Frequent flier Daniel Green suggests following the ‘1-2-3-4-5-6 Rule’ for trips lasting up to two weeks: "Pack one hat, two pairs of shoes, three bottoms, four tops, five pairs of socks, and six pairs of underwear." Choose pieces to mix and match rather than separate ensembles, and don't forget bras, swimsuits, jackets, or other personal needs.

The 1-2-3-4-5-6 Rule

From boots to puffy coats, wearing your bulkiest items on the plane means less stuff to cram into your luggage — plus, a fluffy coat or big sweater can make a great makeshift blanket or pillow. Just don't be that person who crams their coat in the overhead bin during boarding, creating less space for everyone else's luggage.

Wear Your Bulky Items

Packing cubes are a great way to reduce the space needed in your luggage by compressing it together, and also an excellent way to keep track of your things. Having more than one packing cube also means you can put your dirty clothes in them as you go to keep your worn clothes away from the rest of your belongings.

Utilize Packing Cubes

When going away for more than a week, you may worry about running out of clothes, but it's fairly easy to hand wash items and hang them to dry on the balcony or the laundry line that some hotels provide in the shower with the exhaust fan on. If you plan to hand wash, pack clothes made with polyester or nylon as they dry quicker than other materials.

Washing After Wearing

There's a good chance that if you're thinking about packing something "just in case," you won't need that item. Clinical psychologist Lara Fielding explains that one reason we're tempted to overpack is to compensate for the new environments we're going to, and familiar belongings bring normalcy, but we don't really need them.

Leave the Maybe Pile