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When packing flashlights or other battery-powered devices that might easily switch on, always turn the batteries around inside the device -- or, remove one or more of the batteries completely from the device. 
When traveling over the holidays with gifts, never pre-wrap! 
Looking to lighten your luggage load? Instead of bringing more clothing, bring along a small bottle of Woolite and do hand laundry instead. 
Want to smell great while traveling without risking your expensive -- and probably large -- bottle of fragrance? There are several options to try. 
I always shop and buy souvenirs when on vacation. Even on business trips, I tend to bring home more than I brought, due to literature, books, and lunchtime shopping sprees.
Save packing space -- and prevent wrinkling worries! -- by laying trousers or jeans, unfolded, so one half lays inside the suitcase and the other half hangs over the outside. Repeat around all edges (skirts, blazers and dresses are also ideal). 
Find yourself spending hours searching around the house for your voltage converter, mosquito net, and travel hairdryer before you leave for a trip? Consider emptying a drawer in your bureau or buying a plastic under-the-bed bin to store all these must-pack travel items. 
If packing your laptop, be sure to include an ethernet cable. A section five to ten feet long should be plenty, as most hotels are nice enough to put the ethernet port close to the bed and the desk (but not so nice that they provide the cable). 
A lot of folks make a list of what to bring before they go on a trip. 
Regular jetsetters may never consider stepping foot in a camping store, but it can be a treasure trove of inexpensive gadgets for efficient packing. 
Here's a way to pack your smallest, but most expensive, items without losing them or space in your suitcase: find a typical pill box and place your precious metals in there. Anything from rings to necklaces will fit.
Typically, pill boxes are about five inches long, one inch wide, and a quarter inch deep -- small enough to be stuffed, despite how much is in your suitcase.
As an added bonus, you could line up the jewelry in the respective days you want to wear them. Now you're ready to go!
Since the increase in security, airports recommend you keep your luggage unlocked because if they find any reason to check your belongings, they will be forced to break open any lock on your bags. 
A worthy and creative packing idea from a friend I met in rural Bolivia...
As a musician, my friend Sean refused to travel without his instrument. After having all his possesions stolen in Ecuador, Sean decided to buy a regular sized guitar case and a travel sized guitar. He stuffed his few necessary belongings in the extra space of the case and continued along his journey with his musical instrument and possessions in tow. He had everything he needed, and traveled with the ease of a wandering muscian without being fingered as the classic backbacking foreigner. Genius!
Pro tip: ditch the guitar and just carry the suitcase. You're bound to look like a local.
If you're anything like me, unpacking once you get home often takes as long (if not longer) than actually packing for the trip.
Look, I know everyone tells you how efficiently they can pack, rolling their clothes, tucking socks into shoes, squeezing every inch of space out of their suitcase, but you're going on vacation. The last thing you want to do is spend the last few hours of your vacation cramming everything back into a tightly packed suitcase and then figuring out that the three souvenirs you bought don't fit. 
Unless you're my grandmother (Hi, Grandma!!), you probably don't use the shower cap provided at some hotels for anything whatsoever. But, that little plastic cap with the elastic ring can be very useful when packing your bags.
When packing for a long trip, it's essential to pack items for easy access. You don't want to rummage through your luggage each time you need something.
After you print your tickets and grab your passport, the next thing you need to do is pack the following six items:
An investment of a few dollars saves countless travel bucks!
A collapsible fabric cooler takes basically no room in your luggage, since it flattens when packed. Easy-to-carry coolers have shoulder straps, and some may even double as backpacks. Many coolers store wine upright; half of the top flips up to accommodate the taller bottle. Expensive snack items and beverages bite into travel funds, but one trip to the hotel ice machine and one stop at the local convenience store add up to extra cash. These coolers can turn an ordinary picnic lunch into a wonderful travel memory.
Bonus: you can use it as a dirty clothes hamper at the end of your trip!
I spent three months living out of a small, ratty backpack in Costa Rica, and it was the best travel decision I made.
When two of my travel buddies had their brand new packs stolen, mine was safe because it was old-looking and ugly. The size of my backpack forced me to pack light, and every time I used public transportation I was grateful.
My friends would drag their huge packs onto crowded buses and take out people in the aisles, but my pack kept me nimble and friendly with the locals.
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