Be Marie: How to Use the Konmari Method when Travelling 

Are you a Marie Kondo devotee, organising your home and sparking joy in everyday life? Here’s how you can take those lessons and apply them to another joy-sparking activity: Travel!

Step One: Lay out what you think you’ll need.

Instead of purging all of your drawers, just pull out everything that you think you might want to pack and put it on the bed. Is there a small mountain rising from the duvet? You’re ready for the next step.

Step Two: Handle each item and ask, ‘does this item bring me joy?’

One of Kondo’s favorite questions is, “Does it spark joy?” when referring to items of clothing, books, mementos, etc. You should ask this same question when you’re packing for a trip. If that pair of old faded pants doesn’t spark joy when you wear them at home, how are they going to make you feel when you’re traveling? Pack clothes that fit you well, outfits that go together, and nothing that you “might wear”. If you don’t think you’ll wear it or use it, leave it at home.

Step Three: Fold and use packing cubes 

Now that you’ve decided what to take, you’re ready to fill your favorite bag or luggage.  If you watch just 15 minutes of Kondo’s show, you’ll see that she has a very specific way of folding clothes. This method not only saves space in drawers, but also keeps clothes nice looking and helps avoid wrinkles. When it comes to packing, you can use this very same method to arrange shirts, pants, and skirts.

For clothes that cannot be folded (because they will wrinkle), Kondo suggests rolling them – which will also take up minimal room. With undergarments, Kondo saves space by ingeniously tucking underwear and socks into bra cups.

Next, place everything in your packing cubes. These cubes are the best resource when it comes to keeping you organized. Rather than dumping everything out when you arrive at your destination, you can quickly grab the cube for exactly what you need. When everything has its own place, you’re less like to lose things along the way.

For example, place all of your tops in one cube, all pants in another cube, and your toiletries or electric cords in another.  Also, check out this cube for your shoes! 

Step Four: Bask in the glory of your perfectly tidy bag. 

That’s it. Your clothes are perfectly organized in your packing cubes and fitted expertly in your bag. With everything in its place and everything sparking joy, you’re ready to take on the world.

This article is adapted from Eagle Creek’s Travel Blog.