Using Packing Cubes to Make Packing Amazingly Simple

Make packing in a backpack or moving between hotels easier by using packing cubes

You can organize your clothes into different packing cubes if 1) you just like to be organized or 2) you’re not staying at the same place for your whole trip and it also helps with getting everything into a carry-on size suitcase!

I started using packing cubes a couple of years ago and found that if you’re living out of a suitcase, it makes it easier to dig through and find things without making a jumungous mess. And even if you’re staying in the same room for multiple nights, they still help because you can just move the packing cubes into the drawers then 1) it’s easier to pack up again and 2) your clothes aren’t touching the drawers where other people have thrown their stuff.

Here is my process:

1. To start packing, I spread everything out on my bed. I had 7 tops, 3 pairs of pants, and other miscellaneous clothes including socks, underwear, swimsuit (for the river cruise), pj’s and exercise clothes.

2) Then I figure out what will go in which packing cube. I find it easier to keep all of my tops in one cube, and bottoms in another. And I like to roll my clothes so when I want to grab a top, it’s easy to see what is available.

Some people like to keep outfits together. So you might group a top, a bottom, under-clothes and socks together and you could even roll them up together.

3) Roll your clothes or fold them and put them into packing cubes. The first couple of times, this can take a while figuring what to put where. You’ll want to put things like your pjs, or lounge clothes or sweater on the top so you can get to them easily without taking everything else out.

The MPC Gala included a “workout day”. I chose to do the yoga class so I didn’t need extra shoes to workout. I did average about 3 miles per day walking over the 6 weeks, so my hiking shoes got a lot of miles.

4) Once everything is in the packing cubes, bathroom bag, make-up bag and other zip-lock bags, then I start packing the suitcase or backpack.

The “bottom layer” has my packing cube with my pants and exercise clothes (with pjs on the top so they’re easy to get to). Then on the top right is the smaller packing cube with my underwear including a set of shorts and top for lounging. Then on the bottom right is my blue bathroom bag.

These Pink Packing Cubes are here on Amazon. (They are also available in a ton of other colors.)

The “top layer” has my packing cube with my rolled-up tops on the left, then my make-up bag on the back right. That opening above my blue bathroom bag is where my swimsuit, extra shoes and other small items went. I also shoved some ballet flats in around the sides. But I got tired of carrying them as well as my dress pants so after the river cruise, I mailed them both home along with some souvenirs that I had purchased. Mailing stuff from Budapest was interesting.

Then I’m ready to go! And what doesn’t fit – does not go!

This is me and my backpack for 6 weeks in Europe in 2019. My trip started with an AmaWaterways river cruise from Germany to Budapest, then I saw the tulips in Amsterdam, went to the amazingly fabulous Outlander MPC Gala, took a vacation in Ireland for a week, then finally went on my own Outlander Tour that I created. My pictures are here for the tulips in Keukenhof, my visits to Cologne and Heidelburg, my AmaWaterways Danube cruise… Scotland and Ireland have their own picture site.

This is the first time that I went to Europe without a laptop. I only took my tablet which is in the purple bag in the front.

And I did check my backpack, and took my dress and shoes for the MPC Gala in a carry-on bag on my flight from Denver to London. Then I mailed that stuff up to Scotland when I arrived in London so I didn’t have to carry it around with me for weeks.

Using packing cubes is a good way to pack for going on one of my 2024 Outlander Immersion Tours.

And if you’re traveling in 2023, it is not too soon to start thinking about Counting Down to Your Trip!