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How to Pack Jewelry for Travel without tangling

How to Pack Jewelry for Travel without tangling

Want to know how to pack jewelry for travel without tangling? Then you have come to the right place. We cover how to pack necklaces for travel, earrings, rings, bracelets and more both in checked luggage and carry on.

Important Note: This post may contain affiliate links which means if you click through and make a purchase I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you. 

Should I travel with jewelry?

Woman in leather jacket with Florence skyline in background

I love traveling with jewelry. When you are traveling with a capsule wardrobe it is a great way of accessorising and giving your outfit a new look without overpacking.

In fact we always use jewelry to change our looks when using the sudoku and the 5 4 3 2 1 packing method.

However a lot of people worry about the safety and security of their jewelry and about damaging it through tangles.

In this guide we will look at the different methods of packing jewelry for travel to prevent tangling and to keep your precious items safe. Then we will look at all of the different pieces of jewelry you may travel with and tell you the best method for packing each.

How to Pack Jewelry for Travel

Use a Travel Jewelry Case

Travel Jewelry Box containing rings and necklace
How to Pack Jewelry for Travel without tangling

Perhaps the easiest way to pack jewelry for travel is by using a travel jewelry organiser. In fact this is one of our women’s travel essentials.

There tend to be two types of travel jewelry organizers – soft sided and hard sided.

I personally prefer to use a hard sided travel jewelry case organiser as these tend to have lots of separate compartments for different types of jewelry. And I find that items are less likely to move or tangle in a hard sided case.

Click here to shop travel jewelry case organizers.

However they will take up more in the case than flat fabric ones or the travel jewelry roll.

If you are traveling with carry on only / hand luggage only you may find that a soft-sided jewelry case works better for you. Just don’t be tempted to overfill it.

Click here to shop soft sided travel jewelry organisers.

However if you don’t have time or inclination to order a travel sized jewelry organiser our top hack for packing jewelry is to use an old mint tin. These can be used to store a pair of earrings and may be a necklace. Just don’t be tempted to pack too much in one as then you will get tangling.

For extra security and safety we recommend adding some cotton wool, bubble wrap or tissue paper into the tin.

You can also make a travel jewelry roll easily using a length of fabric and rubber bands however I use my jewelry organizers all the time so it has been well worth the investment.

How to Use Straws to Pack Jewelry for Travel

NEcklace threaded through straw aka how to pack jewelry with a straw for travel
How to Pack Jewelry for Travel without tangling using a straw

Another of my great hacks for packing jewelry is to use a simple straw for packing necklaces and bracelets and can even be used for packing rings safely.

All you have to do is open the necklace and then thread the necklace chain through a plastic or reusable straw. Once the necklace or bracelet has been threaded through do the clasp back up and voila.

How to Pack Jewelry for Travel without tangling using a straw
How to Pack Jewelry for Travel without tangling using a straw

The straw keeps one length of the necklace rigid and in place and means the jewelry can not get fully tangled necklaces. I find that this method works even with the most delicate necklaces.

This method also works for a bracelet however if the straw is too long simple cut the plastic or reusable straw to the appropriate size so you can thread through and do up the clasp again.

Note: I don’t tend to use metal reusable straws for packing jewelry as they are not very flexible for different sized pieces. Instead I tend to use plastic, bamboo or paper straws as these can be cut to the right size.

If you are traveling with rings also, you could thread your ring onto the necklace once threaded but before closing the clasp and this way your ring is secured securely to your necklace too.

Necklace and rings on a straw for travel
How to Pack Jewelry for Travel without tangling

This is absolutely my favorite packing hack for traveling with jewelry.

Top tip: if you are eco conscious and want to use a more environmentally product than a plastic straw then a used roll of toilet paper roll is another great thing to pack your jewelry onto.

Use Travel Containers

Although my go to container for traveling with jewelry is my trusty travel jewelry case organiser, if you are limited on space you could look at using other containers you are already traveling with.

For instance, we always have a pill box with us, it’s one of our travel toiletry essentials. If we are traveling for less than 7 days then we will have a few empty sections which I like to add my earrings into as it takes up less space.

Other containers you may have with you that could be repurposed for jewelry include:

  • contact lens cases
  • glasses cases
  • ziploc bags / ziplock bags and
  • empty lipstick or lip balm containers.

If you can think of any others that we have missed then let us know in the comments below. We love finding out other people’s travel hacks and creative ways of protecting their jewelry while traveling.

Business cards

Business cards are another great way to save space in your case while also keeping your earrings safe. You can easily press your pairs of earrings through a business card and then out on the backs. It keeps them all in one place and you can store them either in a travel jewelry case or even a ziploc bag or sandwich bags.

This method works for both stud earrings and dangling earrings equally well.

Note: I have also seen a method where you can use a piece of plastic wrap such as Saran Wrap or cling film to separate necklaces. Although this is a good budget alternative, I personally find its quite a messy and time consuming process and worry about losing items this way.

How to pack jewelry for travel without tangling (item specific tips)

So now you know the various methods of packing jewelry for travel we will look at all the different types of jewelry people commonly travel with and tell you the best method for packing them.

How to pack Necklaces for travel without tangling

Necklaces are one of the most commonly traveled with pieces of jewelry. However the risk of traveling with necklaces, especially if you are traveling with more than one, is that they can become a tangled mess.

Therefore when you look at how to pack necklaces for travel without tangling the best way of doing so are:

  • using a travel jewelry box, or
  • using reusable straws to thread the necklaces through.

You can also use ziplock bags and other containers. If you do decide to use these types of containers most important thing to do is to travel with the necklace chain closed, and separating each necklace. By separating the necklaces from one and other you reduce the risk of tangled necklaces.

How to pack bracelets for travel without tangling

The way to pack bracelets for travel without tangling is very similar to packing necklaces for travel without tangling.

Either use:

  • a travel jewelry organiser or
  • use a straw, or paper towel roll.

If you decide to use the later of these two options you may have to cut the straw or roll to the right size so you can close the bracelet. For this reason you would be unable to use a metal straw to pack a bracelet.

How to keep rings safe while traveling

Personally I find that using a jewelry box is the safest way to travel with rings, other than wearing them.

That is because they are unlikely to be disposed of accidentally if being stored in a smaller container.

Otherwise I would use my necklaces that are either in the jewelry box or that have been packed on a straw to thread through the necklace and keep safe.

Note: remember if you are wearing rings and are travel to a cold weather location or winter location remember that your fingers can contract in size in the cold. This makes it easier to loose jewelry, especially when taking gloves on and off.

How to pack earrings for travel

Earrings obviously do not take up any space in a suitcase. However they are always a risk at getting lost, (especially small earrings such as stud earrings).

Personally I travel with my earrings either in my hard sided jewelry organiser or use a business card. I poke the earrings through the business card and add the backs on. this way all the pairs of earrings are kept in one place safe and secure.

How to pack cufflinks for travel

And it is not just women who are traveling with jewelry. My husband always travels with cufflinks, especially when we are going somewhere slightly more formal such as on a cruise ship or to a wedding.

The best way to pack cufflinks for travel is to use a cufflink box.

Otherwise, I would use something like an old mint box lined with cotton wool to pack cufflinks for travel.

Click here to shop cufflink boxes for travel.

Other Tips for Traveling with Jewelry

Wear Jewlry or Pack in Carry on

Emerald ring on finger for travel
How to Pack Jewelry for Travel

Although it can be tempting to put jewelry in checked luggage we recommend that you never do this. The risk of a checked bag being lost or stolen is far greater than a carry-on bag.

Therefore we recommend you either wear it, even when going through airport security or having it in your carry on so it is with you at all times.

Travel with costume jewelry

If you are worried about traveling with precious jewelry and expensive items, you could consider packing costume jewelry instead of “real” jewelry.

I actually find that there are some really great statement pieces of costume jewelry, particularly statement necklaces which can make outfits look completely different.

Also costume jewelry can give you peace of mind and is unlikely to attract unwanted attention.

Click here to shop costume jewelry.

Don’t pack sentimental jewelry 

Barring wedding rings and my engagement ring I never travel with sentimental jewelry. The reason for this is that it gives me extra anxiety when traveling with special items. For this reason I always leave them at home

Use the hotel room safe

If you are traveling with expensive jewelry, valuable items or sentimental jewelry be sure to leave them in the hotel room safe. I never wear expensive jewelry sightseeing especially in areas known for pickpockets or in more deprived areas. The reason is that is can draw unwanted attention and be a safety risk.

Do you have another way of packing jewelry for travel that we have missed? We would love to hear any travel packing hacks that you have in the comments below.