Okay, we’ll admit it, we’ve been binge watching “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo” on Netflix. There’s just something addictive about watching her transform people’s homes from cluttered to amazingly organized, and it’s extra motivating that the people she helps seem like they really had no clue how to organize before they met Kondo.
While it’s all well and good to organize your home and get rid of things you don’t need, we have to wonder, what about when you travel? Especially when most airlines charge for checked bags, it’d be nice to be able to fit everything we’d need for a trip in one carry-on bag.
Thankfully, the KonMari method definitely applies to packing a suitcase! Many tricks that Kondo uses when tidying at home can be easily applied to packing for a trip.
If you already know how to fold clothes the KonMari way, you’re a step ahead. If not, this video will help you out. Basically, you want to fold everything as neatly as possible in a nice little square that you can store vertically in your dresser drawers. When packing for a trip, instead of putting these neat little squares in your dresser, you’ll be putting them vertically in your suitcase.
The idea behind storing clothes vertically instead of stacking them horizontally is that you can easily see what you have. This will help you find what you’re looking for right away. Packing your clothes vertically can also help prevent you from overpacking since you’ll easily be able to see how many of everything you have.
In the same way that Kondo encourages people to only keep items that “spark joy,” you should only bring items on your trip that you’ll actually use. When you hold an item, really try to determine if you think you’ll actually use it or not. There’s no sense wasting precious suitcase space with things that will never even leave your suitcase.
Kondo makes it look super easy to transform a messy, crowded suitcase into an organized space that even has plenty of room for a big hat. Thankfully, her tips really are easy, and we can definitely see ourselves using these tips when packing for our next getaway.
Watch the video below to see how Kondo neatly packs everything from underwear and shoes to clothing and makeup in one small suitcase.
Do you plan to use these tips the next time you pack a suitcase? Which tip did you find the most helpful?