Genius Packing Hacks From Queer Eye's Tan France, A Frequent Flier

Tan France knows travel. The star member of "Queer Eye's" reincarnation on Netflix is constantly on the go, flying as often as four times a week when he's swamped. This allows France to frequently interact with security and flight staff at airports around the world. The fashion icon and style-makeover specialist also works as a brand ambassador for Alaska Airlines and companies within the travel industry, so it's only natural that he discusses his travel habits, packing strategies, and mindset when flying and exploring.

France has always been eminently approachable, and many of his packing tips are easy to digest and even simpler to implement. From the capsule wardrobe concept he champions to specific personal care habits, France has touched on many time-saving and stress-reducing packing tips and travel ideas. Consider his expert tips the next time you pack a bag; you might find your trip much more enjoyable.

A good starting point for following France's footsteps is to consider the kind of bag you're packing. With a small suitcase, you'll be relegated to a few essentials, while a larger, checked bag allows for more extensive packing but comes at a cost. Many travel experts suggest skipping the checked bag whenever possible, with some advising against a checked bag in all but the most limited circumstances (See Rick Steves' easy packing hacks). France isn't particularly opposed to checked bags, but he notes that it's impractical for short trips. He often uses smaller carry-on luggage for his travels because he rarely leaves home for more than a week at a time. 

Packing a checked bag allows you to bring a wider range of belongings, such as sizeable grooming tools. You also won't need to drag the suitcase through the airport, potentially making travel easier. However, checking a bag costs more than opting for a carry-on suitcase. In most circumstances, you'll have to wait for the bag to come off the conveyor belt when you reach your destination. If you can avoid checking in luggage, you probably should. Check out our complete guide to packing light and must-have items for European travel to pack efficiently. 

In addition to packing light, France is an avid proponent of creating a packing list. He suggests building this checklist in the notes section of your smartphone. Rather than writing it on paper and leaving it at home — your phone is likely to be with you on your trip. This allows you to add to the list whenever something presents itself in your mind. You can also call up the document while you're out and about and thinking about any purchases you might need to make ahead of your travels. Starting this list a few weeks before your travel date will help give you all the time you need to ensure that everything required on your journey is packed and accounted for.

Packing lists are always a good idea and can help even the most disorganized mind settle into a streamlined packing process that works. Travel experts like Rick Steves also suggest creating a list of things you'll be leaving at home that hold value. This is a good option for those worried about theft and break-ins while their home is vacant. Once you return from your trip, you can use the list to ensure that all your valuable possessions are where you left them. 

France is the fashion expert of the "Queer Eye" bunch and is naturally spotted wearing a kaleidoscope of colors and styles. His wardrobe is extensive, but the abundance of choices can overwhelm nearly anyone traveling. When it comes time to pack for a trip, you'll almost certainly want to put your best foot forward. This can mean packing complex outfits and plenty of complementary wardrobe choices to jazz things up. France suggests taking a beat here, though. Rather than stressing over outfit choices suitable for various weather and events, he advocates for the capsule wardrobe.

Essentially, what this means is rather than packing complete outfits to take with you on a business trip or vacation, you will be designing a mini wardrobe. You'll bring this scaled-down closet so you can peruse your collection in the same way you would at home. Opt for complementary wardrobe styles and colors that can be used interchangeably. Rather than taking clothing pieces that box you into particular pairings, France suggests designing a versatile capsule wardrobe that allows adaptation and multi-use via swapping and unique pairings. This will enable you to dress up or down for whatever occasion on your calendar.

In addition to smart packing to keep your mobile wardrobe manageable and light, France suggests utilizing the otherwise dead space within the shoes you plan to bring along in your bag. France notes that he generally wears the bulkiest shoes he'll be bringing with him on his feet and packs a second pair in his bag. He has enrolled in TSA PreCheck (Check out why TSA PreCheck is great for families with babies) and other fast-track programs so he doesn't have to take his shoes off when going through the TSA security line. This helps make the process even easier for France. However, even if you aren't privileged with this perk, it's generally a good idea to follow in his footsteps and still put on your heaviest shoes. Sure, you'll be slightly inconvenienced going through security, but the weight and space exchange is considerable.

But his suggestions surrounding shoe selection don't end with just this strategy. Your shoes have a lot of room inside them to accommodate your feet. When sitting in your luggage, this space may get scrunched by the items you pack around the footwear. The result can be a shoe that comes out of your bag deformed and perhaps even creased or damaged. Jamming socks, underwear, toiletries, and other small items into your shoes will help take up some of this unused space inside your bag and provide a bit of extra structural support.

France understands the urge to roll clothing before placing them inside a suitcase. This method of packing has become all the rage in recent years, but he hasn't experienced a major boost in available space when using this approach. Instead, he advocates for the standard fold option. Folding your clothes is a great way to protect your items from wrinkles, and it creates a flat format that's easy to stack in a pile on the bed or directly in the bag when planning your wardrobe.

More importantly, the rolling technique can be a real struggle that only doubles in frustration at your destination. It can be a serious challenge to repack your entire suitcase in the same manner at the end of a trip. You'll often find that you have less time while away than at home, so organizing your clothing and packing up for the return trip can be a lot more stressful. This is especially true when deploying an unfamiliar or inconvenient packing strategy. France even notes that he doesn't fold his underwear at all and instead just lays it flat in the suitcase. As for socks, he only takes as many pairs as he can ram into his packed shoes!

As a mainstay in the fashion world, France takes immaculate care of his face and skin. He has developed a personal skincare routine that works for him and often wears makeup when filming and in everyday life. However, he is nearly bare-faced when flying. The atmosphere in an airplane is dramatically hostile to your skin. It's dry, unreliably hot, or cold (sometimes seemingly both at the same time), and hydration can be hard to come by to help balance out your body and skin. Adding makeup into the mix complicates this even further.

Instead, France suggests skipping makeup altogether for the day and using a moisturizing night cream after you take your seat on the plane. A hefty moisturizing cream will help maintain the hydration level of your skin throughout the flight, even on a long-haul journey that brings you to a new continent. Additionally, lathering up a moisturizing cream on your face (and even neck) will help you look your best as soon as you land. France notes that he washes his face and puts on a standard moisturizer shortly before the flight lands, and then he's ready for anything that might be on the docket at the new destination.

Not only is France a proponent of not doing yourself up to the nines when getting on a flight, but he actually finds himself generally dressing down instead. That's not to say that France slums it when boarding a flight. Rather, he wears stylish but casual clothing that's comfortable, warm, and breathable. He suggests following in his footsteps and wearing the nicest travel outfit you can find. This splits the difference perfectly between prioritizing comfort over style and vice versa. He also suggests sticking to one thematic color when selecting a travel outfit.

Another feature of his approach is to layer up in these stylish but comfortable threads. Wearing a large jacket while traveling can help you look your best and stay warm, especially if you're flying in the wintertime or visiting a destination in a frigid northern climate. With layers, you can take off clothing items or add them back on to account for temperature adjustments on board the plane, in the airport, and beyond. Furthermore, wearing your jacket allows you extra space to fill up your bag, too. It, therefore, offers a multipurpose benefit.

Even though he is a celebrity personality these days, France sticks to his humble and frugal roots. As a former flight attendant, he knows all the tricks of the trade. From understanding what flight attendants notice about you when you board a plane to packing strategically so you don't have to get up numerous times during a flight, France employs plenty of little tricks. These help streamline his flying experience and give his wallet a small break.

One area where travel hacks come in handy is in the entertainment space. In-flight entertainment has come a long way in recent years, and unless you're flying on a budget airline, you're likely to find a small television screen on the back of the seat in front of you. Whether this screen provides free entertainment or not is a different question. On short-haul flights, you may have to pay to utilize this entertainment service. 

Similarly, internet services have become an integrated feature on many flights, but this is another item that typically requires you to pull out your credit card. Instead, France suggests downloading offline games, videos from your favorite streaming service, and any other entertainment features you might want to engage with while flying. Just make sure to pack your wireless headphones or your preferred audio output accessories for a comfortable listening and watching experience. 

In addition to a large jacket that's generally necessary for any travel to a cold destination, France likes to pack a dual-purpose, versatile outerwear layer. This particular jacket can be used to elevate an outfit or as a casual accessory when dressing down. His go-to selection is a leather moto jacket that he's been wearing for the last 25 years. A leather jacket is a great statement piece that offers malleable style characteristics, pairing perfectly with dress pants or slacks as well as a more relaxed-fitting pair of jeans or chinos.

Your jacket doesn't have to be a leather variety, of course. But finding an outerwear staple you can use across a range of scenarios to enhance your style in any setting is a must, according to France. And keep in mind that the man is a fashion icon who styles people for a living! So, when he suggests a dual-purpose jacket, it's perhaps a good idea to listen.

Speaking of building a wardrobe and dressing with style and purpose, France also advocates dressing like yourself. Functionally, what this means is that vacationers shouldn't look to reinvent their style when they get off a plane to explore a brand-new place. Opting for a different outfit to match the change in weather or general environment is perfectly fine, but heading out to the store and coming home with a haul of wardrobe pieces you wouldn't normally wear is a recipe for disaster.

France suggests that many people create a mental image of what they want to look like on vacation. Unfortunately, this picture can sometimes take cues from stereotyped images of the destination. The results can be an offensive caricature that sets you up for failure when interacting with locals. Even if you aren't experiencing this kind of alienating interpersonal interaction, it's likely you won't be comfortable in your skin. Trying to reinvent yourself while on vacation takes away from the relaxation that the trip intends to provide. It's okay to dress up a little or change certain aspects of your wardrobe, but a wholesale reinvention is almost always going to end badly.

Finally, France suggests that no packing operation should be complete if your bag is full. Leaving a bit of room in your suitcase for souvenirs, shopping, and the general expansion of your clothing's natural volume that seemingly happens on the return trip will help set you up for success at the end of your travels. No matter what kind of traveler you are, maintaining a bit of wiggle room in your bag takes the stress off the entire voyage. Not only will your bag be a little lighter as you carry it through the airport, but you'll travel knowing that you're unlikely to have an issue bringing it home later on. It also gives you room to bring home goodies for friends or family members or to purchase a new clothing item that perfectly accentuates some piece of your capsule wardrobe.

However, France adds a caveat that every traveler should heed. Using vacuum seal bags to buy yourself a little extra room might sound like a good idea, but he advocates for skipping these tools for an important reason. TSA guidance states that these kinds of bags aren't recommended but are allowed onboard aircraft. However, if your bag is flagged for extra screening, a TSA agent may need to open your vacuum-sealed bag to investigate its content. Without a vacuum tool with you in the security line, closing up your bag after an inspection might be an impossible task, leaving you in a serious lurch.