It's inevitable — sometime, somewhere — you'll have to travel. You can extend the life of your clothes if you treat them right on the road. Follow these guidelines for clean, great-looking clothes — anytime, anywhere.

Remember these packing basics

Proper packing is half the battle when you travel. Follow these tips for the best way to care for your wardrobe on the road. Then all you have to do is decide where you're going and what to wear!

A little planning goes a long way

• Be realistic when you think about how much clothing you really need and whether your favorite outfits will travel well. Don't take items that will wrinkle excessively or require too much maintenance. Also, choose like colors to mix and match.
• Find out if your destination has laundering facilities. If so, pack even less and consider laundering on the road.

It's in the bag!

• Just like your closet, your luggage should be clean, well-ventilated and pest-free.
• Don't over or under pack your bags. Items in a too-big bag will move around and make wrinkles more likely.
• If you don't have a garment bag, pick clothes that will fold and unfold well from a suitcase or duffle.

Packing primer

• Make sure clothes are clean and dry before packing. (If you must travel with damp items, store them temporarily in sealed plastic bags until you can dry them properly.)
• Button all buttons and zip all zippers before folding to preserve garment shape. Carefully fold garments to avoid stretching, indentations and excessive wrinkling.
• Roll t-shirts and other items that can stand a little wrinkling.
• Pack pressed garments or eveningwear in the plastic bags you get from the cleaners to protect clothing from moisture and help keep them wrinkle-free.
• Use a net bag designed for lingerie to help prevent fraying, catching and tearing of delicate and other packed items.

When you get there...

• Unpack as soon as possible.
• Hang creased items in the bathroom while you shower to help steam out wrinkles.

Take a laundry travel kit

• Gather and pack as many of the following items in a resealable plastic bag that seem appropriate for your trip. You'll be ready to pretreat stains and refresh tired clothes along the way.
• Downy Wrinkle Releaser to help remove wrinkles and creases — without ironing — from casual clothes.
• Febreze^® to help eliminate, not just conceal, odors from frequently worn or odor-susceptible clothing.
• A Bounce^® sheet (in your luggage) to help keep your clothes smelling freshly laundered.
• A travel stain kit for pretreating stains.

Act fast to remove stains

The key to successful stain removal is treating the stain before it has a chance to set in. When pretreating, there is no one single way to treat all stains. Follow the general guidelines in Take Off Travel Stains and use your travel stain kit. You should be set until you get to some laundry facilities — away or at home.

As always, before treating any garment, first refer to the instructions on the care label. If you're unsure what most label symbols mean, print a guide to laundry care symbols for the road.