- Many travelers overpack underwear for trips, even though most of it goes unused.
- Travel expert Amanda Parker recommends packing three extra pairs beyond the number of travel days for the perfect balance.
- This simple rule helps avoid overstuffed luggage while still accounting for unexpected situations.
I am not proud of it, but on a recent three day trip, I used an entire packing cube on 13 pairs of underwear. To no one’s surprise, I used merely a third of what I packed. I’m hardly the only person to do this—on TikTok, there are dozens of videos discussing the very common phenomenon of overpacking underwear.
The reason we do this—pack underwear as if we may never come home again or encounter a department store—is to make ourselves feel prepared for our journey. Plus, there’s the fear that you’ll run into unexpected hygiene issues on the road. Nothing can ruin a vacation like the idea of running out of fresh underwear after the second day.
“The majority of travelers overpack underwear as it gives them a sense of comfort and reassurance,” Amanda Parker, a travel expert at U.K.-based travel company Netflights, said to Travel + Leisure. “For many travelers, packing extra underwear provides a sense of control, especially if they feel uncertain before traveling.”
She said most people end up packing too many pairs of underwear because the clothing items are so small that it feels like they won’t take up too much luggage real estate. But as I’ve personally learned time and time again, even the smallest things can take up a lot of space if you pack two dozen of them.
Fortunately, there’s actually a correct number of underwear to pack, according to Parker.
“The ultimate hack you need to know when it comes to packing is that you need to pack three pairs of underwear more than the number of days of your holiday,” Parker said. “That’s the sweet spot! So if you’re going away for five days, pack eight pairs.”
That’s a pretty simple rule: just add the number of days of your trip plus three.
“The extra three act as your safety net, without overpacking and stuffing your suitcase,” Parker said. “So, just in case of unexpected swims, last-minute hikes, sweaty travel days, or even just the comfort of changing into a fresh pair before dinner, you’ll be covered!”
If you’re like me, it might take you a few trips to wean off your overpacking habits. I’m working on scaling back from four pairs of underwear per day down to three—maybe in the future I can scale back to two pairs per day.
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