Master the art of holiday packing – tips to maximise space!

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!

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