The holidays are here, and with the festivities come flying, driving and travel -- oh my! With all the hubbub surrounding travel planning, it’s easy to overlook travel prep for jewelry; however, we all know how painful the results of poor planning can be. All too many of us have experienced lost, broken or even stolen jewelry while traveling.
Luckily, we have compiled a list of quick tricks, considerations and travel-friendly storage solutions to make hitting the road (or the skies!) with your jewelry a cinch.
Simplify Your Sparkle
As with packing in general, it is wise to pare your travel jewelry down to the essentials to keep your load -- and your responsibilities -- as light as possible. Try choosing a few versatile pieces you can wear with a number of outfits. This could include a pair of lovely stud earrings, a great pair of hoops and/or an elegant pendant. A few key pieces of classic jewelry can jazz up both dressed-up and dressed-down looks.
Keep Your Jewelry Close
For the airport-bound among us, consider wearing your travel jewelry on the plane and/or packing it securely in your carry-on. Then, if (heaven forbid!) your suitcase is misplaced, you won’t lose your jewels along with it.
Pack a Pill Box
Never underestimate the utility of a pill box as a portable small jewelry container. You may have a pill box or two lying around the house, or you could even get fancy and buy a new one in any number of styles, colors and materials.
Tote a Tackle Box / Makeup Case
Tackle boxes make surprisingly efficient and organized travel containers, and you can find them in sizes large and small to suit your specific needs. You can utilize the top compartment for rings, earrings and other small jewelry while using the open space on the bottom for necklaces, hoops and larger pieces. You can even upgrade to a cute makeup case for a more stylish compartment!
Repurpose Mint Tins
Wrap jewelry in a soft cloth with cotton or paper towel padding, place in an empty mint tin and voila! A cute, purse-ready jewelry carrier is born. Rubberband it shut for extra security.
Pouch It
Drawstring pouches make soft, handy and easy-access storage solutions for jewelry on the move. Just make sure to store your pouch somewhere secure to avoid damage to your valuables!
Zip It
Ziplock bags are all-around lifesavers, and their usefulness for jewelry transportation is no exception. As with a pouch -- or any soft storage container -- make sure to store your ziplocked goods in a safe, protected receptacle.
Straw It Up
Straws are one of the best necklace-detangling hacks around. Simply thread your necklace through a straw and then secure the clasp; this will keep the necklace from knotting up while on the move. You can also cut the straw to better fit your necklace’s chain length, if necessary. You can use straws straight from the kitchen drawer, or you can purchase steel straws for extra security.
Pack an Eraser
Erasers offer another excellent multi-purpose jewelry hack: You can pin your earrings to an eraser for fast and easy storage on the nightstand, while you can also chip off a piece (of eraser) to use as a temporary earring back in the event one of yours gets away.
Consider Jewelry Insurance
While the aforementioned jewelry hacks will certainly help you streamline jewelry storage for travel, life happens, and there are no guarantees. This is why we strongly recommend investing in jewelry insurance (if you haven’t already done so). Insurance will reimburse the cost of the insured items in the event your jewels are damaged or stolen during your trip.
And there you have it.
With some clever planning, packing and forethought, you can create a stress-free travel experience (at least when it comes to your jewelry!)