Packing for a trip can be half the battle; from changeable weather conditions to not knowing what you’re going to be doing, well, it can make your so-called ‘stress-busting sunshine escape’ more stressful than sublime.
But relax, stress-afflicted nomad, as dealchecker is on hand with a handy guide to perfect packing…
1.) Research the average climate and weather conditions for where you’re staying. It seems fairly obvious, but I’m sure there are many of us who have brought too many jumpers to *insert hot destination*, ‘just in case’. Us English especially are famously cautious about the weather – with good reason – but be realistic about what you’ll need. Small layers are your ideal companion, as they can be built up as required. At the same time, make sure that you do bring at least one warm item and one item that will protect you from rain. Unless you’re going to the Atacama Desert (i.e. the driest area on earth) – in which case, you might be safe.
Image by idovermani
2.) A soft suitcase is much more effective than a hard one. You’ll find that you’ll be able to fit much more into a small wheeled case or backpack. Hard suitcases are admittedly more protective, but are much heavier – you can fit more at less weight into a soft shell bag. Bags with small pockets and different compartments work well too.
Image by Phineas H
3.) Match your outfits with days. Now, as most girls will know, this isn’t always possible. Sometimes you just want choice, dammit, and that’s fine. But if you want to pack efficiently, the best way to go about it is mathematically. So you’re going away for seven days, to Greece, for a beach holiday. Realistically, you’re going to want something different to wear if you’re eating out every night – so take a selection of light dresses.
For the daytime, chances are you’ll be spending most of your time by the pool, so you’ll really need swimwear, cover-ups like a kaftan or beach dress, ONE pair of shorts and a couple of pairs of shoes. To save taking too much, keep in your mind that you never need as much as you think you do, and you’ll end up sticking to your favourites anyway!
4.) For women, taking accessories can be a great way to avoid taking too many clothes. Belts, jewellery and belts can make the same outfit look totally different – and importantly, shouldn’t take you over your weight allowance!
Image by applepathways
5.) Pack your clothes by rolling them. It’s a subject of great debate but I say rolling does allow you to fit more into a small suitcase. Fold shirts lengthwise before rolling, for trousers, fold them in half lengthwise and then half horizontally. Be sure to keep clothes that wrinkle easily on the top.
6.) If you really can’t whittle your packing down any more, try this trick: close the suitcase, stand it up and leave it overnight. Hey presto: the contents should have settled by morning and you should be able to fit more in.
7.) Repeat after me: Heavy items at the bottom, light items at the top. Heavy items at the bottom…
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