The travel accessories you need to pack like a pro this holiday season

Whether you’re hitting the road for vacation, traveling for work, or just planning your dream post-vaccination vacation, packing properly is of the utmost importance.

Overpacking, spilled toiletries, and lack of organization can add stress and boredom to travel, but finding the right packing items and accessories ahead of time can feel like an unnecessary chore. We decided to help you out by asking two people who make a living on the road for their top tips and tricks.

The two travel professionals we spoke to insisted on one thing: organization is the key to a successful packing experience. And if that means investing in accessories like packing cubes, it’s worth it. Traveling is chaotic enough, so why add unnecessary mess to it?

Nicole Kleist is a freelance travel writer who often has to hit the road at all times to follow a story. “I lean heavily on the packing cubes because they keep my suitcase from looking like a tornado torn up,” she said. “I especially like to use them for my dirty shoes and underwear.”

In an effort to keep things simple, she tries to plan her outfits for each day in advance. “It saves me from over-packing and also makes dressing throughout the trip less of a hassle,” she explained. If that sounds like too much work, she suggests “packing neutral colors so you can mix and match whatever you bring.”

Kleist’s biggest tip? “Don’t overload the shoes!” It’s the easiest way to lighten your load and you won’t end up wearing them all.

As a professional musician on tour, Drew Lemon echoes Kleist’s advice on organization. “I keep my show looks in a garment bag completely separate from my hotel and travel clothes,” she said. “It’s about compartmentalizing what I need when I need it, so I use separate bags for separate things.”

Citron’s best advice: pack more underwear than you think you need. “I pack all the underwear I own – that way I know if we don’t have the ability to do laundry I’ll be good on that front,” she said. You never know what challenges the road will bring, and running out of underwear is never good.

Keep reading for some of the best packing cube options, garment bags, tech travel solutions, accessories and more. If you approach packaging as if it were a game of Tetris, you might even enjoy it.