Wrinkles are something every traveler has to deal with. You’re getting ready for a night out in a new city, but when you pull out your clothes, you find that they’re wrinkled beyond recognition. Something about this screams “hardcore tourist” to me. Read on to find out some ways I keep my traveler’s clothes wrinkle free, which includes both how to pack without wrinkles and how to unwrinkle clothes while traveling.
How to Pack Without Wrinkles
Use a garment bag.
One of the best ways to fight wrinkles is to prevent clothes from getting wrinkled in the first place. If you thought garment bags were exclusively used by baby-boomer businessmen, think again.
Modern garment bags are sleek and practical! Garment bags are specifically designed to keep clothes from getting wrinkled and come with plenty of other storage options.
For portability, bags like the Zegur Carry-On Travel Garment Bag conforms to even the strictest carry-on size standards. Pair this bag with a 3 oz. bottle of Downey Wrinkle Releaser Spray and you’re all set.
Pack wrinkle-resistant travel clothes.
We all have clothes that will wrinkle if a breeze catches them at the wrong angle. For me, it’s my Forever 21 skirt. I could have ironed it to perfection, steamed it, and doused it in de-wrinkling spray, but as soon as I sit down to eat a delicious meal, it looks like an accordion.
As much as I like the way this skirt flows while I walk, I would never dream of traveling with it. I have other shirts made of thicker material that are more resistant to wrinkles.
You know your wardrobe– pack the clothes that stay wrinkle-free the longest for travel.
Here are a few wrinkle free travel clothes options for women:
Roll clothes instead of folding them.
On my first 3-week trip through Europe, this technique changed my life. I had always folded my clothes, trying to get them as flat as possible so I could fit everything I needed into my luggage. Inevitably, I’d take my clothes out at my destination to find they were so stiff and creased they looked like I had been trying to make paper airplanes out of them.
Rolling your clothes instead of folding them significantly reduces wrinkles and offers a handy way to keep outfits together. Just roll up pants, socks, and underthings with a shirt rolled around the outside and you have a pre-packaged outfit. Packing cubes can be a godsend when it comes to organizing clothes and keeping rolled clothing together.
Packing cubes are also mentioned in my Pro Packing Tips for Frequent Travelers post.
How to Unwrinkle Clothes While Traveling
Pack a travel steamer.
Garment steamers are definitely a must-have if you’re traveling with formalwear or just hate ironing like me. All you have to do is hang up your piece of clothing, blast it with this magic device, and travel clothes wrinkles are gone! It only takes a few minutes to get the garment into a state of wrinkle-free nirvana.
Travel steamers don’t take up much space and can fit in your carry-on, but if you’re like me, you’ll love your steamer so much that you’ll use it on an everyday basis and not just on vacation. That’s what I started doing when my friend got me this ESTEAM Personal Hand Held Steamer for my birthday. I started using it every day and quickly realized how much of a slob I must’ve looked like in my pre-steamer days since I’m allergic to irons and never ironed!
Anyways, if you want a travel steamer that also works abroad, check out the Tepoinn steamer that has different wattages for different countries.
To learn more about using dual-voltage appliances abroad and if you need a converter or adapter for your steamer, check out this post.
Use de-wrinkling spray.
De-wrinkling spray is part amazing scientific invention and part voodoo-cloth magic. If you’re tight on space, time, or both, de-wrinkling spray can be just what you need to look your best while traveling. All you need to do is lay out or hang up your clothes, give them a generous coating of the spray, then tug and smooth out the fabric until the wrinkles are gone.
Downey Wrinkle Releaser Plus has saved me a few times when I didn’t have a steamer or any other way to freshen up my clothes. I’ve even taken a shirt off in the airport bathroom, sprayed it with this magic elixir, and emerged looking like I came fresh from the dry cleaner.
You can pick up a 16 oz. spray bottle, great for storing in your checked luggage, or you can grab a carry-on friendly 3 oz. bottle, which takes up no space at all in your carry-on!
Hang up clothes in the bathroom while you shower.
This technique is affectionately known as the “poor-man’s steam” and assumes you’ve got hot water to shower with. If you find yourself with wrinkled clothes, no steamer, and no de-wrinkling spray, hang your clothes up near the shower, and let it get steamy.
Once you get out of the shower, tug on the garment to get some of the wrinkles out. It’s not perfect, but sometimes it can be just enough.
Bonus (Joking) Tip: Hang out with a street food vendor.
Find a street vendor selling some steaming hot food, get close to him and just chill. The wrinkles will be out of your clothes in no time. As for the smell, it may take a couple of washes to get out.
How do you keep your travel clothes wrinkle free? Share your tips by commenting below.
Thanks for stopping by! xo.
Most Commonly Used Travel Items
If you liked my travel tips above, then you may like these other items I always travel around Europe with.
You might like: Ultimate Packing List for Europe
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Claudia
Monday 9th of October 2017
Firstly, thanks for sharing this outstanding post. It's really helpful tips. I have read so many amazing things about your article. You have the guide in good issue. I have been known to give up after awhile out of pure frustration when ironing linen. can’t wait to try this out. Seriously, thanks for all this awesomeness.
Jame
Thursday 21st of September 2017
Never thought of streamers can do with bad smell of street food grills. This is awesome tips. Thanks for sharing.
Terrigal Accommodation
Thursday 17th of August 2017
this is awesome!! great tips too! at least now i know what type of clothes im going to bring hahahahahah thanks for sharing!!
Joe
Wednesday 28th of June 2017
#7 is my favourite tip! LOL
Reshma Narasing
Wednesday 21st of June 2017
De-wrinkling spray looks interesting, and finding a street vendor is a smart idea ;) I prefer rolling my clothes most of the time, and hence they look better. But would love to try these ideas in the future just in case! Thanks for these great tips!