Once you’ve chosen the essentials, you’re ready to start packing… but for many… the art of packing properly is still a big mystery.

Here are some fool-proof tips on ‘How to Pack Your Bags’:

• Start by placing the heavy or bulky items on the bottom of the suitcase, including shoes, alarm clock, hair dryer, and travel iron.
• Protect fragile items by putting them inside socks or other thick clothing and placing them in the center of the case.To keep clothing wrinkle-free, place all articles inside plastic bags or wrap them in tissue paper. Rolling your clothes into cylinders, instead of folding them, can also help.
• T-shirts, sweatshirts, and jeans can also be rolled into cylinders and wedged into corners to keep other contents from sliding around.
• I always find that taking a few extra plastic bags come in handy when transporting wet bathing suits and dirty clothes.
• Don’t forget a needle and thread plus a compact umbrella …. you can never go wrong.

Most importantly… only pack things that you wouldn’t mind losing into luggage that will be checked. ‘Carry-on bags’ are the place for valuables…here’s a list of things that your carry-on bags should include:

• Travel documents, medications, keys, cameras, cellular phones — and money — including all cash, travelers checks, credit cards— and in-case your checked luggage does get lost…photos and a list of contents of your luggage come in very handy.

Hopefully some of those tips will help you pack smarter the next time you go on vacation…which will hopefully be sooner, rather than later!