Packing for holiday travel can be daunting, especially if you’re visiting a new destination and are unsure what to expect.
Even in tropical climates, you may need a cover-up, and in winter locales, you might need to transport wet clothing. And let’s not forget the gifts. Whether you’re traveling by car or air, maximizing luggage space is key.
Here are my top packing tips for stress-free holiday travel.
Ship Your Gifts
Save yourself the hassle of cramming your gifts in your luggage, taking up precious cargo space or paying a fee to check extra baggage and ship your gifts ahead of time. One of the benefits of vacation ownership with Hilton Grand Vacations is the ability to call ahead and have the resort ready to accept your packages before you even check-in.
Repeat the same process before check-out and ship any additional gifts back home.
Packing Cubes
Packing cubes are light, soft fabric storage cubes of varying sizes that make it easier for you to pack like items and keep them organized.
They make unpacking super easy as you can see where everything is and move it all to the drawers or bathroom in your room quickly.
I put undergarments in one, swim and beach clothes in another, general clothes in a third (and maybe fourth) and then toiletries in a separate one. I also have a waterproof one for wet clothes and swimwear.
If I’m traveling somewhere warm, I’ll add a small cube with things I’ll need if the weather turns bad or I’m not likely to use that often. I keep it at the bottom, out of the way.
A Power Board
This is especially handy if traveling somewhere that uses a different power outlet to your home country. They can be just as useful if traveling locally.
I find that hotels often don’t have many outlets and it’s difficult to charge your phone, tablet, camera and other items at the same time.
A power board really helps. You’ll only need one converter and be able to charge all of your powered devices at once. You can keep the power board and all the associated chargers in a packing cube.
Wipes
In today’s world, it’s good to have both sanitizer and baby wipes. Even without kids, baby wipes come in handy. They’re good for freshening up during a long layover or flight. They also double as makeup wipes and wet wipes after a messy meal.
They’ll even take small stains out of clothes.
Make staying healthy this holiday travel season a priority. Sanitizer wipes come in handy in high-touch, high-traffic areas like airports, gas stations or restaurants. However, one place you won’t have to worry about wiping down is your Hilton Grand Vacations Studio or suite.
As part of our participation in the Hilton CleanStay™ initiative, our housekeeping staff pays special attention to high-touch areas in suites and throughout properties.