Travellers fall into two main camps: the rollers and the folders. Marie Kondo takes it a step further, recommending precise folding and stacking methods to maximise space when packing.
If you haven’t heard of Marie Kondo or her KonMari method, you’re probably in the minority! This Japanese organising consultant, bestselling author, and now TV star is taking the world by storm with her tips for bringing joy and order to your life through tidying.
Perhaps the KonMari folding method can help make life easier when travelling, or maybe the tried-and-true roll and stuff routine is still the way to go; let’s weigh up the different techniques and find out.
Image Credit: Apartmenttherapy.com
It’s all in the way you fold“How hard is it to fold a t-shirt?” you may ask; harder than you think! The internet is awash with Marie Kondo clothes folding tutorials. From socks and underwear to hoodies and jeans, you’ve probably been doing it wrong all this time!
Experienced travellers know better than anyone how important it is to maximise every centimetre of space by making your clothes as compact as possible. Using the KonMari method to fold items can give you more room and make organising your suitcase a breeze.
Rolling vs. FoldingWhile folding is a great start, it alone is not the solution to your packing struggles. You’ll need to mix it up a little; bring in some invaluable packing cubes in a variety of sizes to take your organising and space-saving skills to the next level.
Smaller items like t-shirts, underwear and socks are best folded and stored in individual packing cubes. But if you have items that need to stay wrinkle free, like a pretty dress or a business shirt, rolling is much better.
Larger items like jeans and sweatshirts take up more space when folded, so tightly rolling them and using them to fill gaps in your luggage is a much more efficient use of space.
To stack or not to stack?The KonMari folding method involves folding your clothes and vertically stacking them (rather than one on top of the other). This may work for the right depth suitcase, but for deeper bags or backpacks, it’s not ideal. Instead, we recommend vertical stacking inside packing cubes. You’ll be able to quickly find what you’re after, keep everything together, and fit a lot more in.
“Spark joy” – but bring the essentials!Marie Kondo’s philosophy is that everything you choose to keep in your house should “spark joy.” We’re all about sparking joy – after all, that’s the whole point of travel! But it’s not practical for everything on your packing list to be uplifting.
By all means, bring a few garments that you adore, but don’t forget the boring items, like your most comfortable pair of ugly track pants for a long haul flight or cargo pants for trekking.
Learning how to pack is as important as knowing what to pack; with the right techniques, you can squeeze a lot more into your precious space! Fold the small stuff and stack it into packing cubes, roll the big items, and save some space for the souvenirs on the way back.
