that let you buy direct from the luggage maker will also be selling quality lightweight luggage at a cheaper price than you could get in most middle man stores.

Comparing prices rather than going for the first cheap set of luggage can, as with buying anything, save anyone quite a bit of money, as can waiting a bit for season or other sales that will lower the price of the product you want.

Here is a video from WatchMojo’s Youtube Channel on how to choose luggage for your next trip.