Air Travel Packing Tips
Published May 10, 2022
The Tortuga Promise
At Tortuga, our mission is to make travel easier. Our advice and recommendations are based on years of travel experience. We only recommend products that we use on our own travels.
There are few things as exciting—and frustrating—as packing for a trip. Exciting because your adventure is imminent. Frustrating because getting everything you want into your bag can be a challenge.
Below is a guide to packing tips for travel. The Tortuga team has been designing travel backpacks, getting feedback on bags, and writing about how to pack for over 12 years. In that time, we’ve learned a few lessons that might help you.
Start With Choosing the Right Bag
Having the right gear is vital to a successful and stress-free trip. Check out our guides on how to pick the best bag for your needs.
- Travel Backpacks – Guide to Choosing a Travel Backpack
- Laptop Backpacks – Guide to Traveling with a Laptop in Your Carry On
- Business Travel Backpacks – Guide to Choosing a Business Backpack
- Women’s Travel Backpacks – Guide to Women Finding the Perfect Fit
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Travel Backpacks
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Laptop Backpack
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Travel Bags for Women
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How to Switch From Checked Luggage to Carry On
Most people travel with way more than they need and end up dealing with a lot of checked bags. But if you want to skip the wait at baggage claim, avoid expensive fees, and eliminate the stress of a lost bag, you can switch to packing carry-on-only.
This change may sound daunting, but the trick is to take small steps. Here’s the method we recommend.
Step 1: Go From Two Checked Bags to Only One
Step 2: Check a Smaller Bag and Use a Carry on Backpack
Step 3: Use a Carry On Backpack and a Personal Item
Carry On Packing Tips
The Tortuga Team has been designing
- Carry Ons vs Personal Items
- Carry On Size Guide and Personal Item Size Guide
- Is a Backpack a Carry On?
- Is a Backpack a Personal Item?
- Is a Duffle Bag a Personal Item?
Packing Tips
Packing light will make your trip lighter both physically and mentally. Check out our favorite tips to save weight, space, and time packing for your next trip.
- Packing Light Tips
- Space-Saving Packing Hacks
- What to Pack for Your Long-Haul Flight
- Hostel Packing Tips
Tips for Packing Clothes
For most travelers, clothing will make up the bulk of your packing. Here is a collection of clothing packing tips to make the most out of yours.
- How to Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe
- How to Pack Clothes So They Don’t Wrinkle
- Rolling vs Folding Clothes for Packing
- How to Hand Wash Clothes When Traveling
- Keep Your Luggage and Clothes From Stinking
- Packing List for Every Trip
- Guide to Travel Clothes
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Travel Backpacks
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Laptop Backpack
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Travel Bags for Women
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Men’s Clothing Packing Tips
Some occasions in a man’s life require traveling with clothes that are difficult to keep wrinkle-free. Check out our guides to help you get to your destination looking sharp.
Women’s Clothing Packing Tips
For those additional items
Unusual Items to Pack
Not everything fits easily into a suitcase or onto an airplane. Whether you bring your guitar on a weekend getaway or your art supplies to paint the views you see backpacking across Europe, these articles will show you exactly how to travel with unusual items.
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Pacific Northwest native Nick Hilden is a travel and culture writer whose work has appeared in Afar, the Daily Beast, the Los Angeles Times, Men’s Health, Fodor’s, Popular Science, Scientific American, Thrillist, Vice, Runner’s World, and many, many more. He’s carried a Tortuga Outbreaker through year after year of traveling to places like Turkey, Tunisia, Thailand, Vietnam, Spain, Serbia, France, Italy, Greece, Mexico, all across the U.S., and beyond. You can follow his travels via Instagram @nick.hilden.