The internet seems full of advice for packing a suitcase, much of it redundant or obvious. I mean, we all know already to pack toiletries in a resealable plastic bag and to put our heavy items at the bottom of the suitcase, right? So, I’ve decided to keep it simple and tell you about the one single thing that has improved my suitcase the most: packing cubes.

Yes, packing cubes have been an absolute game-changer for me! Gone are the days of the entire contents of my suitcase shifting during travel, or of having to riffle through everything just to get the one shirt that I wanted. With packing cubes, you can just grab the cube you need and reposition all cubes as you see fit without creating a mess! They are easy to arrange neatly in suitcases of any size.

I’m a big fan of these dual-sided packing cubes by Taskin for packing socks, bras, and underwear. I put all the items on the side with the mesh cover when I pack, then as the trip goes on, dirty items go in the water- and odor-resistant side until laundry day. I do the same for my kids. Taskin packing cubes are also expandable, which is a big help.

I like to separate my items among a few cubes (which, to be honest, are not cubes so much as rectangular prisms). On our family trip to Florida in June, I had my swimsuits and cover-up in one cube, then t-shirt-and-capri-outfits in one and skirt-or-dress-outfits in another. Some people might prefer to have one cube for tops and one cube for bottoms; one cube for business-wear and one for casual clothing; or perhaps one for their clean clothes and another for dirty clothes. It’s about whatever works for you on this trip. Obviously, I file-fold clothes in there just like I do in my dresser – that’s been another gamechanger!

I also love that packing cubes come in different colors, which is particularly useful if you are packing a single suitcase for two kids, for example. You can assign a color for each one and never have to riffle through a whole bag to get their things, since they’re visible at a glance. I also designate a color for the first aid kit so that it stands out among my black packing cubes. (Packing essential first aid items for a trip, by the way, is a great opportunity to organize your first aid and pharmacy items at home! Toss what is expired or no longer useful and replenish stock as needed.)

So, there you have it. – packing cubes. I wouldn’t live without them now!