Packing & Preparation

A few habits make packing faster every trip and the suitcase easier to live out of once you arrive.

Build a travel kit you never unpack. Buy a complete set of your skincare and makeup in travel sizes, and keep it permanently packed in its own bag, ready to grab. You're never decanting product the night before or wondering what you forgot. It lives in the suitcase between trips and refills only when something runs low. This single habit removes more last-minute friction than anything else I recommend.

Use packing cubes. They turn a haphazard bag into a sortable one: clothes in one, shoes in another, a separate cube for what stays clean versus what's been worn. They also compress, which matters more than it sounds when you're closing a bag that has to meet a European size limit. Once you've packed with them, you won't go back.

Know what belongs in your carry-on. Anything you can't afford to lose travels with you, never in checked luggage: medications, travel documents, and a copy of your passport, your phone and chargers, one full change of clothes, jewelry and valuables, and your skin care essentials within the liquid limit. If your checked bag goes missing on a connection, your carry-on should let you manage comfortably for a day.

Lock it. Use TSA-approved luggage locks on checked bags. They deter casual tampering and can still be opened by security without being cut off, so you're not replacing a lock at baggage claim.

Track it. Drop an AirTag or similar tracker into each checked bag. If a bag misses a connection or gets misrouted, you'll often know where it is before the airline does, which makes the conversation at the baggage desk a lot shorter. On European itineraries with tight connections, this is worth the small cost.

Weigh before you leave, both ways. A small luggage scale is worth the few ounces it adds. Weigh each bag at home so an overweight fee never surprises you at the counter, and pack the scale so you can weigh again before the trip home, when souvenirs and a heavier suitcase are the whole point. Remember that weight limits differ by airline, and your intra-Europe or regional flights often allow less than the carrier that brought you across the Atlantic. Check every leg, not just the long one.

Bring an empty bag. Pack a flat, foldable duffel or tote inside your suitcase, the kind that weighs almost nothing and opens into a full second bag. It's there for everything you'll acquire: the linens from Florence, the wine, the things you didn't plan to buy. Brands like Tumi make versions built for exactly this, but any well-made packable bag does the job. You'll be glad it's there on the way home.