Amazon’s Best-selling Packing Cubes Will Finally Help You Become an Organized Packer

Courtesy of Amazon

Packing is almost always a hassle. From deciding on your outfits to trying to squeeze last-minute necessities into a carry-on, it can be an overwhelming task. To make the process a bit easier, travel experts will often recommend investing in packing cubes to save space and make organizing a breeze. If you don’t know where to start, Amazon shoppers have already done the hard work for you — over 2,400 reviewers claim the Bagail Packing Cubes Set are one of the best on the market.

The Bagail packing cubes come as a set of six, including two slim cubes, two medium cubes, and two large-sized cubes. They each have zippers, handles, and mesh panels so you can easily identify what’s packed in each one. Shoppers say they can fit much more than they anticipated in each cube, plus they come in 14 different color and pattern options so you can mix and match. Anne McAlpin, packing expert and founder of packing resource Pack It Up, suggests buying a variety of cube colors. So if you’re looking for, say, pants, you’ll know what exactly color cube to grab. “It took me years to get on the packing cube bandwagon, but using them has changed my life,” she previously told Travel + Leisure.

Courtesy of Amazon

To buy: amazon.com, $25

Amazon shoppers love the Bagail packing cubes so much that they’re the retail giant’s number-one best selling set and stand at an overall 4.8-star rating.

“I got these packing cubes on a whim, for a trip I am taking. I had no idea that they would end up being so great! I was mostly interested in the smaller ones, but I ended up using all six in my medium size suitcase. I found that I can keep my shoes, shirts, pants and so on separate and neat. It's amazing how much you can actually fit into these things,” one customer wrote. “I got 4 pair of shoes in the medium sized one and 10 shirts in the big one. And needless to say, my suitcase is organized and I know where everything is. I won't have to do the scavenger hunt through my suitcase when I need something. These are a great travel must have, especially for the price.”

If you’ve already been considering packing cubes for your next trip or need a solution to unorganized packing (we’re not judging), this Bagail set may be worthy of earning a spot in your suitcase.

Mandy Moore’s Dad Is an American Airlines Pilot — and She Finally Got to Go to Work With Him

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Actress Mandy Moore has become quite the travel sensation in recent months. After all, she has scaled both Mount Kilimanjaro and reached Everest base camp with ease. And now, Moore is sharing a bit more about her travels, only this time she made it a true family affair.

Over the weekend, Moore posted a series of images on her Instagram account of herself in the cockpit of a plane alongside the pilot. However, this wasn’t just any old pilot, but rather, it was her own father flying the plane.

“I was today years old when I finally visited my dad at work,” Moore wrote about her special time with her dad, who was celebrating a major workplace milestone with his famous daughter.

“He’s been a captain at @americanair since before I was born (he just celebrated his 40 year anniversary at the company- go dad!) and today was my first time ever flying with him,” she explained.

Moore also noted her stepmother is also an American Airlines crew member, who also happened to be working on the flight as well.

“I got some face time with both them on their breaks and took the requisite cockpit shots before we left London,” she said adding, “the landing was [thumbs up], dad. BEST TRIP HOME EVER.”

As proud as Moore was for her father, it appears the airline was just as proud of him too.

"We are truly proud of the American Airlines family, and Mandy is also a member of our family as well," Ross Feinstein, spokesman for American Airlines told USA Today. "Captain Don has been a pilot with American since 1979 – and is currently a Boeing 777 captain; you can see they are on a 777 in the photo. Mandy’s stepmother has also been a flight attendant with American for nearly 30 years.” Feinstein added, “We are thrilled they were able to spend the flight together from London to Los Angeles."

You Can Finally Organize Your Suitcase Like a Pro With These Packing Cubes

An editor on the Travel + Leisure team once returned from family vacation with a hilariously horrific story. As she waited with her parents at the baggage claim carousel for their checked luggage, a lone pair of underwear rolled out on the belt — as all color immediately drained from her mother’s face.

Dignity, fellow travelers, is just one of the many reasons that using packing cubes is a good idea.

Like any life-enriching travel accessory, once you start using packing cubes, there is no turning back. It’s incredibly satisfying to open your suitcase and know exactly where everything is.  

Even unpacking becomes easier: Packing cubes will keep your clothes compressed and folded flat or neatly rolled (however you prefer to do it), meaning no wrinkles. Once you’re settled in, you don’t have to rifle through your suitcase looking for that dinner outfit you swore you packed right on the top. You can just move the cubes directly into the drawers of your hotel’s dresser, unzip, and you’re set.

When shopping for a set of packing cubes, there are a few things to consider. Most are constructed of canvas or nylon, making them durable, lightweight, and easy to wash alongside your other dirty laundry post-trip. Some are made of plastic, which doesn’t allow your clothes to breathe as well, but will protect them from any spills or other scenarios in which your bags get wet. Some have mesh components, too, which is helpful when it comes to visibility and breathability but can make them more likely to snag or rip over time.

And though most are designed to fit into standard carry-on luggage, I find them especially useful for compartmentalizing a backpack or weekender duffel bag.

Below, the best packing cubes and sets to keep you organized, compressed, and, most importantly, safe from public humiliation.

New York City Finally Opens the Second Avenue Subway

After a 96-year wait, the Second Avenue Subway in New York City has finally made its debut.

When it comes to the Second Avenue line, New York took the phrase “better late than never” a little too literally. In the century it took to open the line, more than a few of those that helped make it happen thought they would never see the day.

“We were young,” 93-year-old Felice Shea, who worked with her local community board to plan for the line in the '60s, told The New York Times. “We thought it was going to happen. It took a little longer than we thought.”

Amid intense (negative) speculation, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo had in December promised the Second Avenue Subway would indeed open on New Year's Day. Lo and behold, Cuomo celebrated the opening on New Year's Eve with an underground soiree, and Upper East Siders on Sunday were able to enjoy a very unusual sight: A brand new subway line.

The Q line, which previously ran to Queens from midtown, now goes up the island of Manhattan along Second Avenue up to 96th Street.

Here, photos of some of the effort that went into building the new subway line.