The Spring Roll

Traveling in Vietnam is an exciting experience. The food, the sites, the shopping… the food! But if it’s something I am not so excited about, it’s packing. It’s like homework, something that always leads to procrastination. The worst thing is right before you leave, you start to wonder “did I pack enough stuff, did I forget my phone charger, my socks, my toothbrush?”.

When traveling in Vietnam, I’m always on the go for a good three to four weeks throughout the entire county. Keeping my luggage to a minimum of one suitcase allows me to keep track of all the little things I’ve brought with me, and to move a little quicker whether traveling by car or by airplane.

Realistically, you can’t fit 3-4 weeks of clothes into one suitcase unless you plan on going just in your underwear (and that’s just gross and socially unacceptable in some… I mean, most places), but you can fit at least 12-15 days worth of clothes in one suitcase with a special technique I call the Spring Roll. The Spring Roll is where you roll each article of clothing tightly until it resembles one the most adorned Vietnamese dishes in the world. The Spring Roll can help you fit more clothing in one suitcase than if they were traditionally folded, and keep everything free of wrinkles.

So if you’re interested in traveling with the least amount of luggage, feel free to use some of the following tips:

First, start with the heaviest articles of clothing like jeans, khakis, sweat shirts, and lay them on the bottom of your suitcase.

Next, gather all your extra shoes, and sandals. Line them along the sides of your suitcase before stacking your lighter clothing like t-shirts, shorts, socks, underwear, & blouses.

Leave a little cubby of space in the middle of your suitcase for your toiletry bag. If you have breakable items like a bottle of cologne or perfume, wrap it in a plastic bag and throw a t-shirt inside there to cushion it from the inside. Place your toiletry bag in the cubby, and stack the last layers of clothing you have over the toiletry bag.

There you have it. One suitcase loaded with all the essentials. Oh, and don’t forget the Immodium AD, and Cipro. Happy travels!

References:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4868884_fold-clothes-travel.html
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/05/06/business/businessspecial/20100506-pack-ss.html