Consider taking along an empty duffel bag. If your trip is such that you know you will be bringing some items back, you can put your clothes in the duffel bag freeing up the suitcase for whatever else needs to be packed.

If you have to travel often or sometimes on short notice it is good to keep a set of your usual toiletries ready in a travel bag. If you make a habit of doing this you will be less likely to find yourself in the hotel room late at night without a toothbrush. Also, remember strange things happen to fluid containers in the low pressure environment of an airplane's luggage hold at 30,000 feet. It is important to make sure those containers are tightly closed and it is best if you place them in separate plastic bags. One deodorant flavored toothbrush incident is one too many.

Leave a strip of bubble pack in your suitcase so if you ever need to wrap something fragile for the trip back you will have what you need at hand.

Suit jackets and dress shirts travel best when laid out flat on the bottom of the suitcase. Trousers of all kinds arrive with the crease intact when they have been rolled up. Need to bring back a bottle of wine? Try rolling it up tightly in a pair of jeans. Bringing back two bottles? Put one bottle in top of each leg of the jeans, fold the legs over and roll them together. Jean pockets are a good place to pack small items that might become damaged if bounced around too much.

Here are a few last minute reminders before you leave: underwear is the easiest thing to forget to pack, those "TSA approved" locks don't work for overseas flights and if you are traveling outside the US you might want to bring your own jar of instant coffee.

Come home safe!