As the days get shorter and the nights come early, one thing is for certain: It is almost time to finally go home. The semester has been endless but now, there is the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. All you have to do now is ace your finals and pack.

If you’re anything like most of the earth’s human population, packing is a horrifying experience that is postponed to the last possible minute. That minute is then tear-filled as you fight with closing your luggage, hauling heavy weights downstairs and struggling with the adamant feeling that you’re forgetting something. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Having spent the majority of my teenage life in a boarding school, I believe I am now an expert on packing. Here is my take on the best way to pack to go home for short periods of times:

1. Pack the Other Way Around

This simply means you treat your current location like home and home like a vacation destination! If you picture home like a dream vacation place, you’ll only pack the best of what you have and get to go home with glamorous luggage for any night-outs you have in mind.

2. Pack Really Light

Let’s face the facts. You have clothes at home too. There is no need to take your entire wardrobe home then have to bring it all back again when the winter break ends. Help yourself out and be economical with space.

3. Pack with a Checklist

I have found that this helps with personal experience. Make a list of all the stuff you think you will need and check them off as you put them in. This usually prevents the hassle of trying to remember if you put in something. And making the list is really easy! You could do it over coffee in the morning and just keep adding stuff as you go through the weeks/days leading up to your departure.

4. Pack Over an Extended Period of Time

Leave your box open in a corner of the room and just put in stuff based on use and how you remember. This approach helps relieve the pressure of packing since you’re doing it in short inconsistent bursts. All you have to do is actually remembering to stuff things in there.

5. Pack with Friends

There’s nothing that isn’t fun when you’re surrounded by friends! Host a packing party or something with your roommate. Invite friends to hang with you as you pack and just have fun with the entire thing. When everyone is packing, no one is packing! If you don’t have friends, that’s perfectly okay. All you need is some music, some food and you’re set to have a blast packing alone!

6. Pack All Your Gifts Last

If you bought presents for your family for Christmas, I’d suggest you put the presents in amongst the last. This is just so you can whip it out quickly and hide it before any nosy siblings have a go at your luggage. If you don’t have nosy siblings or have no plans to buy gifts then skip this step.

7. Pack All Your Travel Documents in a Handy Place

It is really helpful to have every piece of documentation you need for travel in a little bag (Fanny pack) or in your backpack so you don’t forget anything and you can reach it easily. This is especially necessary if you’re flying or leaving the country. Join the fanny club!

8. Pack in Rolls

Not only does this keep your clothes crease and wrinkle free, it also maximizes space and best of all, it looks pretty cool! If you have no idea to roll your clothes effectively, here's how! Enjoy the rolling experience and thank me later.

9. Pack Few Shoes

Shoes are the horror of packing. Not only do they take up so much space, they also just seem to never fit into the box right! The best advice for you is to pack few shoes, at most 3 pairs. You have shoes at home and also, think about the hassle of repacking those shoes when you decide to bring even more clothes than you had before back to college.

10. PACK!

In case you didn’t notice, all prior tidbits began with the same word. Pack. That is my not-so-subtle way of telling you to actually get the packing started and quit procrastinating.

If you’re reading this article, you’re probably already desperate and freaking out but don’t worry! You can get through this! Just follow my tips combined with all the billion packing tips on the internet and you’ll be fine.