Traveling always seems like a good idea at the beginning, but by the time the vacation comes around stress starts to hit. What do I need? Do I have everything? Am I forgetting anything? I travel a lot and understand the stress. Being a perfectionist myself, I like to make sure that I do not forget a single thing. Throughout my traveling experiences, I have come up with six easy tips that will help ensure you have everything you need.

Make a list. I start this list usually a month in advance. I like to go through my everyday life and write down simple necessities that I use on a daily basis. Also, I randomly think of different things that I may need during the trip and making a list helps me keep track of it all.

Think of all the possibilities. When packing, I like to run the day’s plans through my head and what I will need for those plans. If you don’t have a schedule of events you are going to do, you can think of possible things that you may need and pack based on that.

Don’t over pack. Packing for all the events and making sure that you have everything can lead to over packing. An easy solution that I have come up with is packing things you can use more than once. I am mainly talking about clothes. For example, I will pack a basic cardigan that I can wear with three or four outfits. That way I only have to pack one thing that will give me multiple uses.

Always bring snacks! I get hungry hourly and need snacks to hold me over. For any snacks that don’t have a resealable top, make sure you bring a zip-lock baggie to put them in after you open them.

Bring an empty water bottle. When you get through airport security, you can fill the water bottle up and don’t have to pay for bottled water. If you reach another security checkpoint, you can easily empty the bottle and bring it along.

Always travel with wet wipes and tissues. I’m a germophobe. Wet wipes allow you to sanitize along your trip and pick up sticky messes that I always seem to create.

These 6 tips have helped me get through my traveling experiences without missing anything. I have had smooth sailing and I am sure the same will come to you too. If I do forget something, I just remember my motto, “Well, I guess it wasn’t important enough.”