Anastasia Nelen – Unsplash

Now, I love a holiday (especially a cruise) as much as anyone, but one thing I am not keen on is packing. I always find it super stressful – and I am a chronic over packer! I’m making a conscious effort for my next holiday to pack lighter – and also smarter. I love watching packing videos on YouTube, and hearing about hacks, so I’ve been researching tips and tricks to make your next suitcase easier to pack!

These are a variety of tips and tricks I’ve seen or heard, and many I’ve tried myself.

Let me know in the comments if you have any other suggestions!

Hand luggage

• Keep all your travel documents together in a folder or wallet – and keep this easily accessible in your hand luggage

• Keep your tablets and medication in hand luggage

• Use a cable organiser (or make up bag) to store your electronics and cables together. Have a fully charged power bank in case of delays

• Keep valuables (including money!) in hand luggage

• Keep a makeup bag in here with things you might need such as tissues, anti-bacterial gel, painkillers, hand cream, pen, earphones, lip salve, mobile phone, gum or mints, toothbrush/paste, sleep mask)

• Consider having some clean clothes to change into when you get to your destination – in case your main case gets lost or delayed, this could be a life saver! Especially clean undies..

• Have a spare jumper or wrap in case the plane is cold (also maybe socks?!)

• If you’re going with a bag rather than a cabin case, use one that zips, and that has a sturdy bottom as it’s easier to organise stuff

• If you can have a personal item as well as a carryon, use a crossover bag so it doesn’t slip off your shoulder at a crucial moment (and keep it in front of you)

• Take a refillable water bottle to save money at the airport – you can fill these up after you’ve passed through security

Useful things to pack

• Crease release spray – this genius invention means that you don’t need an iron

• Travel adaptor (make sure it’s the right one for your destination) and extension lead with multiple sockets

• Pop up laundry basket – these fold flat for packing. As well as for laundry, you could use it to keep all shoes together (eg if you’re camping)

• Small foldup rucksack – I’ve got one from Alehop which takes up very little space. These are great for taking with you for the day when you’re out and about

• Tea/coffee/sugar for the room – and a corkscrew/bottle opener

• A waterproof toiletries bag with a handle for hanging up in the bathroom (makes everything easy to access)

• A big blue Ikea bag is handy for trips to the beach, or for muddy shoes in the car

• Talcum powder is great for getting sand off your feet when you’re coming off the beach

• Ikea Skubb boxes are really useful – they fold flat and can be used on shelves to organise things like underwear/t-shirts. The small ones are great for dressing table organisation

• Clothes pegs are really handy – can be used to re-seal bags (crisps etc), or obviously for hanging washing out! If you have some big chunky ones they can be used to secure your towel to your sunbed

• Take some washing leaves – these can be used in machines or to handwash and they take up almost no space

• Take spare ziplock bags – these are useful for so many things – snack bags for the kids (or you..), holding wet swimwear, putting suncream etc in for your beach bags so it’s easy to find

• Hooks can be amazingly handy – if you’re on a cruise, take some magnetic hooks as the walls of the cabin are metal. If you’re camping, ‘S’ hooks will be very useful

Marissa Grootes – Unsplash

How to pack

• Packing cubes! Especially compression cubes as these save space. If you’re travelling with family members, use different colour cubes for each person

• Roll, don’t fold your clothes

• Silicone/small travel bottles to decant shampoo/conditioner/shower gel etc into. This will save so much room compared to taking normal bottles! Only fill these three quarters full in case they expand, and seal over the top with clingfilm (take the roll of clingfilm with you for the return journey). To be double-sure, I then put the bottles into a large ziplock bag

• Split your toiletries up into smaller bags – e.g. one with bathroom stuff, one with hair stuff, etc. This makes it easier to pack into small spaces in your case rather than having to find room for one big bag. If you like a hanging toiletries bag, take one but don’t fill it to the brim. Then when you get there transfer your toiletries over from the other bags

• Stuff ‘empty’ spaces in your case – e.g. pack shoes with your socks,  pack scarves etc within the hat or bag that’s in your case (especially hard sided bags). Slot things into small spaces – eg if you have recesses where the handles are, put flip flops or books in there

• Take a small magnifying mirror with a stand, for doing your makeup. Bonus points if it also has a light (you could use a clip on reading light for this)

• Pack breakables (like mirrors) in the middle of your case (or packing cube), cushioned by clothes

• Put your shoes in shoe bags – you can buy these very reasonably from eBay and they keep the rest of your contents clean. Alternatively buy shower caps and use those around your shoes

• Pack a capsule wardrobe, with colours that go together, and outfits you can mix and match. I’m still working on this one!

• Really consider what shoes to take as these will be single-handedly the bulkiest and heaviest items!

• If you’re travelling with a friend, share equipment like a hairdryer or straighteners between you

• Make sure you have some identifying information inside your case – a piece of paper with your name and contact information in case the external tag gets ripped off

• Consider using an Airtag or similar so you can track your luggage

• Pack heavy items like shoes near the wheels of your case to keep the centre of gravity low

• If you’re taking a light rain jacket, pack it over the top of your contents in case your case is left in the rain

• Decorate your case so you recognise it on the luggage carousel! You can buy straps, or simply securely tie some ribbon to a handle

• Ensure your case is locked – if you have a lock with numbers, take a photo of it locked, and then keep in a ‘travel’ photo album on your phone so you remember the number

I hope these hints have helped you – let me know of any I’ve missed, in the comments!

Some of the links in this blog post are affiliate links, meaning that I will make a commission on purchases you make through my links, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Master the art of holiday packing – tips to maximise space! appeared first on Who moved my coffee?.

Find out about the ship and ports of call

Before your cruise, it’s a good idea to research the ship you will be sailing on, if possible. There are thousands of YouTube videos about cruising –  you are bound to find at least one featuring your ship (unless it’s brand new). You could also look at the cruise company’s website, travel blogs, and Pinterest for more information. This will help you understand what facilities the ship has so you can plan what you’d like to do on board. You could see if there are any online forums, or Facebook groups you could join.

Your cruise should also have an itinerary, which will show the ports of call or sea days, and any particular dress code (for example if they have a formal or celebration night, dress code may be black tie).

It’s also a good idea to research the ports you will be calling at – this was a good resource for me. You can find out whether it’s possible to walk into the tourist areas, or whether you might need a taxi or a shuttle bus service. You might also want to find out what local attractions there are – the cruise ship will do excursions, but you can also look at booking these independently if you want to. This could be a cheaper way of doing it – although with the cruise-run excursions, if they are late back for whatever reason the ship will wait for you. It won’t necessarily wait if you are doing these independently!

What will the weather be doing?

Check out the weather forecast for the areas you will be travelling to – you won’t be able to get an accurate one until much closer to your travel date, but you can get an idea of the type of weather to expect, which can help you plan your packing!

Documentation and online forms

You should also check what documentation or online forms you need to complete for the cruise company – and whether any visas are required. There may be some health and identity documentation for the cruise company before you can travel. Some offer online check-in a few days before you leave – when you can also print off your luggage tags and boarding card (if you’re flying). Keep a close eye on what documentation you need, or online information to complete before you travel, and also check your passport validity (and any visas required). You should buy travel insurance as soon as you have booked your cruise, so it covers you for anything that happens before you depart. Make sure it has cruise cover (some cruise companies insist on this), and it may also need to have Covid-19 cover. Although a lot of this could be saved online, so you can access it from your phone, I always like to have a printed copy of things like the boarding pass, travel insurance and so on in case there are any technical issues that prevent me from accessing the information on my phone.

Money

Organise your travel money – check the currencies in the places you’ll be visiting and make sure you have enough to cover expenses such as drinks/meals and souvenirs. Depending on whether gratuities are included in your cruise fare, you may wish to take money to give as tips – so make sure you have plenty of small denomination notes. Organise buying any currency a couple of weeks beforehand and shop around for the best deal – whatever you do, don’t buy it at the airport as it will be more expensive!

It might also be a good idea to get a debit card that doesn’t charge a fee if you use it abroad – I personally use Starling, which I’ve found to be excellent. Other types of cards are available such as pre-paid travel cards like Revolut. Have a look at MoneySavingExpert.com to check out the very latest deals and offers on spending money abroad.

Personal items

If you use any medication, make sure you check your supplies a couple of weeks ahead of time, and order a prescription if needed. Try and keep any medication in the original packaging, in case of any queries when you are going through security – especially if it’s a liquid or gel medication item. Make sure any essential medication is in your hand luggage rather than your checked suitcase.

Stock up on painkillers, antacids, recovery powders (for if you eat or drink too much…just saying… ), eye drops, suncream, sunburn cream, mosquito spray,  antibacterial gel, period products, seasickness remedies, medicine for diarrhoea or constipation.

If you need to organise any personal or beauty care book it in advance – e.g. hair cut or colour, waxing, nails.

Packing

Once you know the itinerary and have a rough idea of the type of weather to expect, you can start to plan your packing. Try to pack clothes that you can mix and match, and make several outfits out of. If there is a formal or black tie evening you will want to take appropriate clothing – but if getting dressed up that way really isn’t for you, you could probably opt to eat in the buffet or one of the more casual dining venues on that evening. Just make sure to check the cruise website, or ask on the Facebook group. Roll your clothes rather than folding them as this helps prevent creasing. Shoes take up a lot of space so try to take footwear that will cover you for different outfits. Make sure you take (or travel in) a pair of comfortable shoes, as you will likely do a lot of walking, particularly if you’re on an excursion. You might also need particular shoes for on-board activities or excursions – for example closed toe, lace-up trainers, walking shoes etc.

Use packing cubes – or compression cubes, which squeeze the air out of your clothes and take up less space. A hack I recommend is splitting your toiletries up into several smaller bags rather than using one big bag, as then you can fit these into the nooks and crannies of your case rather than a single bag taking up one big space. Also put all your liquid toiletries in the same bag, if you can, and put this bag inside a ziplock bag. You could also wrap these bottles in clingfilm in case of any leakages – pressure in a plane can sometimes force bottles to open and leak everywhere (as I once found out…). Take travel-sized toiletries for everything –if you have a large bottle with only a little bit of product in it, transfer it to a travel bottle. Every little bit of space and weight will help when you are packing!

Use all of the spaces in your case – the pockets on the inside and on the outside, for packing small, unbreakable things such as books, and small items of clothing. Buy some thin shoe covers, or use shower caps to pack your shoes in so they don’t make the rest of your things dirty. Pack heavy items at the bottom of your case, where the wheels are, to help balance it out. Pack anything valuable, as well as your meds, in your hand luggage so you have it with you at all times. Obviously also your passport and any travel documents!  Try weighing your luggage to make sure it’s under the weight limit – you can buy these for a reasonable price.

Check whether you will need to take a travel adaptor. An extension lead can also be a good idea (but this must not be a surge-protected one as these are not allowed on board). You can’t take irons or steamers but there may be a launderette on board with ironing facilities, and you may also be able to use the washing machines. If not, there will probably be a paid-for service if you need any washing or ironing done. You could also take a wrinkle release spray for any stubborn creases, or hang your clothes in the bathroom while the shower is on. Make sure you pack your chargers for any electronic equipment – I would recommend these are in your hand luggage. Laptops and tablets will also need to be in your hand luggage.

Check the size of hand luggage you are allowed to take, and remember you will be carrying this round with you in the airport once you’ve checked your case! I would always recommend taking a fair-sized bag as hand luggage even if you like to travel light, for a couple of reasons. One, you might buy stuff while you’re away that won’t fit in your case. Two, you may need to leave your suitcase outside your cabin on the last evening, which then gets sent to the airport for you. This means you’ll need stuff for the morning, like toiletries and clothes, and you’ll need somewhere to pack your overnight stuff. This is also why it’s a good idea to have travel-size toiletries because these will be in your hand luggage on the way home!

Prepare your entertainment

Make sure you have some personal entertainment material for travelling or downtime, such as books or magazines. Download some movies or box sets beforehand onto your phone/laptop or tablet. You may also be able to use the Kindle app, or take your Kindle, to save you carrying books around with you (and check your cruise website to see if there’s a library on board). I buy my books from charity shops, so if I take a couple on the cruise, I can then leave them behind for other guests to enjoy once I’ve read them.

Final checks

Make sure you check your boarding time a couple of days before travel, and make sure you have organised a way to get to the airport or cruise port (and home again!). If you are travelling independently to the cruise port, I would recommend getting there the day before you sail, in case of any travel delays. It can be extremely stressful if your flight is delayed for example, and there’s a chance you might miss the cruise departure. Better to get there a day before and have an extra night in a hotel!

Leave details of your travel arrangements at home, or with a friend so that if there’s an emergency people know how to get in touch with you (you may not be contactable by phone depending on where you are!).

Make sure you have all your documentation to hand, and that you have checked in online.

That’s it! You should be well prepared, and ready to enjoy your cruise!

Hope you’ve found these helpful – let me know in the comments if you think of any more!

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A cruise is a great option for solo travellers, and in fact this is a really growing segment of the cruise market. More and more cruise lines are catering for solo cruise travellers now, by offering solo cabins, restricted areas for solo use only, low or no supplement for different cruises, and solo meetups on board. So it really doesn’t have to be expensive to cruise alone – in fact there are some great bargains to be had, especially if you can be flexible when you travel.

Lots of resources are available for solo travellers, such as specialist travel agents, Facebook groups, online forums. These can all make it easier to plan your cruise. One of my favourites is a UK based agent called Passion for Cruises – who also have a lively Facebook group and a newly launched YouTube channel!

Solo travellers aren’t all single; some have partners that don’t want to cruise, or can’t take leave at the same time as them. Even if they are single, they aren’t necessarily looking for romance – but friendships are often made on board!

It’s a great opportunity to visit multiple locations – and you are travelling with thousands of others in an enclosed environment. I certainly felt very safe when I cruised with P & O Cruises on Azura in September 2022. It was my first cruise, and I had an amazing time.

You can please yourself

If you have a holiday destination in mind, but your partner or friends don’t want to travel there, if there’s a cruise that goes there it’s a great way to go to a place you’ve always wanted to visit. So many times I’ve heard people say ‘I really want to go on a cruise but my partner doesn’t’. Well – you don’t have to! Why should you miss out on going somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit just because someone else doesn’t want to go there?

And in fact, that leads me onto another great reason to cruise solo – you can please yourself where you go, and what you do. I was able to suit myself; in the day I’d either get off the ship and wander around wherever we’d docked, lie on a sunbed soaking up the rays or find an activity to do on board. I didn’t have to consider what anyone else wanted to do and fit in with their plans. In the evening, I had dinner at the same time and at the same table most nights, so a friendship developed between me and some of the other lady solo travellers. We’d often go to a show together after the meal, or for a few drinks. But it was up to me what I wanted to do!

If you don’t want to, you don’t even have to get off the ship in port. You can choose to stay on board if that feels safer to you, or you don’t want to tour a port on your own. However, taking a cruise-organised excursion can be a great way to experience destinations more safely – you’re picked up from and taken back to the ship, and you’re travelling with other passengers on your cruise. Because it’s a cruise-organised excursion, if there is an issue during the trip (for example, you get stuck in traffic) the ship will wait for your return. They won’t wait if you’ve gone off and done your own thing!

Lots of opportunities to meet people

There will probably be solo meetups on board, where you can meet other solo travellers and maybe even find someone to go on an excursion with. You can arrange to meet up for drinks, or for dinner. Or you can choose not to go – I didn’t go to any meetups on my first cruise, but I got to know lots of people on board (solos and couples) as people are very friendly and will chat to you. At dinner I sat with other solo travellers, and we became friends; also doing excursions together, going to dinner at the speciality restaurants and meeting up for drinks. Solo cruises can be a great way to meet like-minded people and become friends for life!

Trying new activities

Cruises have a huge range of activities and entertainment on board, which you can choose whether to join in with or not. No-one will know you – so what does it matter if you feel embarrassed? You’ll never see these people again, and you could end up finding a new hobby! But you have the option as to whether to do something, or not. Entirely your choice! It’s a great opportunity to try something new – and there really can be a huge variety of activities, from ballroom dancing to art classes, quizzes to vocal workshops, fitness classes to deck games.

Depending on the cruise line, you will meet a wide variety of ages – cruising isn’t only for the older generation now, lots of younger people and families also do it. Obviously, if you do a cruise with a line like Saga, you will be in the company of older people as they only allow over-fifties to book (although they can take a companion over 40). This might be attractive to you if you’re in an older age bracket and want to be in the company of others of similar age. Some cruise lines may attract a younger age profile, such as Carnival, but honestly, I don’t think age really matters! The key thing on a cruise (or any holiday) is to go with a positive attitude and be willing to talk to people.

Once you’ve accomplished your first solo cruise, you will feel a huge sense of achievement – and you may be like me and get hooked on cruising!

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