This article is written for all those of you who wish not to experience the anguish and distress of having to unpack your belongings jammed hap-hazardly in your suitcases, toped with a perfume-soaked sock swimming in a flower-scented river from the melted deodorant.

- Packing clothes: The order you will pack your clothes can make all the difference in the world. Put your shirts on the bottom, then dresses, skirts, shorts and pants. It is better to fold your clothes in order to avoid wrinkles and nasty marks. Thus, shirts should be folded on a large rectangle area and start with the sleeves folded inward moving on to the rest of the shirt folded in half (from the bottom) that will give you a nice, neat rectangle. Delicate shirts should go at the bottom of your shirts' pile. Then you can spread dresses or skirts to their fullest length on top of your shirts, before putting on top your shorts and pants, which should be folded in separate pairs in half (lengthwise). Again you should begin from the most wrinkle-prone pairs on the bottom of each cloth pile and move to the toughest ones placing them on top of the others. Finish by wrapping the portion of your dresses that is not stack inside the suitcase around the pants. In case all these sounds complicated, you better check beforehand if there will be an iron at your hotel room.

- Shoes: In order to avoid your clothes smelling like they have been walked on, you better place each shoe inside a grocery bag and put a dryer sheet into each shoe.

- Miscellaneous: Whatever has a spilling effect or is breakable should be kept in plastic bags-like regular sandwich bags-so you will not have to research on how to get toothpaste off your "good" shirt when you open up your belongings. Zip lock freezer bags can be filled with "dangerous" items, like your cologne, your soaps, toothpaste, shampoo or face creams.

- Dirty laundry: Since it is difficult to wash clothes while you are away, you should remember packing a large kitchen garbage bag to toss the dirty clothes inside. Some people advise to bring older underwear and socks that you can throw away after wearing them. This actually will free some space in your luggage making room for your family's and friend's gifts.

- Be cautious: It is imperative for you to remember NEVER to pack valuable items, like jewelry, cash, credit cards, house or car keys, in your non-carry on luggage. No airport company will ever reimburse you in case your bags get lost-even if you have informed them in advance. In addition, some people believe it is best to place their business address on their suitcases tags, instead of that of their home, since thieves often target visible ID tags to spot their next hit since you are going to be away!

Hopefully, these packing tips can help you feeling great after reaching your final destination and opening up your luggage. Have a nice time packing and enjoy your trip!

Jonathon Hardcastle
http://totallytraveling.net/