No matter your travel plans, you're going to need to pack a number of items to take with you while still leaving room in your suitcase to bring souvenirs and other items home upon your return. With some proper legwork and creative packing skills, you can make sure that you take the things that you need and also have room to bring back all those tacky souvenirs that you can't resist at the gift shops along the beach.

Before You Head Out

Packing begins well before you head out the door for vacation. Packing cubes that you put inside your suitcase can help you compress clothing and other items to a smaller size, freeing up space. Toiletry bags keep personal care items separated from your clothing. Invest in small waterproof bags to take along with you so that you can put wet bathing suits and other items such as sold clothing in them for the return trip. Pack as little as possible without skimping on the necessities for the trip there which will leave room for your purchases for the trip back.

Before You Head Home

When it's time to return home, then the real challenge begins. Hopefully you packed light so that you can accommodate souvenirs and purchases in your luggage. If not, a smart hack for people who overspend while they're on vacation and find themselves with little to no room to pack items in their suitcase is to go to the local post office and mail items to your home from your vacation spot. Try flat rate shipping boxes from USPS (or even ground shipping with UPS or FedEx) to ship items affordably without paying excessive baggage fees.