Traveling is an exciting and rewarding experience. However, it can also be stressful and overwhelming if you are disorganized. Staying organized while traveling is essential to make the most of your trip and avoid unnecessary stress and confusion. Here are a few tips to help you stay organized.
Make a Packing List
The first step to staying organized while traveling is to make a packing list. Ensure you include all the items you need for your trip, such as clothing, toiletries, electronics, and any other items you may need. This will help you remember all essential items and bring everything you need for your trip. You can also use a prepared packing list. Here are packing lists for multiple types of vacations that you can download and use: downloadable packing lists.
Organize your luggage
Living out of a suitcase while you're away can be made much easier when you utilize packing cubes or garment folders to organize your clothes and shoes.
Your clothes can take a beating in your suitcase, coming out wrinkled and looking worse for wear, and no one wants to iron on vacation. Garment folders are a great alternative to packing cubes with the benefit of minimizing wrinkles. You can also group types of clothes in different folders to quickly locate, e.g., tops in one folder, bottoms in another, dresses in another, etc.
Set Up Travel Alerts
Setting up travel alerts can be incredibly helpful when it comes to staying organized. Travel alerts can keep you informed of any changes in your plans, such as flight delays or cancellations. Additionally, they can help you stay on top of your travel budget by sending you notifications when you've reached a certain spending limit.
- Government Travel advisories and alerts for staying safe in your visiting countries. Enrol in the Smart Traveler Enrolment Program here to receive these alerts.
- Airline Travel Alerts for updates on weather or other events that may affect your flight departure. Downloading the airline app onto your phone and allowing notifications will give you instant alerts. The airlines will also email you the updates.
- Alert your bank and credit card company that you will be traveling by providing the dates and countries you will be in. This will allow you to continue using your credit and debit cards without triggering fraud detection on your accounts, potentially declining your transactions. Most banks and credit card companies make setting up the alert via your online banking system easy.
Create a Travel Itinerary
A travel itinerary should include all of your destinations, activities, and pre-planned events for the duration of your trip. This will help you plan your time efficiently and stay on top of any changes or additions to your itinerary. You should have a physical copy of your itinerary, and you can also store it electronically, including via apps that specialize in this.
Label Your Luggage
Clearly labeling your luggage will help you avoid confusion and ensure that you can quickly identify it when it arrives at your destination. You should also include a contact number on your luggage tags in case your luggage is lost or stolen. You should never include your address on the luggage tag, as would-be thieves will know that you are traveling and away from home. If an airline loses your luggage, they will contact you via phone or email when the luggage is found to organize delivery.
Adding other identifying elements, such as stickers or ribbons, can also help you quickly identify your bags on the luggage carousel.
Invest in an Organizer
A travel organizer can help you keep all your important documents and items in one place, making it easier to locate them when needed. You can also use a travel organizer to store items such as your passport, tickets, and money. Using a clear pouch organizer makes finding everything even easier, as you can see where everything is at a glance.
Here is an organizer set that includes a clear pouch, RFID-blocking passport, card and document holder, luggage tags, and cord wraps for staying organized.
Make Copies of Important Documents
Making copies of important documents, such as your passport, tickets, and travel insurance, will help ensure that you have an extra copy of these documents in case they are lost or stolen while you are away. Both a physical and electronic copy are recommended.
Consider Using Travel Apps
Travel apps can be beneficial for staying organized while traveling. There are a variety of apps available that can help you keep track of your itinerary, store important documents, and even find local attractions and restaurants. Here's a selection of recommended apps:
For storing all your itinerary details so you can find them all in one place. Easy to use, after you download the app and set up your account, just forward all emails to the Tripit email address, and it will create your day-by-day itinerary that includes your travel, accommodation, and booked activities.
The app lets you type, speak or use the camera on your phone to have it translated from any 48 languages into any of the other 47 languages.
It tracks every major currency, and you can use it without an internet connection, so you can quickly calculate the cost of big-ticket purchases.
GasBuddy shows the locations of nearby gas stations and the cheapest gas prices and combines that information with offers that can save you money.
ChargePoint can help you find a nearby charger compatible with your vehicle if you have an electric car.
This app contains all the TSA's rules and regulations, so you won't make any mistakes going through TSA. The best part is the crowdsourced information on TSA wait times, which is really beneficial in planning your trip to the airport.
This official app of the U.S. State Department's travel branch lets you access travel warnings and other information for specific countries. It also has contact information and directions for U.S. embassies and consulates and can connect you with the nearest diplomatic mission.
It shows you the best way to get from A to B using a variety of transportation options, from buses to scooters to walking. You can compare cab fares, hail a ride, or find the nearest scooter, all within the app.
Clime is a simple-to-use weather app that uses up-to-the-minute information. You enter your city or zip code to get the weather report, weather radar, and extended forecast. You can also set up push notifications for severe weather alerts.
Keep an amenity kit in your carry-on
Pack a small pouch with the essentials you'll need in the air. These will likely include a pen for any documentation you need to complete, an eye mask and ear plugs for sleeping, hand sanitizer and wipes to keep your hands and space clean, headphones or earbuds for listening to the movies on the flight, any toiletries you'd like access to such as a toothbrush and toothpaste, moisturizer, lip balm, etc. With everything you need in a pouch, you can easily place it in your seat back pocket to access any point during the flight. To level up your comfort on the flight, you can invest in a luxury amenity kit for a little more pampering.
Staying organized while traveling will enhance your overall experience. By implementing these tips – from pre-planning packing and luggage organization to proactive measures like setting up travel alerts and making copies of essential documents – you can navigate your journey with ease and confidence. Whether you're embarking on a weekend getaway or a grand adventure abroad, maintaining organization ensures that you can focus on creating lasting memories and savoring every moment of your travels. So, pack your bags, map out your itinerary, and embrace the wonders that await you with a well-prepared and organized mindset. Safe travels!
