How to pack a Balikbayan box that arrives in one piece

After a few thousand pickups, you start to recognise a box that will travel well. It is not about how much you fit in. It is about how it is packed.

Five rules our team swears by

1. Heavy things at the bottom: cans, jars, shoes.
2. Roll clothes instead of folding them, and use them to fill gaps.
3. Double-bag anything liquid and tape the caps shut.
4. Keep chocolates away from lotions and soaps (they absorb the smell).
5. Put a list of what is inside on top. It speeds up customs and it is lovely for whoever opens it.

Leave room for a note

The thing families mention most when they open a box is not the chocolate. It is the handwritten note on top. Leave a little space for one.