Confessions of an Organized Overpacker
If you've ever looked at your suitcase and thought, "There's no way I'll need all of this..." and packed it anyway, you are my people.
As a professional organizer, people assume I travel with one perfectly curated carry-on. I definitely don't and I've learned that the goal isn't to pack less, it's to pack smarter.
For my recent trip to France and Italy, I documented my packing process and took note of all of the tips and tricks that I’ve accumulated to be a more organized packer and traveler.
So here's how I make it work without turning vacation into chaos.
It starts with the packing prep.
A few days before my trip, I pull out every piece of clothing that could possibly make the cut. Yes... everything. This lets me indulge in my overpacking instinct before narrowing it all down.
Then, I set up a garment rack and hang up every item of clothing. I even hang up bathing suits using these specific bathing suit hangers and the clips that go with them. This allows me to see everything clearly, so there’s no big piles going on.
I plan every outfit before I leave.
I try on each potential outfit from my garment rack, take a quick photo, and create a shared album. I'll send that album to a trusted friend for opinions on what outfits are definite “yeses” and which are no-gos.
This helps me achieve three things:
Saves me from packing “maybe” outfits that never get worn.
Allows me time to sit with the outfits I’ve planned and figure out what events or occasions I’ll wear them to.
Helps when I arrive to my destination and can’t quite remember what outfits I had planned; I simply scroll through my photos. No decision fatigue. No forgotten combinations.
Now comes the actual packing.
I always use my Beis large roller and Beis carry-on roller as my luggage, my Royln tote as my personal item, and a Royln crossbody as a little bonus bag I can stick in my personal item at the last second as I’m boarding.
Packing cubes as organizational system
When it comes to fitting everything into my luggage, I suggest using packing cubes. I operate under the understanding that packing cubes don’t save space, but they do help keep you organized. I would recommend clear ones so you can see exactly what is in them.
As opposed to organizing by outfit, I put like-categories in each cube:
Underwear, socks, and bras together
Swim together
Tops together
And all my white clothing gets its own cube to keep it clean and separate
This way I know where everything is and I still have the flexibility to switch around aspects of my planned outfits if I want.
Keep clothes on hangers whenever possible.
For dresses, blazers, or anything that wrinkles easily, I tend to leave them on hangers inside clear garment bags before packing.
When I arrive, they come straight out of the suitcase and into the hotel closet already organized and ready to wear. Plus I feel like there’s never enough hangers provided so this solves that issue as well!
Other helpful packing products
For other non-clothing categories, I have a variety of products I use to keep myself organized and would recommend:
Like most people I use shoe dust bags to protect my shoes from scuffing and protect my clothing from dirt. I put one shoe in each bag to give myself flexibility when making everything fit in my luggage. If I was starting from scratch I would get clear shoe bags so I could see which shoe is which.
I recently got the Calpak cosmetic case and am loving it. It fits all of my products, they’re easy to access because of all of the zippers, and it fits nice and squarely in my luggage.
I also have organizers for my jewelry and sunglasses that are a huge help in keeping everything together, protected and easy to access.
For electronics, I love using vinyl pouches to keep various cords together and I even use the largest size to keep my laptop separate and protected.
Final touches
My final packing insights are:
For any trip over 2-3 days I always check a bag to avoid the stress of fitting everything into a carry-on.
I put an AirTag into every checked bag, so I always know where it is.
I put my most important (VIP) items like medication, jewelry, electronics, travel documents, and anything I absolutely can't replace in my carry-on and personal item.
I use my Royln crossbody for my go to in-flight essentials like my passport, chapstick, hand sanitizer etc. It stays on my person for easy access and takes up virtually no room.
The truth?
Having options makes me feel prepared, especially when weather changes or plans shift. I've stopped trying to become someone who packs with ruthless minimalism.
Instead, I've created a system that keeps my overpacking organized, efficient, and stress-free. Because the best packing strategy isn't the one with the smallest suitcase, it's the one that lets you actually enjoy your trip.
Happy travels!
