If you’re the type of person who loves spending time camping or going on city breaks, then surely you have gathered a lot of travel accessories over the years and storing them has become problematic.
This is especially noticeable if you live in a small house or a small apartment. However, with a little bit of common sense and some great organizing tips, you should have no problem figuring out what works best for you.
The First Step
Alright, first thing’s first. What’s the biggest item that cannot be folded into a small size? The suitcase, obviously. So what can you do about it? Fill it up with stuff, obviously. However, try to ensure your cases are clean and dry when you put them away to prevent mold and damp creeping in.
Some people keep their luggage in lofts and attics, others don’t have that luxury, so put theirs on top of a wardrobe or in their closet. The main idea is to put there tons of other accessories and items that you don’t use on a regular basis. Organize and throw in as much as you can depending on the stuff that you have.
Travel-Sized Toiletries Go into Reusable Zip-lock Bags
The simplest way to organize smaller items efficiently is to have them placed in zip-lock bags. Use the bags for such items, and you’ll have no problem organizing them by type, shape, purpose, etc.
Afterwards, you can also place these bags inside the suitcase. This way, you’ll have everything in one place without having to worry all that much about where you’ve put a smaller item in a pile of bigger items.
Buy Household Storage Containers or Drawers
Of course, you may run out of space faster than you can imagine if you take more than just two suitcases with you on a trip. And there are also those larger items that you’d need the entire suitcase just to store them and possibly one or two smaller items.
In such a case (pun intended), it would be wise to get an extra set of drawers or more storage containers depending on your needs. We recommend large storage containers if you like going camping. For example, a sleeping bag is better stored when it has enough breathing room to prevent nasty smells once you take it out for your next hike.
Just as previously stated, we recommend storing these items when they’re clean and dry to prevent mold or mildew. If you want to find out how to wash a sleeping bag, click here.
Add Bigger Clothing Items in Home Storage Drawers
This advice is a little trickier to follow if you live in a smaller home. However, it’s something that you will have to live with if there’s nothing left to throw out. As a general rule of thumb, we recommend placing several drawers alongside a wall instead of placing them randomly around the house.
This way, you’ll have easy access to all your travel accessories in one place, just as you would with the other methods that we’ve already shown in this article. Plus that, for all intents and purposes, getting qualitative storage drawers can add a lot of aesthetic value to a room.
Storing Passports and Other Important Travel Documents
Where you’re going to store your passport isn’t all that important as long as you remember to put it back each time. You can place it in a zip-lock bag inside a kitchen drawer or in a cabinet inside your home office.
As long as you always remember where it is stored and make a habit out of putting it back in its place, you’re going to be fine. It’s all about training your brain to follow a certain planned out trajectory. Once you do that, you dramatically decrease the chances of losing your passport or other important documents.
We also think that it’s important to keep your social security cards and other IDs inside your passport. That way, in case your house ever catches fire, you’ll be able to take all the most important documents with you in one single swoop.
Handling Foreign Currency
Depending on how much international currency you’re handling, going to an exchange or to the bank with them might be more hassle than it’s worth. Sometimes you might deal with exaggerated exchange fees, or you might feel the need to hang on to it either as a memory or until your next trip to a similar destination.
Whatever the case may be, we recommend storing foreign currency alongside your passport and other documents if you plan on spending it during your next trip. Otherwise, feel free to label mason jars with each type of currency and its respective country to create fun, decorative memorabilia from your travels.
Throw Away What You Don’t Need
Finally, if you find yourself being unable to properly organize everything even after following every guideline in this article, then it might be time for a little cleanup. Go through all your stuff and think heavily about how much you’ve used certain items during the last year or two.
Let’s say, hypothetically, that you’ve got a sunscreen tube you haven’t used in a while. Look at its expiration date. If it looks like it will make it till your next trip to a sunny location keep it. If not, just throw it away.
Another great rule you can follow is this one: if you have multiple items from the same category, you might want to donate or throw away. For instance, if you have more t-shirts than you can wear in an entire year, it’s time to remove some clutter. The same rule goes for travel accessories and gear as well.
Final Thoughts
Go ahead and try these tips on your own to see what results you’ll get. After that, make sure to come back to this article and share your thoughts with us. Tips and tricks given from one person in our community to others in the comment section are very appreciated here.
