10 Packing Tips for Local Trips

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People are still traveling this summer—just by car instead of plane. Here are 10 packing tips that were featured in Prevue, Recommend’s sister publication covering the meetings industry. Members of Prevue’s Advisory Board and Industy Influencers offered some of their favorite road trip packing tips.

Leave Room for What You Buy

“Always pack a day less than you need. If, like me, you will buy a new something to wear as a memory of a trip along the way, wear it make sure it fits. And if you have taken this advice you will have space to pack it.”—David Sand, CEO, Uwin Iwin

Who Needs Ice?

“I recently returned from a week-long road trip to Crater Lake and the Oregon coast. I normally never buy bottled water, but we bought a case and froze solid about 8 bottles before we left and as many as the hotel mini-fridges would hold during our stays. We used them to keep the water cooler cold without the hassles of finding and dealing with ice.”—Corbin Ball, CSP, CMP, DES, Corbin Ball & Co

Power Is Everything

“Your credit card, maps, tickets, and everything else important to you are in your phone so splurge on a great power bank. This one from Anker is what I use and it holds 7 phone charges.”—Nick Borelli, President / Strategist, Borelli Strategies

Try Packing Cubes

“I use packing cubes to help simplify my packing. I also try to pack outfits that coordinate with each other so I don’t have to swap shoes too often, and I always pack a pair of flip flops because you just never know when you need them.

With a lot more folks doing road trips these days, I think it’s so easy to overpack so I highly recommend laying out your outfits and then also packing an extra bag just to hold the dirty clothes so it’s easy to keep your clean and used clothes separately.”—Cindy Y. Lo, DMCP, CEO & Chief Event Strategist, Red Velvet Events, Inc.

Roll Before You Fold

“If you are looking to cut down on the amount of luggage you take a on a trip, I’ve found that rolling every piece of clothing allows me to fit everything in my bag with room left over for other items. I also like to place dryer sheets in luggage so my clothes smell fresh when its time to unpack, and pack up for the return trip home.”—Stacey Sanchez, CMP,  Executive Director, Events, Prime Global

A Cooler is a Must

“If traveling by car, make sure you are well equipped with their sanitizing supplies and masks—as well as a cooler since the heat in most areas of our country is extreme at this time.”—Lisa Shingleton-Palumbo, Senior Project Manager, Nielsen

My 3 Must-Haves

“1) Charging cords needed for my devices along with a charging pack 2) a book, podcast, or puzzle to relax (depending on the amount of time away) 3) a  good pair of walking shoes—Josh Adams, Industry Relations Strategist, streamlinevents

No Ironing Rule

“Look for clothing that never needs ironing. Chicos has a line of clothing called the Travelers Collection that is easy to care for and won’t wrinkle and for more casual clothing, REI and Orvis use fabrics for both shirts and pants that don’t wrinkle.”—Anonymous

Don’t Overpack

“Pack for a road/driving trip like you’d pack for air travel. Make a list, plan it out, evaluate what you really need. Otherwise you’ll end up with a jam-packed car full of stuff you don’t use. I have noticed that frequently the mindset with driving is I can bring more. And yes, you can, but do you really want or need to?”—Nikole Fridenmaker, Owner, Fridenmaker Consulting

Don’t Forget About the Pups!

“I have two dogs who love to take road trips to the beach, river or mountains! To save time, I always have pre-packed bags ready to go for the dogs and for me. The dog backpack is filled with medicine, food, treats, bowls and baggies, towels and I always bring ample water in S’well bottles! My pre-packed bag has hand sanitizer, cleaning wipes, extra masks, extra MJ sunglasses, first aid supplies, instant coffee packs, protein bars and, of course, Prevue magazine! I always restock as needed when I get back so we are ready to go for the next adventure!”—Leslie Zeck, CMP, CMM, HMCC, Director of Meetings, International & American Associations for Dental Research

This story originally appeared in our sister publication Prevue. For more updates on new protocols, visit Recommend’s Safe Travels page. Stories about future travel can be accessed at #AmazingDaysAhead.